Have a Hons degree, looking into working as a lawyer, what qualification routes are there?
If you want to qualify as a solicitor or a barrister having already obtained a degree in another subject, you can apply to do a one year conversion course (post graduate diploma in law PGDL). It is pretty hard work, as you essentially have to cram the first two years of a law degree into one year. You do the same course whether you want to be a solicitor or a barrister. If you complete that successfully, you can then go on to do the Legal Practice Course (LPC) if you want to be a solicitor, or BVC if you want to be a barrister. If you then complete that successfully, you will then need to obtain a training contract with a law firm if you want to qualify as a solicitor -this takes two years and is pretty well paid. After those two years, you will be a qulalified solicitor. A similar process applies to barristers. So all in all it will take two years of hard academic study, then two years of paid training before you qualify. Competition for training contracts is also pretty intense.. Rea
