Law

Laws are official rules that regulate the way we act. If we break them, we can be fined, forced to do community service, or even go to prison. Our legal system and the laws that we pass are designed to protect people’s safety, their property and their rights.

Lawyers are the experts who interpret these rules. They represent individual clients and companies over disputes or in criminal cases, which are brought to court by the government on behalf of the police, otherwise known as the Crown Prosecution Service.

Lawyers also support us through everyday issues like buying a house or getting a new job. They draw up contracts but also make sure the things we sign are fair and don’t have any hidden surprises.

The law is made up of Acts of Parliament, which are passed by the government or by judges through precedent, which is when the outcome of a particular case sets an example for how things should be judged in the future.

Lawyers specialise in lots of different areas including:

• Commercial law: Handling business disputes.
• Corporate law: Representing and advising big companies on how they grow or sell their business.
• Criminal law: Representing or prosecuting criminal defendants on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service.
• Employment law: Handling employment contracts and disputes.
• Family law: Representing clients going through divorce, child custody and cases involving domestic violence or child protection.
• Intellectual property law: Organising patents and protecting people’s creations.
• Sports & media law: Handling contracts and advice for brands, entertainers, artists and sportspeople.

As a lawyer there are four main job paths:

• Barristers: Represent clients in court, advise them on how strong their case is, examine evidence and make their cases to a jury and judge. Here's how to become a barrister.
• Judges: Oversee cases in courts and have the power to make a ruling on a case or pass a sentence. Crown court judges deal with serious criminal cases and can pass the maximum sentence.
• Magistrates: Volunteers who pass shorter and "non-custodial" sentences. That means sentences that don't involve going into custody, or prison, such as fines or community service. Rulings take place in magistrates' courts or are referred to a higher court.
• Solicitors: Work with clients directly. They provide legal advice, draft letters and contracts, negotiate on behalf of clients, and prepare evidence to support barristers in court. Check out our interview with solicitor Hayley.

Other legal jobs include:

• Court ushers: Make sure everything runs smoothly in the courtroom and keep public order.
• Legal executives: Have the same amount of training as solicitors, but specialise in one area of law.
• Legal secretaries and clerks: Provide admin support to lawyers in the office and at court.
• Patent attorneys: Specialists in patent law and help their clients get patents to protect their inventions or intellectual property.

If you enjoy a good debate, a law career could be for you.

You will need to be able to take the initiative, be good at solving problems and know how to adapt to different situations.

You'll need great communication skills, as you could be dealing with all kinds of clients as well as other legal professionals.

You will need to spend a lot of time carefully analysing evidence, researching points of law and looking into previous cases, so you need a methodical, analytical mindset with great attention to detail. 

Law is a challenging career that requires hard work, patience and dedication. Long hours are often required.

There are now a number of pathways you can choose to become a lawyer. You can either get a degree and/or post-graduate law training to be a lawyer or start an apprenticeship to become a solicitor, paralegal or legal administrator.

You'll need grade 4+ GCSEs in maths and English and A-levels/equivalent including subjects such as history, English, politics or law.

University

Different kinds of lawyers may wish to take different degrees. For example, patent attorneys often have a scientific background, so a degree in a subject such as engineering is ideal.

To become a solicitor or barrister, you don’t have to study law at university. However, if you don’t, you will need to take a one-year law conversion course after you graduate (the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)).

After university, graduates who want to become a barrister will need to take a bar vocational course and work alongside an experienced barrister.

Graduates who want to become solicitors will need to take a legal practice course and work in a law firm, but there is also a way to train as a solicitor without a degree (see below).

To become a judge you must usually already be a lawyer and have five to seven years experience.

We also have an article about what you can do with a law degree if you decide you don't want to become a lawyer.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships provide an alternative path to a legal career, offering on-the-job training and practical experience. These programs are available for individuals who prefer hands-on learning. You can train as a solicitor through a degree apprenticeship or take lower-level apprenticeships in fields such as the following:

• Chartered legal executive litigator and advocate (level 7)
• Conveyancing technician (level 4)
• Paralegal (level 3)
• Probate technician (level 4)
• Solicitor (level 7)

A barrister degree apprenticeship is in development.

How to boost your chances

Arguing with friends and family is one thing… but consider joining a debate club at school or a theatre group to get some practice in public speaking. It will look great on job and university applications too.

Volunteering as an advisor for the Citizens Advice Bureau could also help knock a few months off your solicitor training.

As a lawyer you will hold a postgraduate diploma in law, or a bar professional training qualification if you are a barrister.

Legal executives that go straight into work-based training can gain a professional higher diploma in law and practice.

Court clerks, legal secretaries and ushers all have the chance to gain NVQ qualifications and diplomas in legal administration topics.

Pringles saved millions of pounds on VAT after the UK High Court ruled the product is not a crisp. As Pringles aren’t officially crisps, they are exempt from VAT.

Anyone over the age of 18 can be called up to serve on a jury. You will normally complete two weeks' service and will get compensation for your time, but Britain’s longest ever jury trial, which concluded in May 2017, lasted nearly two years.