To wonder if 44 is too old to do a law conversion course

[YouHaveAnArse]

Got made redundant early this year from a job that was policy/regulatory based. Jobs in my field are few and far between, I'm finding, and those that use similar skills seem to require industry-specific experience or qualifications, so I'm wondering if it's worth looking at retraining in some way.

Obv there's a lot to think about in terms of whether I would undertake law conversion - which isn't really necessary to list out here! - but the main thing I'm thinking about and want advice on before considering it more than idly is: is it too late at 44? I'd be 45 by the time the course is done (assuming I do it this year), then there are further qualifications/experience needed before I go on to fully qualify which could be another year or two, then the need for post-qualfication experience before I can apply for the kind of roles that really interest me. I'm thinking about the difficulty of competing against grads literally half my age and that there's only so far I could take any career prospects if I were to be starting this late. (And this is all if I can afford to do it - I could maybe manage a full-time online course plus living expenses for a year thanks to redundancy package but beyond that a loan or job would be necessary.)

And, of course, who knows what AI will do when it comes to the availability of positions for those undertaking study or newly qualified...

Has anyone done this? Was it a good idea? Or worthwhile at this stage only if you've always had a strong interest in law rather than mainly seeing it as a way to increase potential employment opportunities?

Good to know, but not in my experience!

I did the PGDL and LPC part-time evening school and self-funded 20 years ago so met a fair few people on that who were retraining for one reason or another. I was relatively young (25) and it was brutal getting a TC then, although I did managed (I no longer work as a solicitor for different reasons).

Out of the people I did the course with, the ones who were most successful getting TCs were those who had had successful careers in specialist fields and could bring something to a law firm with a department in that area (I'm thinking medical negligence, trademarks and there were a couple who already worked in criminal law).

I think it’s because we’ve had a huge oversupply of graduates for almost two decades now. Almost any occupation requiring a degree is oversaturated (except perhaps the ones that nobody wants to do. Maths teacher?).

Could you look at corporate governance as an alternative? Being a Company Secretary has a lot of legal adjacent elements, plus there is study attached to it if you wanted to become chartered. This is what I’ve done for over a decade and governance is in every sector so there’s lots of different opportunities. Lots of people on my Masters course were law undergraduates.

What other areas?

Law firms want experience now and very rarely recruit direct from university. So I would say your experience would be a plus. And might also help to counteract the effects of AI on entry level jobs.

The SQE sounds like it's a total nightmare though and that would definitely put me off.

Things have really changed. My DH decided to change careers when he was only about 30 and found it very difficult to get a training contract. All the law firms wanted people straight out of university.

But now they want you to have experience in lots of things - a training contract isn't entry level. Not where I work, anyway. It's different for apprenticeships but none of the trainees are youngsters - they are late 20s at the youngest.

44 Is not to old to have a baby so its not to old to start something new.
Id defo choose the course rather than a baby.
Go for it.

I think this is just down to the sheer number of graduates. Employers can afford to be picky. So many people have done degrees over the past 20 years, we could probably have no graduates for the next decade and still have an over supply of graduates!

I don't know much about this field - was it a masters specifically in corporate governance you did?

There's a big difference between late 20s and mid 40s, I fear. ...

When people were being laid off from our department the dept head said "yes, I know what it's like, I was made redundant once when I was 22" and I thought 'yes, but that's very different from starting again at 44 and 18 years away from paying off your mortgage..."

I...what? Nobody's going to be having a baby!

I did a law conversion at 40. I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ll be paying off the debt until I die and law is a horrible profession to be in. I’m just not prepared to give the pound of flesh that’s wanted, or to never see my kids, so I haven’t earned very much and haven’t progressed. Part of that is due to something unforeseen in my personal life, but I wouldn’t recommend it anyway!

I know it was a joke sounds better in my head lol.

But this is exactly my question - what other areas? Because I've read multiple threads on here about people wanting to retrain in other things and increasingly the response always seems to be don't do it, not in a dismal naysayer-ish kind of way, but in a genuinely knowledgeable way about a whole load of occupations that are shrinking, very often because of AI, though there are other factors too. It would just be great to hear that other sectors are expanding to balance this trend, but my fear is that that's not the case. What should 40- and 50-somethings be retraining in? Given that many of us have a good 20+ working years left and are seeing our old careers go down the toilet? It's a genuine question because I'm in exactly this position myself.

It is all a bit depressing. In the past I would have said medicine was one of the few truly futureproof careers, but even that is becoming very competitive once students graduate. Some fields in particular, like psychiatry and I think GP as well are very competitive now.

State pension age for you must be 68 or more
You have plenty of time to retrain & work

Good luck

@YouHaveAnArse Yes it was an MSc Corporate Governance (accredited by the professional body so provided some professional exam exemptions) - I was working in the area and it was funded by my employer.

I don’t agree with people advising not to do it. Not sure if they are lawyers. I have been at the Bar for a long time and on the pupillage committee. The bottom line is if you really want to do it and you are financially prepared for it (ie in case it goes wrong and you have a fall back) why on earth not?? Granted I don’t know the training contract side of things but as far as my experience is concerned we have taken on many pupils who have had previous careers etc. If I were you and really wanted to do it (having thoroughly researched it), I would go for it!

OP, sorry, I think this is an insane idea. 20 yrs ago, fine. In 2026, no way.

seriously, think very hard about what you do next WRT to AI. You have 20 yrs left in the workforce. You must decide now what will be likely “AI proof”.

if I was in your situation, I would retrain as an electrician. It sounds mad but hear me out. Seriously. They will always have work. They can never be replaced by AI. The standard in the U.K. is appalling, scruffy crappy work done by oiks. The demand is going up. There is demand for female trades, specifically from women customers who are sick to death of poor quality work.

i have tried and failed to get women sparkies to work on my house because they are swamped with work.

Think: you could be self employed, independent, choose your hours, choose your niche, and control your destiny. No law conversion will ever give you that.

DH did it but at 28.

Do you want to aim for the bar or being a solicitor? Magic circle firm?

Entry to top chambers or firms usually demands a top undergrad degree from a top university. Do not attempt to train for the bar without a scholarship from an Inn.

Go ahead, but be aware there’s no guarantee of a job at the end of it, and much regional solicitors work is low paid to begin with, it’s all long hours and AI is hurting the industry.

Maybe look at the legal departments of councils and charities etc.

I have thought about this but a) I have a progressive sight condition which is fine now but might be risky in terms of safety in ten years, and I'm already experiencing age-related sight issues as it is b) I can't drive, and there are medical reasons which would make learning a pain in the arse and I really don't care to learn enough to deal with that. I'm not sure trades are really viable without my own work vehicle/transport.

Trades are so in demand where we are, especially plasterers, though. And I can definitely see a market for female tradespeople if only because some would feel safer having a woman come into their home.

My DSis was 40 when she did her law conversion course, specialising in family law. She ended up having her own very successful law firm and was President of her Law Society. All this with a young child and very little money. Anything is possible if you really set your mind to it.