How to become a lawyer

Nowadays, there is no longer only one path to becoming a practising solicitor in the UK, as Lodders’ learning and development manager, Louise Brookes, explains.

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Key attributes of every lawyer include motivation, commitment, strong oral and written communication skills, commercial awareness, a competitive attitude, personal integrity and an ethical approach. Perhaps unsurprising when you consider the day-to-day life of every solicitor – researching cases, interpreting legislation, drafting correspondence, agreeing contracts and other legal documents, liaising with clients and professionals, and representing clients in court.

Becoming a lawyer is tough, and takes dedication, commitment, and hard work – but the benefits and job satisfaction are huge.

The different paths into law

Choosing a job in law no longer requires following only one set path. There are now a number of ways for aspiring lawyers to achieve it, with a choice of routes into the profession that can be tailored to meet individual needs and circumstances:

QWE and SQE route

This is the newest path to becoming a solicitor for law and non-law graduates, all candidates looking to qualify through the SQE (solicitors qualifying exam) route will need to complete two years full time or equivalent QWE (qualifying work experience). QWE helps aspiring solicitors by giving them the experience of real-life legal work and the opportunity to develop some or all competences needed to be a solicitor.

Graduate

This remains the most common route to qualifying as a practicing solicitor. It starts with strong academic results at A level, which allow and enable the path to a law degree, followed by legal practice course (LPC), and then a training contract that includes the professional skills course (PSC).

Both the law degree and LPC course can be carried out either full or part-time.

The training contract is usually completed within 18 to 24 months, depending on previous work experience.

There are also options available to non-law graduates, who can undertake a graduate diploma in law (GDL) as a postgraduate degree, to support the transition into law education and ultimately qualification.

Solicitor apprenticeship

The minimum requirement for the solicitor apprenticeship programme is 5 GCSEs, and 3 A levels or their equivalent.

The programme runs for between five and six years – although this may reduce if exemptions from training are applicable – and consists of on-the-job training and two exams: SQE 1 and SQE 2.

CILEx

CILEx allows individuals to complete their legal studies and achieve a qualified lawyer status and the title of chartered legal executive, specialising in one or two practice areas.

The main benefits of CILEx are that the individual studies at their own pace, that they don’t have to have a law degree, and that it is ideal for those who know exactly the practice area they want to qualify into.

Paralegal

The paralegal route gives a great insight into the legal world.

Although not particularly common, Lodders has great success with this route, and has developed a strong pool of talented paralegals – many of whom are law graduates who have gone on to secure a training contract or solicitor apprenticeship at the firm.

For those who commence the paralegal route without a law degree, Lodders fully supports formal qualifications through the apprenticeship route.

Work experience

A great way to experience the legal world and establish whether it sparks interest and is definitely the profession for you to undertake periods of work experience.

Louise Brookes is the learning & development manager at Lodders. She has worked in L&D for over twenty years as a trainer and coach, designing and developing training courses and materials, managing learning and development initiatives in a number of sectors.

More information

Find out more about career opportunities and current vacancies at Lodders here.