What are my options for going into law?

Hi,

I’m looking for some advice on what I should do. I was originally planning on going into tech and studying CS and pursuing a career in that, but I realised it’s not what I want to do. Unfortunately for 3 years I was set on this, so I did a Level 3 CTEC in IT at college with grades D*D*D. However, I don’t want to study that and after thinking about it for a few months I’d like to pursue a career in law.

Everything I have seen online is quite discouraging because it seems as if you don’t have good A-levels (or any) and you haven’t gone to a good RG university then you have no chances. I know I should be realistic, I have a CTEC and average GCSE grades (grades 4-6, with a 3 in spanish), so nothing compared to what other people have gotten. Should I even consider pursuing law if I have no chance since my qualifications won’t be enough for a RG uni? Despite my doubts, my mind is still set on the idea of law.

I was considering an access to HE Law course online but it would be around £1000 to study it. I can’t do it in person as my closest college which does it, is an hour or so away and I would need to community around 2 hours there. However with the option of studying it online, I am unsure about that since I’m autistic and required a lot of support/communication from my teachers to make sure I did the work clearly. I also had many referrals with my work and had to have everything explained to me clearly. In the end I got my D*D*D but it worries me for the future.

If anyone has any advice on what I should do, please let me know. I’m currently on a gap year due to various personal reasons, so there is no pressure, but UCAS applications are open now so I’ve been thinking about it.

Reply 1

Lucastankevicius

There are several options available for you:

•

Solicitor Apprenticeship: Try apply for a solicitor apprenticeship. Assuming you do not already hold a degree, this is a perfect way to earn a law degree whilst getting real-world experience as a solicitor. Many firms, big and small, are starting to offer solicitor apprenticeship programmes. They are very competitive, but with hard work you can secure one. They are not focused on academics usually, with the top ones at magic circle law firms requiring only AAB. They are more focused on how you can perform and grow. Great opportunity to get into law!

•

Do a degree you love + law conversion course: If you like CS or another subject, then you can absolutely do a degree in that and still have a career in law. Firms value diversity of opinion and experience, and so they do not want a full fleet of law degree graduates. I have met solicitors who have done English, Biology, other non-law courses and still managed to get into law with a law conversion course.

•

Law degree: You can pursue a law degree at a university and live on-campus to avoid that commute issue. Student loans are available and are usually pretty good (Only have to pay it back when you are employed and earning a certain income). You can also try see if you qualify for any scholarships. From open-days and outreach programmes with universities like Oxford, Cambridge, UEA, Nottingham etc I have learned that they do not really care what A-Levels you do, they just care about the grade you get for it.

These are some options you could take to get into law, I hope that helps!

Best,
Lucas Stankevicius.

Reply 2

chalks

Original post

by Leah_1111

Hi,
I’m looking for some advice on what I should do. I was originally planning on going into tech and studying CS and pursuing a career in that, but I realised it’s not what I want to do. Unfortunately for 3 years I was set on this, so I did a Level 3 CTEC in IT at college with grades D*D*D. However, I don’t want to study that and after thinking about it for a few months I’d like to pursue a career in law.
Everything I have seen online is quite discouraging because it seems as if you don’t have good A-levels (or any) and you haven’t gone to a good RG university then you have no chances. I know I should be realistic, I have a CTEC and average GCSE grades (grades 4-6, with a 3 in spanish), so nothing compared to what other people have gotten. Should I even consider pursuing law if I have no chance since my qualifications won’t be enough for a RG uni? Despite my doubts, my mind is still set on the idea of law.
I was considering an access to HE Law course online but it would be around £1000 to study it. I can’t do it in person as my closest college which does it, is an hour or so away and I would need to community around 2 hours there. However with the option of studying it online, I am unsure about that since I’m autistic and required a lot of support/communication from my teachers to make sure I did the work clearly. I also had many referrals with my work and had to have everything explained to me clearly. In the end I got my D*D*D but it worries me for the future.
If anyone has any advice on what I should do, please let me know. I’m currently on a gap year due to various personal reasons, so there is no pressure, but UCAS applications are open now so I’ve been thinking about it.

That's quite a change in career direction you're thinking of!

What is it about law as an academic subject, and potential career, which attracts you? You say that you've been thinking about this for a few months, and your mind is now set on this direction, but it would be good to understand what has steered you towards Law and what you think it entails both in terms of study and as a profession.

It is important to understand that it is extremely competitive to get a place to study law at a well-regarded university, and even more competitive to enter the profession itself.

Reply 3

Leah_1111

Original post

by chalks

That's quite a change in career direction you're thinking of!
What is it about law as an academic subject, and potential career, which attracts you? You say that you've been thinking about this for a few months, and your mind is now set on this direction, but it would be good to understand what has steered you towards Law and what you think it entails both in terms of study and as a profession.
It is important to understand that it is extremely competitive to get a place to study law at a well-regarded university, and even more competitive to enter the profession itself.

Hi, thank you for your reply, I appreciate it!

I first considered studying law when my parents and I were discussing potential career paths I could go down. My dad mentioned law and I decided to find out more about it. I really like the idea of helping people in situations to get what they are meant to and to get justice if something illegal happened to them. I know there’s other careers where you can help people such as healthcare but law is something I’m particularly interested in. Also I like the concept of finding issues and solving them through reading a lot of laws and the ability of coming to a good conclusion (if that makes sense).

My understanding of studying law is that it requires a lot of reading and studying and writing. During my time in college, I wrote a surprising amount of my assignments and I enjoyed doing research, writing up points and getting my thoughts out. Although it was a different subject, I still enjoyed the reading and writing process of that. I think if I were to study law it would help me out. I just worry my idea of being a lawyer is too unrealistic with how competitive it is. I’m not aiming to be in a very prestige firm where well educated people go as that is unrealistic, but I’d like to work for a decent one and make an income.