can i get a job at a top law firm as a barrister with sh*t grades??

OP

Original post by Trinculo

Barristers are self employed.

huhh really dont they work at law firms aswell?

Reply 3

Original post by 1414al-atariq

huhh really dont they work at law firms aswell?

They work under what are known as “chambers”, paying rent to them as well as a percentage of earnings to clerks for finding the work. While some barristers work in house with companies, the majority are self-employed.

As for your overall question, A-Levels will certainly be considered. Nevertheless, if you achieve a first I am sure they will not be of issue.

What are your A-Level results?

Reply 4

londonmyst

19

Original post by 1414al-atariq

huhh really dont they work at law firms aswell?

Assuming that you are including alternative business structures and barristers chambers within the law firm classification, yes some barristers do.
But most barristers are self-employed individuals sharing a chambers address and clerks.

Reply 5

OP

Original post by CJStevens

They work under what are known as “chambers”, paying rent to them as well as a percentage of earnings to clerks for finding the work. While some barristers work in house with companies, the majority are self-employed.

As for your overall question, A-Levels will certainly be considered. Nevertheless, if you achieve a first I am sure they will not be of issue.

What are your A-Level results?

absolute dogshit DDE🤣🤣🤣

Reply 6

Original post by 1414al-atariq

absolute dogshit DDE🤣🤣🤣

And what area are you hoping to pursue?

Reply 7

OP

Original post by CJStevens

And what area are you hoping to pursue?

hopefully a barrister with idk like maybe corporate or criminal

Reply 8

Original post by 1414al-atariq

hopefully a barrister with idk like maybe corporate or criminal

Corporate and Criminal are very different. Becoming a barrister full stop may be difficult with these grades unless you achieve a first at uni (providing there were no extenuating circumstances). Being a corporate barrister is likely to prove particularly difficult.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by CJStevens

Corporate and Criminal are very different. Becoming a barrister full stop may be difficult with these grades unless you achieve a first at uni (providing there were no extenuating circumstances). Being a corporate barrister is likely to prove particularly difficult.

which one is like the most realistic one idc as long as i make money🤣🤣

Reply 10

InnateImpunity

9

If you get a 2:1 or 1st at Manchester for Law then you'll have access to a lot of firms, even if some exclude you on the basis of A-levels. You won't be stripped of options.

Reply 11

Original post by 1414al-atariq

which one is like the most realistic one idc as long as i make money🤣🤣

I would argue that corporate is less realistic (though some may disagree).

That being said, you will not be rich as a criminal barrister and it certainly is not a career you go into for the money. The pay is, comparatively, rather poor.

Reply 12

OP

Original post by InnateImpunity

If you get a 2:1 or 1st at Manchester for Law then you'll have access to a lot of firms, even if some exclude you on the basis of A-levels. You won't be stripped of options.

but its not not uni of Manchester tho its university of law Manchester, what other type of barrister makes the most money ik corporate ones do, what about real estate or any other i would do any one of em of it means i make good money and can live comfortably

Reply 13

Original post by 1414al-atariq

but its not not uni of Manchester tho its university of law Manchester, what other type of barrister makes the most money ik corporate ones do, what about real estate or any other i would do any one of em of it means i make good money and can live comfortably

I’m going to level with you. Being a barrister is hard… very hard. If your sole motivator is money then you’re going to struggle to make it work. It’s often long hours and high stress.

Reply 14

OP

Original post by CJStevens

I’m going to level with you. Being a barrister is hard… very hard. If your sole motivator is money then you’re going to struggle to make it work. It’s often long hours and high stress.

obviously its not just money🤣🤣 but its like one of my the goals in life. long hours and high stress can be managed and i am ok with it and also i m interested in the legal field of work. Long hours and stress are like part of most jobs anyways🤣. I should be ok as long as i get a first in uni i think i should be able to secure a pupillage i think but idk what kind of barrister i can be like i only knew corporate or criminal and corporate is hard to achieve and criminal dont pay enough, what other types are there like that have like a good salary or have a lot of clients??

Reply 15

Sorcerer's Storm

20

Original post by 1414al-atariq

obviously its not just money🤣🤣 but its like one of my the goals in life. long hours and high stress can be managed and i am ok with it and also i m interested in the legal field of work. Long hours and stress are like part of most jobs anyways🤣. I should be ok as long as i get a first in uni i think i should be able to secure a pupillage i think but idk what kind of barrister i can be like i only knew corporate or criminal and corporate is hard to achieve and criminal dont pay enough, what other types are there like that have like a good salary or have a lot of clients??

I would recommend to not get so hung up on exactly which type you want to be before you’ve even started uni because it’s not uncommon for wannabe corporates to find out they hate corporate law with all their being to give you just one example. Studying different laws will mean you can make a much more informed decision.

Reply 16

OP

Original post by Sorcerer of Old

I would recommend to not get so hung up on exactly which type you want to be before you’ve even started uni because it’s not uncommon for wannabe corporates to find out they hate corporate law with all their being to give you just one example. Studying different laws will mean you can make a much more informed decision.

thanks a lot my guy for your time. You have really helped with things that i didn't even know i had to worry about. Have you done law or are you a barrister by any chance or are in the process of becoming one?

Original post by 1414al-atariq

what other types are there like that have like a good salary or have a lot of clients??

As has already been said, you are generally going to be self employed as a barrister, so the amount of money that you make that the number of clients that you have can vary significantly from barrister to barrister even within the same practice area.

There are a lot of different areas of law that you can practise in as a barrister. Very broadly the three main practice areas are crime (the state wanting to prosecute a person), family (disputes in family settings) and civil (any other dispute between private individuals or entities). Within family law you have private children (where couples split up and need to make arrangements for their children), public children (where local authorities want to take children away from parents), and matrimonial finance (where couples divorce and need to determine where their assets go). Civil is basically 'everything else' and is incredibly broad, to the point where it's not really accurate to put it in just its own category. There are also practice areas that don't neatly fit into one of those three. Regulatory, for example, is where regulatory bodies in certain industries bring proceedings against individuals or companies for breaking rules within that industry. It is often done by criminal barristers, but by no means always. Immigration is also another example that is somewhat separate. In terms of areas that aren't crime or family, you've got the likes of public law, personal injury law, employment law, sports law, and commercial law. Even within those individual practice areas there's a lot of scope to specialise further. Some personal injury barristers do a lot of inquests, for example, which have their own rules. In employment law you have those who specialise in discrimination cases, and may do those in areas outside employment as well. Commercial law is one of the most broad individual areas, and you can find yourself dealing with contract cases, property cases, company disputes, and an awful lot more besides. There are many more areas that I haven't touched upon, but your practice can also span different areas. I'm predominantly an employment barrister, but I also practice in other distinct and niche areas as well. To give one other example, a very good friend of mine is a criminal barrister, but also does quite a lot of sports disciplinary work, that is to say mostly representing professional sports players when they face disciplinary action by their governing body (he has a particular interest in doping offences, but does a range of others too).

Basically, there are a lot of different areas that you can practise in as a barrister, and as a lawyer generally, to the point sometimes where the job is very different depending on what you practise in. My day to day work life is very different to that friend of mine who is a criminal barrister, for example, and we certainly couldn't just do each other's jobs at this stage of our careers. You develop your own practice and specialisms as time goes on, which is a feature of being self employed.

In terms of money, it very much depends what you think a lot of money is. Crime is generally the lowest paid area, but in the right situation you can still make plenty of money from it (I know criminal barristers who were comfortably making over £100,000 around 7-10 years in). Equally, there are some other practice areas where in more challenging situations you won't make as much money as some criminal barristers. But broadly, most areas other than crime will allow you to make enough money to live comfortably on fairly quickly. It is a profession where you should be financially secure assuming you can manage your money even half competently (which, it is worth saying, a lot of barristers don't, just as a lot of people don't generally). I do echo what others have said though that it is not a profession you want to go into with money as your main motivator. It is a difficult job. And yes, lots of other jobs are difficult too, but personally I think you'll struggle if it isn't a role that you find satisfying.

Reply 18

sublime-baths

13

Original post by 1414al-atariq

but its not not uni of Manchester tho its university of law Manchester, what other type of barrister makes the most money ik corporate ones do, what about real estate or any other i would do any one of em of it means i make good money and can live comfortably

I think you’re looking at the wrong profession here. Not only will you likely find it difficult to become a barrister, your motivations are entirely misguided. Barristers can make a lot of money, but those tend to be individuals who are very good at what they do. There’s plenty of threads on this forum with pupils asking if they should quit their pupilage because it turns out being a barrister isn’t as glamorous as they thought.

If you want good money and a comfortable lifestyle, go into sales. The hours, stress and difficult nature of the work in law isn’t suited for most people, let alone anyone who’s not actually interested in law - and you won’t even know if you are until you’re a good year or two in your course. I’d strongly urge you to reconsider your options.

There’s also the issue of grades, barring some extenuating circumstances at Alevel, are you sure you can get a first at university if the best you’ve gotten is DDE at Alevel?

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 19

OP