Can I become a lawyer and practice in England with a Scots law degree?
hellooo
im in the process of deciding where to apply for uni in order to study law. a couple of them are Scottish unis and therefor offer Scots law. i jsut wanted to know if id still be able to practice as a lawyer in england even if I didnt study law in england
im in the process of deciding where to apply for uni in order to study law. a couple of them are Scottish unis and therefor offer Scots law. i jsut wanted to know if id still be able to practice as a lawyer in england even if I didnt study law in england
More detail here:
https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/law-careers/becoming-a-lawyer-in-scotland/is-scots-law-a-qualifying-law-degree
Editing, as because as Artful rightly states you don’t technically need a law degree or GDL at all now to become a solicitor. It does however depend on the firm, the more competitive, higher paying firms can be different - see my post below.
You can also opt to study a 4 year law degree in some unis in Scotland which does cover English law. But of course you need to think it’s an extra year study, when you could do it in 3 in England.
https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/law-careers/becoming-a-lawyer-in-scotland/is-scots-law-a-qualifying-law-degree
Editing, as because as Artful rightly states you don’t technically need a law degree or GDL at all now to become a solicitor. It does however depend on the firm, the more competitive, higher paying firms can be different - see my post below.
You can also opt to study a 4 year law degree in some unis in Scotland which does cover English law. But of course you need to think it’s an extra year study, when you could do it in 3 in England.
(edited 5 months ago)
Original post by spam44
hellooo
im in the process of deciding where to apply for uni in order to study law. a couple of them are Scottish unis and therefor offer Scots law. i jsut wanted to know if id still be able to practice as a lawyer in england even if I didnt study law in england
im in the process of deciding where to apply for uni in order to study law. a couple of them are Scottish unis and therefor offer Scots law. i jsut wanted to know if id still be able to practice as a lawyer in england even if I didnt study law in england
Hi @spam44 ,
If you want to practice in England then you will have to do a secondary qualification if you have done your undergrad in Scotland. This isn't always a second degree but is a cross-qualifying course/exam as the law is slightly different. Therefore, if you are sure you want to practice in England it may be better to do your law degree in England to start with or be prepared to have to do a bit of further study after doing a undergrad in Scotland
Hope this helps!
Sophie
Original post by spam44
hellooo
im in the process of deciding where to apply for uni in order to study law. a couple of them are Scottish unis and therefor offer Scots law. i jsut wanted to know if id still be able to practice as a lawyer in england even if I didnt study law in england
im in the process of deciding where to apply for uni in order to study law. a couple of them are Scottish unis and therefor offer Scots law. i jsut wanted to know if id still be able to practice as a lawyer in england even if I didnt study law in england
To work as a solicitor yes it's fine, you still need to take the SQE though.
To work as a barrister then unless you take certain options in your undergraduate degree required for an English qualifying law degree (QLD) you would need to do those modules after graduating as part of some kind of GDL type programme ordinarily.
Note some Scottish unis offer dual Scots and English law degrees which cover the requirements on both sides.
Original post by artful_lounger
To work as a solicitor yes it's fine, you still need to take the SQE though.
To work as a barrister then unless you take certain options in your undergraduate degree required for an English qualifying law degree (QLD) you would need to do those modules after graduating as part of some kind of GDL type programme ordinarily.
Note some Scottish unis offer dual Scots and English law degrees which cover the requirements on both sides.
To work as a barrister then unless you take certain options in your undergraduate degree required for an English qualifying law degree (QLD) you would need to do those modules after graduating as part of some kind of GDL type programme ordinarily.
Note some Scottish unis offer dual Scots and English law degrees which cover the requirements on both sides.
Ah I’d forgotten you don’t technically need a qualifying law degree any more for solicitor. However, it does depend on the firm, most of the magic circle & transatlantic firms still insist you do a GDL or equivalent if you haven’t studied an English law undergrad degree. Some will pay for this but it does mean more study.
IMO I agree with PP, if you know you want to practice in England and want to study a law degree it makes sense to do so in England to limit the amount of studying you’d need to do.
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