Am I too late to retrain in Law??

[Dellabob123]

Just that really.
Had a successful career in marketing, had a few years break to have children and now thinking at 42 I’d really like to to do the GDL conversion course. It’s something I’ve always been interest in, but took a different route at uni. I really want to stidy again with a view to a new career.
I’m worried about age, I’m worried about managing family life- being there for the children, after school, cooking and general stuff that I might not have the time for.

What is realistic?? Has anyone done it and successfully navigated family life?

Why not? You’ve a 25 year working life ahead of you, you should enjoy it.

Hi OP. I took my LL.B through the Open University and got a 2.2 in '12. I went to a couple of recruitment events during second year. I was told that my grade was problematic, my age (52) and my appearance were not attractive, but the real drawback was my lack of debt. Apparently there's a custom in some firms of making the noobs start on Monday at 0800 and letting them go home on Wednesday night to weed out the uncommitted. As an HGV driver I'm accistomed to working 60+ hour weeks. As a trainee solicitor, this would considered slacking. Without student loans and a mortgage to keep me in line, I would of course set a bad example.

So I still drive HGVs, do a bit of research for .orgs and sleep soundly.

I'm a solicitor (Employment) and I don't agree with most on here to be honest! I'm pretty happy in my job, enjoy the work, hours aren't too crazy (I have two DC 5 &2). My firm work really hard to support flexible working, not all firms are great at this but it's getting better.

I had a trainee who was in her 40's, she was great, qualified with the firm as a litigator and progressed quickly.

Have you considered looking for a TC before you do the GDL? Lots of firms take on trainees two years in advance.

In 20 years in the profession I've never heard of that "custom". But I will say it is a bloody hard career. A minority are very well-rewarded but many slog for not a huge amount of money. On a good day it can be amazing - a triumphant cross examination, a really good settlement, getting the judge onside, etc. But those days are a minority. Most of it is horribly stressful paper pushing.

I've never heard of that. custom either and I'm pretty sure HR would kick our arses if we did it. And we certainly don't screen our graduates to check they have debt

I really like my job. People enjoy telling horror stories but I've found the magic circle surprisingly civilised

there's nothing stopping you
Except not getting a training contract (or the post SQE equivalent) and the odds aren't great

Disgrace, I know you from other places on t'internet, and wish I'd read that when you were told it, because it's bollocks.

I worked in city law firms, with private equity owners and on many M&A transactions and that honestly isn't how it works - and I'm known as someone who finds the really crazy hours easier than most. I reckon I've done 7am to 5am about 4 times in a 20 year career, but even if it's midweek, I've gone home and kipped for a few hours, showered and come back in early afternoon.

Now that things are more easily done remotely, my most recent deal closed at 7pm on a bank holiday Monday, and I worked on it during the weekend but (like the other lawyers working on it) I was working on it at intervals while also taking my kids to the playground, cooking dinner etc. We'd turn the documents, then know we had a couple of hours to wait until the other side had reviewed them and I could leave my laptop. It takes a bit of stamina and a serious work ethic but you have both of those.

I think a 2:2 would probably screen you out of lots of processes, though, as the profession is so competitive now. It was competitive when I qualified in the early 2000s, but it certainly seems harder now.

I started a law postgrad today! I've no plan to do a two year course followed by two years of scut work apprenticeship, then have to fight for a training contract and all that entrails at my age (41). Having law will benefit me in my current job and in giving me options to broaden my reach in years to come. If you're interested in law, think about how it would enhance current or open avenues around your experience.

Would you consider going into Privacy?

There's a demand for people who are Trained in Privacy law, particularly GDPR but if you also cover CCPA and other global privacy legislations like Brazil and Russia where they have stringent privacy requirements that would put you in a good position for DPO roles which are generally well paid and good hours.

HerculesMulligan: It looks like I was the victim of a an unfunny leg pull, by someone who knew about the extraordinary cruelty in haulage and thought he'd make my flesh creep.

Given that some of my previous employers have:

1. Advised me that a termination for DW would be preferable to me having time off during their busy period.

1. Threatening to burn my house down if I didn't drive illegally.

1. Manufactured disciplinary proceedings out of malice, or for refusing to drive defective vehicles.

1. Many, many site bans for actually knowing the regulations.

1. Vandalism by "colleagues", some of it potentially lethal.

No wonder I believed him.

I would consider volunteering to be a magistrate.

@Sunshinegirl82

I'm a solicitor (Employment) and I don't agree with most on here to be honest! I'm pretty happy in my job, enjoy the work, hours aren't too crazy (I have two DC 5 &2). My firm work really hard to support flexible working, not all firms are great at this but it's getting better.

I had a trainee who was in her 40's, she was great, qualified with the firm as a litigator and progressed quickly.

Have you considered looking for a TC before you do the GDL? Lots of firms take on trainees two years in advance.

I love my job too as a solicitor. Good work. Good hours.

The OP wants crime or family though and I hated those and they are low paid.

The difference now is it is worse to get a tc. Much worse. It isn't worth it.

Criminal I'd agree but I know plenty of family lawyers who do ok money wise and are happy enough with the work. I suspect (as with many jobs really) a lot of it depends on the firm you work for and your team and I'm lucky on that front.

I think (and I honestly don't mean to be rude) but at your age, I wouldn't go back into study unless it was something vocational. I am 38 and in my 3rd year of a social work degree, taking on so much debt and commitment for something without a guaranteed job at the end of it just wouldn't be worth it in my opinion.

Crime is very hard to get into & hideously badly paid.

I'm a partner in a high street firm and I do between 11-13 hours a day, plus weekends.

Are you prepared to do that? If not, this is not the job for you.

Law and teaching are kind of daydream careers where you imagine you can convert and make the world a better place. In truth it's a stressfest!

I did a conversion course more than a decade ago, I hated it (like being tested on reading your average washing machine manual, they take all the interesting bits of a law degree out and cram the rest into a year). There are way, way more people entering the profession than there are careers for and the firms take advantage of that and make you work for peanuts doing hideously stressful, undersupervised workfor 4-5 years first. Peanuts as in £14k a year and 60+ clients at a time, any of whom could ring at any time and expect you to know all about their case.

Its not like rumpole! The Tories put in funding reforms in their first few years that shredded nice high st firms and left a lot of the work being done by paralegals in call centres.

If you’re interested in criminal law, look at the CPS. Terms and conditions are good and you might you could apply to train through them.

Goodness, Draculahhh … Are you honestly saying that no one of 42 or over should ever study a non-vocational subject? Not Philosophy? Or History? Not Mathematics, Theology, Literature?

Have you really, truly thought this through? A person of 42 has nothing to offer the world but years of prescribed labour? They shouldn’t turn their mind to anything primarily theoretical? Shouldn’t graduate at 45 and have a thirty (or probably forty) year career as a Theologian, or Playwright, shouldn’t waste their time constructing new mathematical theories, or overturning Logic or producing volumes of poetry?

And who are the people most likely to be caught by this stricture? Who, for reasons of family responsibility or societal pressure, might not have had the opportunity or fulfilled their potential to become the thing they wanted to be until after they were 42?

I had a conversation along these lines recently, with a child, regarding the Fields Medal for Mathematics. Only awarded, every four years, to people under 40. Even an 11 year old could see, at once, exactly which sex was disadvantaged by this age limit.

I love my job now, but the first 5 years at uni and training was an absolute slog. Shit pay, all nighters, working with psycho bosses, expensive uni courses and tonnes of exams.

Only able to do it because I was young, no family commitments and have a one track mind, dogged determination-type personality.

Being a junior is not family friendly. At all. Some legal jobs are actually pretty badly paid. Family, criminal and legal aid are fucking grim and horribly paid.

Honestly, there are so many more amazing careers you can do.

I agree with this. I am a lawyer and honesty my if I knew then what I knew now I wouldn’t bother.

Snap!

I definitely wish I'd done something else for my post-grad studies.

I practise in crime and I can talk you through the whole thing any time.

@EishetChayil

This might sound harsh, and I'm not one to dampen anyone's dreams, but I fear it would be more trouble than it's worth. The job market for law is completely saturated - it's dog-eat-dog even for fresh and spritely graduates.

This. Sorry!

I requalified in law and also love my job. Not everyone but a lot of the people I see IRL complaining haven't done other jobs. You do have to get past the early days, prove yourself slog through. It's long hours but I'm well paid for it and I'm a workaholic so would never he doing the 9-5 anyway. It's also pretty flexible - the upside to the long hours is my ability to flex my time and take time out in the middle of the day if I want to. I am now in-house in a large corporate.

I've pulled all nighters a lot though! More in the earlier days but even now finishing at 9/10 is the norm.

Crime means being down police stations at 1am dealing with drugged up clients for a pittance. I would do it.

I work in law and I disagree with the advice to the OP re: too many graduates.

Graduates who are on a second career, with all the life experience and maturity that comes with it- are in a different league to the 20somethings just out of uni.

You wouldn't be competing with them OP.

Also marketing if a relevant and useful background for law.

I'd go for it

Have you considered getting in civil service communications? I did this at justice centred ministry in another country and you definitely get to see the law in action in all areas! Just a thought.