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June 20,2008
How Non-Law Graduates Can Get a Training Contract: Six Easy Steps Didn't choose to study law? Enjoy your course but after
two years of soul searching realize that a career in law is the thing for
you? If this is you, take a step back, relax and follow this four-step
guide. With a little patience and a lot of passion you'll be well on your way
to plotting a successful career as a solicitor.
You should know that the
law training contract is essentially
the last and most difficult hurdle for those wishing to become solicitors. With
competition now tougher than ever non-law graduates can feel totally at sea
when it comes to deciding how to tackle the challenges ahead. However, if you
think and plan carefully, there's no reason you can't be fully armed when the
time comes to win (and keep) a
solicitor training contract.
Step One: Get Informed
The first thing you must do is your homework. Remember you
will be competing against people who might already have some familiarity with
the way the legal profession works either through their course or via early
work experience. So, now is the time to make good use of all the resources
available. One place to start is the Times law reports for digestible
information on the latest judicial decisions and legal analysis for the layman.
Also, familiarize yourself with some basic legal jargon. Remember, lawyers work
in firms never in companies. Use your university careers office. Most
institutions have a careers team and you should book a personal appointment to
discuss your options in depth. It may still be early days but the more you
know, the better equipped you will be to succeed later.
Step Two: Work Experience
In the meantime, if you are a second year student, try to
get some informal work experience over the summer vacation. Smaller firms are
the most likely to be accommodating in this respect. ...
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June 18,2008
Thinking of Taking a Law Conversion Course Followed by a Training Contract?
A fast track into the challenging
and potentially lucrative profession of Law could be yours with a conversion
course. Here's how it could work for you...
What is a conversion course?
A law conversion course enables graduates of non-law
degrees to enter professional training as either a solicitor or a barrister.
Conversion courses normally last one year, or two if taken part-time. The
conversion course comes in many guises, all of which are roughly equal in
content and standing: Common Professional Examination (CPE), Graduate Diploma
in Law (GDL), Senior Status Law degree, Postgraduate LLB or GDip. MA
qualifications in this field tend to last for two years, full-time, and often
take studies into further detail.
Law firms welcome non-law graduates for the diversity of
experiences and skills they can bring to their work. For example, a first
degree in Languages could come to your advantage in multinational legal work.
How does a conversion course compare to a
traditional law degree?
Most graduates who studied law for their first degree will
have spent three years getting to grips with the intricacies of the Law.
A conversion course won't cram all the material of a full undergraduate degree
into one year. Instead, it will focus on the seven core areas of law:
· Contract Law
· Tort Law
· Constitutional and Administrative Law
· European Union Law
· Equity and Trusts
· Land Law
· Criminal Law
Students will also gain general legal analysis skills and
have the to chance to specialise in another area of law of their choosing.
Often this 'specialism' forms the basis of an extended essay to be assessed at
the end of the course.
How to choose the right conversion course
Course content: Although ...
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