What is the law?

If you’re interested in a law career, there are a large number of positions you could work in. You could do a degree to become a barrister or a lawyer, or you could work in an assistance capacity in a role like a barrister’s clerk or a paralegal.

Although paralegals are not qualified solicitors and cannot offer legal services, they are heavily involved with the work a solicitor would do.

Areas in Law and Paralegal

There are many areas of law you could work in. For example, you could become a:

• Barrister: In this position, you would be a legal advisor and a courtroom advocate. You would put legal arguments to magistrates, judges and juries. Barristers usually have no direct contact with the public.
• Solicitor: As a solicitor, you would work in many different areas of law and offer a variety of services. You would have direct contact with the public to provide expert legal advice for a wide range of situations.
• Paralegal: Your duties as a paralegal will depend on the type of company and practice you work in. Tasks typically involve researching and drafting documents and helping lawyers to prepare their cases.

Why study law courses?

The majority of professions in law require you to have specific qualifications before you can work in your chosen position. Most legal professional roles require you to have a degree.

This is true for both barristers and solicitors.

However, there are careers in law that require lesser qualifications. For instance, if you want to work as a barrister’s clerk, you’ll need to have at least four GCSEs at grades A to C, including English and maths; or equivalent qualifications. You can also add a CPD online law course to your CV to showcase your desire for working in the legal sector.

You stand a better chance of entering this career if you have some A Levels though, and some chambers prefer you to have a degree.

The same applies if you want to work as a paralegal: you’ll need good GCSE or A Level grades but having a degree is certainly an advantage to work in this position.

Also, many employers prefer would-be paralegals to have completed a Graduate Diploma in Law course or a Legal Practice Course. There are also apprenticeships available to people who want to become paralegals.

Apprenticeships are available for some other legal professional roles as well.

Career Outcomes from a Law Course

In addition to the legal careers mentioned above, there are a wide variety of other positions in law that you could work in once you have a relevant qualification and experience.

Popular job positions include:

• Judge: In this important role, you would control hearings and trials in court. You would consider evidence, interpret law and make impartial decisions.
• Chartered Legal Executive: This role involves working as a lawyer and dealing with your own client files. You can only become a chartered legal executive if you have successfully completed the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives programme.
• Patent Attorney: You’ll need to have specialised training to work in this role; which involves drafting patents to ensure inventors’ rights aren’t infringed.