Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

Lawyers of mumsnet- help with DD's A level choices

96 replies

Mumof3lovelies · 01/12/2022 19:11

Hi everyone!!
My eldest DD is due to pick her A level choices soon- she's in year 11. Where does all the time go? Anyway, she's very keen to be a lawyer and I think she'd make a great one, but I'm not very experienced in this career path. She's not sure what to pick and I'm curious as to what will help her the most (and what universities will want!!) I know there's Google and trust me, she's done a lot of googling, but I thought I should take it from the best, so what A levels did you pick if you wanted to be a lawyer?? Thanks in advance mumsnet!! Any tips or advice for this career also welcome!! xx

OP posts:
converseandjeans · 01/12/2022 21:41

This website is really useful for careers advice

www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/law-sector/how-to-become-a-lawyer

TheaBrandt · 01/12/2022 21:42

Any traditional subjects are fine for law. Avoid anything like sociology/ media studies type course. I wanted to do home ec A level my dad vetoed it thank god as I ended up in the City as a solicitor which I don’t think would have happened with home ec…

Original poster
Mumof3lovelies · 01/12/2022 21:59

goodbyestranger · 01/12/2022 21:33

Law isn't dreary as an academic course at all, unless you're dreary yourself. It's incredibly interesting and draws together an enormous number of disciplines. It's only those who are quite limited in outlook or ability who say it's dreary.

OP what are her favorite subjects at GCSE?

I read Law and went onto a Magic Circle firm years ago. Three of my DC are lawyers: DD1 did her Training Contract at a Magic Circle firm then after being taken on as an associate decided to go sideways to a top human rights firm. DD3 is a barrister in a London set (civil) and DS2 trained at a Magic Circle firm and is now an associate there.

Happy to answer questions but dismayed at the bad advice which is peppering this thread.

What skills would you recommend? Any clubs or things to perfect that will give her an advantage when applying for universities?

OP posts:
Original poster
Mumof3lovelies · 01/12/2022 21:59

Thanks so much everyone! Feeling a lot more confident now!

OP posts:
toobusytothink · 01/12/2022 22:02

Hi did maths, economics and history then a law degree

TheaBrandt · 01/12/2022 22:02

You can do law combined with another subject - that’s what I did and Dd plans to do. I enjoyed the law part though and have had a very varied career within law so actually doing a degree in it has been practically useful

Dontaskdontget · 01/12/2022 22:03

Mumof3lovelies · 01/12/2022 20:14

Thanks for the replies everyone, will pass these on to her!! She thinks she wants to be a barrister but is still a little scared of the speaking in public bit, will this be a big issue and is there anything she can do?? xx

History, English, psychology, drama... I do recommend the GDL route but it is a year of extra study so that’s basically a year lost income. If I did it again I’d do a law degree.

For public speaking the key is to seek out and seize opportunities, as much as she can. There will be opportunities at universities but most of the kids in drama / debating club there will already have been doing it for years. Search for local opportunities now, is there perhaps a youth theatre or debating society around in your area? Or a school play?

HomemadePickle · 01/12/2022 22:09

DH and I are both ex magic circle solicitors. He did a conversion after an oxbridge English lit MA. I did a law degree which I loved and was not dreary in the slightest. I maintain I know more law than him and am a “proper” lawyer (joke!).

We both took English and history -+ a language at A level. Whatever your DD will get excellent marks in and are regarded as strong academic subjects (eg not media studies or psychology).

I would drill down into why she wants to be a barrister rather than a solicitor, particularly if she is not a natural or comfortable with public speaking. Though as solicitors both DH and I have had to do masses of presentations - staff training, client pitches, client training, speaking at conferences etc

Passanotherjaffacake · 01/12/2022 22:13

I did history, psychology (LOVED it), law and Eng Lit. Law was a huge turn off at A level at that point (for law degrees, no-one else cared and I loved it) so I read history, converted with the GDL and later trained and qualified in a magic circle firm.

For all those saying study something else and convert with the GDL - that is a very expensive route if you don’t get a training contract in your third year. Must be worse with the bvc. I got my TC much later and I repaid a fortune in fees and costs (like around £100k for all fees, costs and with compound interest). Was crazy really but I made it in the end.

my history degree put me off history for a good while too 😆

I would be careful with the Bar, sounds romantic but hard to make great money and so, so competitive. Even straight As and a double first is not a guarantee.

OldWivesTale · 01/12/2022 22:15

I did English, French and Law ( which I failed😳) I then did an English degree and what was the CPE - the conversion course - before doing the LPC.

HelpMeCope85 · 01/12/2022 22:18

I did Eng Lit, Biology, History and RE. Don’t ask why I did 4. Just do 3. I got 3 As and a B. I’m not sure how it works nowadays but most degrees were AAB at the Redbricks (I went to a Redbrick). I did Law. I would say pick a subject you love do a degree in that then do the conversion (GDL). Have a look on the Law Society website for ways to qualify.

At a good Uni you’ll have plenty of talks by Solicitors and Barristers and you can consider your route!

HelpMeCope85 · 01/12/2022 22:22

Barristers I know are naturally confident, incredibly articulate, natural orators, have presence, intuitive, good listeners, very bright, have a huge vocab! I remember going to one of my barrister friend’s weddings and he did his speech - his delivery was impeccable, timed to perfection and he had not rehearsed it. He said he had the bullet points in his head.

Snowjive2 · 01/12/2022 22:23

goodbyestranger · 01/12/2022 21:33

Law isn't dreary as an academic course at all, unless you're dreary yourself. It's incredibly interesting and draws together an enormous number of disciplines. It's only those who are quite limited in outlook or ability who say it's dreary.

OP what are her favorite subjects at GCSE?

I read Law and went onto a Magic Circle firm years ago. Three of my DC are lawyers: DD1 did her Training Contract at a Magic Circle firm then after being taken on as an associate decided to go sideways to a top human rights firm. DD3 is a barrister in a London set (civil) and DS2 trained at a Magic Circle firm and is now an associate there.

Happy to answer questions but dismayed at the bad advice which is peppering this thread.

I’ve been at the commercial Bar for over 30 years, nearly 15 of those in silk. I’ve sat on chambers’ pupillage committees for 20 years, so I know exactly what commercial sets look for in applicants for pupillage. Nevertheless I did find law dreary as an academic subject, so apparently I am be dreary, limited in outlook and ability 🤣. (Fortunately that hasn’t stopped me having a very successful practice with several Supreme Court wins to my name.) The reality is that, by contrast with practice at the Bar, undergraduate law is dull; and it doesn’t develop a student’s ability to perform critical analysis as effectively as more demanding subjects.

HelpMeCope85 · 01/12/2022 22:24

PS Law is so boring! I wish I’d done History! But we had a super group of friends made for life. Sport, social etc was wonderful.

thirstyformore · 01/12/2022 22:29

Music, maths and history for me. And yes, I agree that a law degree is definitely the more boring (but less expensive) route to qualification.

Janedoe82 · 01/12/2022 22:31

I did English, history and geography at a level and then on to Russell Group. I did find some of the modules dull- Contract, Land Law, European.
The thing to remember is that most law graduates do not end up having exciting corporate jobs but really quite mediocre jobs in provincial firms. They also don’t earn a lot! I thought (at 17) it would be like Ally McBeal and quickly realised it was not! I now earn considerably more than my peers from law degree in a social care senior management role.

NashvilleQueen · 01/12/2022 22:33

Another barrister here who says that the academic study of law at 18, particularly if you've been an arts student at A level, can be a bit on the dreary side. Feeling that way about it doesn't make you ill suited to the profession nor dreary.

The actual job is wonderful and endlessly stimulating. There's just no need these days to have a law degree. I'm surrounded by people who did a degree in a subject they loved. Some of those did law but many didn't. I don't think recruiters care. They just expect you to have excelled in whatever you did.

VanCleefArpels · 01/12/2022 22:35

Strongly suggest she reads Learning the Law by Granville Williams. It will give a flavour of what law is like as an academic subject. I loved it but it’s not for everyone. Because the legal profession is so ferociously competitive (both branches but esp the Bar) she might be better off doing the subject she is likely to get the best degree grade in and then convert or learn on the job through the new SQE route. I also second the sitting in court - Mags and Crown - to get a flavour of what is involved

mrstea301 · 01/12/2022 22:36

I am not a lawyer, but have been listening to the Talking Law podcast and find it really interesting - good to hear different routes that people have taken into the career and what they specialise in!

GrazingTapir · 01/12/2022 22:37

HomemadePickle · 01/12/2022 22:09

DH and I are both ex magic circle solicitors. He did a conversion after an oxbridge English lit MA. I did a law degree which I loved and was not dreary in the slightest. I maintain I know more law than him and am a “proper” lawyer (joke!).

We both took English and history -+ a language at A level. Whatever your DD will get excellent marks in and are regarded as strong academic subjects (eg not media studies or psychology).

I would drill down into why she wants to be a barrister rather than a solicitor, particularly if she is not a natural or comfortable with public speaking. Though as solicitors both DH and I have had to do masses of presentations - staff training, client pitches, client training, speaking at conferences etc

Immediately followed by someone who did do psychology........

CheshireSplat · 01/12/2022 22:39

She doesn't need to decide whether to be a barrister or a solicitor at this stage. We are so much more familiar with barristers as a society given dramas court proceedings, but there are many more solicitors and it is a massively varied career.

Turmerictolly · 01/12/2022 22:46

OP you asked about salaries earlier I think. I don't know about barristers but newly qualified commercial lawyers £50K + and 2 years post qualifying £150K. I read recently that this is rising as well as top firms try to attract the best new talent.

goodbyestranger · 01/12/2022 22:48

Snowjive2 well you are obviously very important, on your own admission, but there are actually quite a few practitioners at the London Bar (commercial included) who found undergrad law perfectly interesting, at least equal to practice. I take it that you read Law at undergrad?

hampsteadmum · 01/12/2022 22:50

History, Politics, a Language.

Cambridge recommends the following A-levels, which are good choices for Law at any uni: Successful applicants typically took at least one of English (Language, Language & Literature, or Literature 86%), History, or a language. All remaining entrants took Mathematics and at least one of the ‘good choice combination subjects’ recommended by Subject Matters.* Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, Economics, Further Mathematics, Geography, Politics, History of Art, Law, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies, sciences (Biology, Chemistry or Physics) or Sociology.

goodbyestranger · 01/12/2022 22:51

My newly qualified commercial law DS earns far far more than 50k at his firm. Twice that and then some.