Difference between studying Law at uni and law conversion after first degree?

[possiblelime]

Hi all,

Eldest DC is off to uni in the autumn which is prompting a fair amount of chat among her younger siblings and what they want to study!

My DS thinks he might be interested in becoming a lawyer. Aware that one can study Law at uni, or do a different degree and then do a law conversion course.

Am I right in thinking that Law graduates hope to start employment/official training in a firm following graduation (aware there would be a difference depending on if you want to become a solicitor or a barrister), but those who do law conversions study for a year, and then do the same?

A number of my friends are lawyers and did conversions, but that was a long time ago! What happens with finance for conversion courses? Is it just another year of student loans? Thanks

Well certainly if you have a 2.1 or first in any degree from oxbridge it will give you a good chance at a career in law. It's an odd approach though to deliberately not go for law at undergraduate level on the basis that it's easier to get into Oxbridge on a different subject. I'm sure some do though.

My comments are more about the cost and about the fact that doing a different degree is rarely an advantage in itself (whatever some might say). Recruiters don't say "Oh look they did a different degree, how interesting" since it's not an uncommon thing to see (and so it isn't really interesting at all). In my previous team of 12, 4 didn't do a law degree.

The cost issue isn't an issue for many who go into law of course. Law tends to attract those who have connections in the profession. Many junior lawyers will have family members/connections who are lawyers.

@user760 It’s not unusual or odd at all. Often dc have various talents. My DD wanted to learn and study 2 languages. She wanted to visit those countries and experience a different culture. That brings a different perspective to her as a human being. She doesn’t need 3 years of law at university to be a perfectly competent barrister earning very well. She’s a happier and more rounded person because she chose the alternative route and plenty have been doing the same. It’s not so obvious now but the ones who haven’t done law for 3 years are happy with that route and they are not disadvantaged. They just take a different view about themselves and their interests and development. My DD would never have forgiven herself if she had not studied two MFLs. Others she knows feel the same about classics, music, history, etc.

Yes, it’s best to have a high 2:1 or above from Oxbridge in an academic subject you love but you need the best brain and personality to go with it too!

Not everything is about your daughter (or languages degrees or Bristol university)

The previous poster was talking about studying a different subject at oxford or cambridge purely because it would be easier than getting into oxbridge law and then converting. That is what I was addressing.

Plenty of us (myself included) studied something other than law at undergraduate level.

Not everything needs you being rude either. I didn’t say where and it doesn’t matter. Yes, MFLs are easier to get into at Oxbridge than law and why not take that into account if you are a linguist.? Makes sense. I fail to see why those with recent experience aren’t allowed to comment? Why not explain why some dc don’t want law for three years to people who might be wondering what to do?

I'm not intending to being rude but it's really tedious when every single thread about law is spammed by you talking about your daughter and her specific situation and even when the conversation moves on and someone asks about a different point you bring it back around to your daughter's MFL degree and how wonderful Bristol is.

Of course there may be some advantages to not studying law. You might really enjoy a different subject. You might learn skills that could possibly be useful later in life eg someone studying accounting and finance might find that useful if they become a corporate lawyer etc. But there are also disadvantages, primarily the fact that its incredibly difficult to find training nowadays and that is likely to become harder as AI is used more and more in law and junior lawyers are not required to the same extent. Many, many kids who currently think they might want to be a lawyer won't ever qualify. As such, deliberately setting out on a course of study which will take a student longer to qualify and run up significantly more debt is something that needs to be thought about carefully.

@user760Goodness me! I’m perfectly at liberty to write what I wish about a topic I do know something about. You are not the police of law threads! And since when is sensible measured advice spam! Why should your views be considered better than mine? Who on Earth do you think you are?! And you are rude and intolerant.