PostGrad Law Help!

Hi Everyone,

So I'm a Human Biology BSc 3rd year (predicted high 2:1/1:1 with honours) and am really interested in going into something like medical law.
It says for many places to do a GDL conversion course then train at a firm. There are Medical Law Masters courses available but I'm assuming they won't be very useful to me?

Can anyone please help me, I'm very new to this pathway. How does funding work for Graduate Diploma in Law, and will I be able to go into training? and is the GDL absolutely necessary?

Thank you!

Hi !

I am a current LLB student who has specialised in Medical Law. If medical law is something you are really interested in then i would recommend doing an LLM on the matter, however when you go into a traineeship you will have to sit in several seats over the 2 years which will most likely not cover medical litigation.

I am assuming you are from England/Wales as in Scotland the GDL is called the DPLP, and here it is necessary in order to practice as a solicitor.

Sorry if this isn't really helpful, but if you ever have any questions about medical law in terms of study or practice then feel free to message me

I do not think the LLM will meet your needs.

To qualify as a lawyer you need to have taken certain compulsory courses (the GDL) then take the legal practice course (LPC) then do a two year training contract. In those last two years, if you choose the right firm, you may be able to direct your career towards medical law.

Both the GDL and LPC are expensive and privately funded. The best thing to do is to get a training contract organised with a firm who will sponsor you.

Start by researching firms that do medical law (Legal 500, Chambers & Partners). Then identify when their training contract recruitment timetable is. You will then be able to organise your training contract applications.

Be warned though, that the training contract process is extremely competitive. You will need good A'level grades on top of your good degree classification.

Hi there!

Are there any specific LLM courses you'd recommend? I'm so new to this I'm a tad clueless. Yeah I'm from England
So you'd recommend doing a Masters then training? I gathered I wouldn't be able to go straight into medical just yet

Thank you!!

I know that KCL has a good LLM in medical law & ethics, and so does Edinburgh.

Honestly though, if you really want to become a solicitor don't just do it because you think you will love medical law as for the first few years it will be unlikely that you will get much experience (if any) in that specialism and so it might not be what you expect in being a solicitor.
I am not the best placed to give advice on GDLs and LPCs as the Scottish system is so different.

I'll certainly have a look around and maybe do a summer experience training week etc to have a proper look round, yeah I understand I'll do other things first, thank you!

Hi Everyone,

So I'm a Human Biology BSc 3rd year (predicted high 2:1/1:1 with honours) and am really interested in going into something like medical law.
It says for many places to do a GDL conversion course then train at a firm. There are Medical Law Masters courses available but I'm assuming they won't be very useful to me?

Can anyone please help me, I'm very new to this pathway. How does funding work for Graduate Diploma in Law, and will I be able to go into training? and is the GDL absolutely necessary?

Thank you!

Im in a similar situation. I've just finished my Masters this year and I have decided to take a gap year to gain law experience. Reason why I'm not going on to a GDL straight away, is due to the fact that a Training Contract determines whether you become a solicitor or not. Getting a GDL and LPC without a TC seems worthless to me.

So are you seeing if you can eventually get a training contract and have your GDL and LPC funded?

Yes... by this year hopefully (unlikely but i'm praying =p). I would self fund but I'm not guaranteed to become a solicitor. I don't want to quit science to be stuck in a paralegal loop if you know what I mean.