With a law and criminology degree how hard will it be to get into other types of law?
I applied to York this year for LLB Law but did not get an offer, however they gave me an offer for Law and Criminology. Other universities such as Sheffield and Exeter gave me an offer to do LLB Law but I really want to go to York for their PBL. How much of a disadvantage would I be at with a law and criminology degree in trying to get into commercial law or any other law compared to a regular law degree?
Hi- in terms of what’s ultimately more highly perceived, I’d imagine it’s the LLB, with a clear, focused academic program on various areas of the law.
Criminology being a joint honour with this may appear to some firms as though you have a more specific interest/ limited ability or knowledge for criminal law, which may not be ideal if looking to practice in commercial( or other areas) of law, that aren’t criminal law.
Commercial law( particularly at top firms) is incredibly competitive as you can imagine, so it’s best to try and minimise reasons why you could be rejected( e.g. joint honours)- York PBL is great, although I think you’d have a difficult time explaining to firms why you chose to do Criminology and law, whilst having straight LLB offers, just to do the PBL- overall, just having the LLB will make you far more competitive in commercial law, as you’ll have learnt legal concepts and skills relevant to this legal sector, not just criminal law( which is also the lowest paid sector)
However, I’m unsure of how module choices work for joint honours at Uni of York, however if you’re able to choose specific modules on the law side of the degree, you may be able to cover the large bases that are most important in the LLB- if you do this selectively, and are ready to showcase a wide understanding of the law to the top firms, you might be okay.
Overall, non law graduates are able to enter the legal system in top positions all the time with only a year of legal conversion- sometimes from degrees with nothing to do with law- If they are able to secure positions in magic circle firms, then I’m sure you can too, as you will have a much greater understanding of law, even with a joint honours,
Although, to give my ultimate recommendation, Yorks PBL approach is fantastic, but I’d imagine it is more tailored for straight LLB students, but DONT quote me on that, as it’s a complete suggestion, not a fact-
I’d say If you’re purely looking to compete for top law firms, Exeter seems the right choice- this uni often has a lot of trainees in magic circle firms post graduation, and is highly respected in England- it will give you a much easier path, and wider, more complete teaching of the law( having the LLB will make you way more flexible in the legal market, as you’ll have an in depth understanding of the laws wide array of sectors)- making you a far more desirable candidate.
Not to mention if you’re not interested in Criminology/ practicing criminal law- that degree is entirely pointless to you, and don’t underestimate how much worse you’ll perform in a degree you’re not interested in- if you spend your 3 years demotivated, wishing you could just do law, and dreading the criminology side of the course, you’ll achieve much lower than you can( potentially with the criminology side dragging your final grades down)- which will be far more detrimental to your chances at a top law firm than doing a joint honours will.
Regardless of which you choose, it is worth noting the importance of maximising your opportunities in your degree( legal experience, networking, societies etc…) as firms will care far more about the strength of your overall application over the degree you attained( joint honours or not)- although perhaps my taking the York degree you’ve been offered, you’ll have to do more to compensate for the fact you don’t have a straight LLB, just to make yourself equally competitive as LLB students, who will also be doing what you’re doing experience wise, so the straight LLB will make your life a lot easier.
Exeter really does seem like the right choice for your aspired path if I’m completely honest- I hope this helps and good luck with your choices!
Criminology being a joint honour with this may appear to some firms as though you have a more specific interest/ limited ability or knowledge for criminal law, which may not be ideal if looking to practice in commercial( or other areas) of law, that aren’t criminal law.
Commercial law( particularly at top firms) is incredibly competitive as you can imagine, so it’s best to try and minimise reasons why you could be rejected( e.g. joint honours)- York PBL is great, although I think you’d have a difficult time explaining to firms why you chose to do Criminology and law, whilst having straight LLB offers, just to do the PBL- overall, just having the LLB will make you far more competitive in commercial law, as you’ll have learnt legal concepts and skills relevant to this legal sector, not just criminal law( which is also the lowest paid sector)
However, I’m unsure of how module choices work for joint honours at Uni of York, however if you’re able to choose specific modules on the law side of the degree, you may be able to cover the large bases that are most important in the LLB- if you do this selectively, and are ready to showcase a wide understanding of the law to the top firms, you might be okay.
Overall, non law graduates are able to enter the legal system in top positions all the time with only a year of legal conversion- sometimes from degrees with nothing to do with law- If they are able to secure positions in magic circle firms, then I’m sure you can too, as you will have a much greater understanding of law, even with a joint honours,
Although, to give my ultimate recommendation, Yorks PBL approach is fantastic, but I’d imagine it is more tailored for straight LLB students, but DONT quote me on that, as it’s a complete suggestion, not a fact-
I’d say If you’re purely looking to compete for top law firms, Exeter seems the right choice- this uni often has a lot of trainees in magic circle firms post graduation, and is highly respected in England- it will give you a much easier path, and wider, more complete teaching of the law( having the LLB will make you way more flexible in the legal market, as you’ll have an in depth understanding of the laws wide array of sectors)- making you a far more desirable candidate.
Not to mention if you’re not interested in Criminology/ practicing criminal law- that degree is entirely pointless to you, and don’t underestimate how much worse you’ll perform in a degree you’re not interested in- if you spend your 3 years demotivated, wishing you could just do law, and dreading the criminology side of the course, you’ll achieve much lower than you can( potentially with the criminology side dragging your final grades down)- which will be far more detrimental to your chances at a top law firm than doing a joint honours will.
Regardless of which you choose, it is worth noting the importance of maximising your opportunities in your degree( legal experience, networking, societies etc…) as firms will care far more about the strength of your overall application over the degree you attained( joint honours or not)- although perhaps my taking the York degree you’ve been offered, you’ll have to do more to compensate for the fact you don’t have a straight LLB, just to make yourself equally competitive as LLB students, who will also be doing what you’re doing experience wise, so the straight LLB will make your life a lot easier.
Exeter really does seem like the right choice for your aspired path if I’m completely honest- I hope this helps and good luck with your choices!
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 2
Original post by adwadaws
I applied to York this year for LLB Law but did not get an offer, however they gave me an offer for Law and Criminology. Other universities such as Sheffield and Exeter gave me an offer to do LLB Law but I really want to go to York for their PBL. How much of a disadvantage would I be at with a law and criminology degree in trying to get into commercial law or any other law compared to a regular law degree?
Hi!
By doing Law and Criminology, you'll still learn the foundation subjects that you would learn at any UK Law school. You'll just also study some more specialised modules based on criminal law and how the criminal justice system works. When you graduate, you'll get an LLB qualification which will keep your options open to specialise in the future 🙂
Reply 3
If you get a 2.1 or a first at York, you won't be at any disadvantage when competing for training positions. Many of the other candidates won't have law degrees or will have studied law along with another subject. Candidate A who has a degree in history and a PGDL, candidate B who has a law degree, and candidate C who has a degree in law and criminology (which includes the seven core subjects) is each eligible to apply for the same training contract, and will be judged on individual merit.
(edited 2 weeks ago)
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