The Student Room Group

Non law degree then a conversion disadvantage to becoming a barrister??

Im aware that you dont need a law degree to qualify as a barrister but hypothetically would doing a straight LLB Law degree at somewhere like Warwick give me a higher chance of being accepted by one of the Inns of Court or help me with my BCAT?? Also aware that to do the LLM course you have to get a 2:1 which I reckon I would have a higher chance at getting by doing a non law degree then a conversion. Not quite sure what to do

Reply 1

If you already know you want to be a barrister, studying Law at Warwick is a great choice. The course is well known and covers everything you need, like criminal law, contract law, and mooting, which really help for BCAT and the Inns of Court. You’ll also build good writing and thinking skills.

But many barristers didn’t study law first. They did another degree and then did the law conversion course, so that works too. The most important thing is to do well and show strong communication and reasoning skills.

If you want more real advice, you can try connecting with barristers on LinkedIn and ask for a short coffee chat. Many are happy to share their experiences and tell you what really helped them.
Original post
by roman_Empire67
Im aware that you dont need a law degree to qualify as a barrister but hypothetically would doing a straight LLB Law degree at somewhere like Warwick give me a higher chance of being accepted by one of the Inns of Court or help me with my BCAT?? Also aware that to do the LLM course you have to get a 2:1 which I reckon I would have a higher chance at getting by doing a non law degree then a conversion. Not quite sure what to do


It's of no disavantage for ultimately becoming a barrister. I think something near 50% of barristers did a non-law degree first.

Reply 3

Original post
by UoW Haiming
If you already know you want to be a barrister, studying Law at Warwick is a great choice. The course is well known and covers everything you need, like criminal law, contract law, and mooting, which really help for BCAT and the Inns of Court. You’ll also build good writing and thinking skills.
But many barristers didn’t study law first. They did another degree and then did the law conversion course, so that works too. The most important thing is to do well and show strong communication and reasoning skills.
If you want more real advice, you can try connecting with barristers on LinkedIn and ask for a short coffee chat. Many are happy to share their experiences and tell you what really helped them.

Thank you very much for your advice!

Quick Reply

How The Student Room is moderated

To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.