Lawyers: is it possible to study the LPC full time whilst working part time as a paralegal?

[googleismyfriend]

Just that really.

I will be studying the LPC full time from September: the 2 day a week option. I have an interview for a part time paralegal position coming up, this will be 2-3 days a week.

If I get the position, will this be doable with my full time LPC? Changing to the part time course isn't an option as I have a TC starting in Sept 2019. The main reason I would want to do the role is for experience as a paralegal in a different legal area that I can put on my CV that may help me to stand out if I want/need to make any applications for NQ solicitor positions.

I don't know if this is relevant, but I got a 1st in my LLB from a decent university without too much stress. I have heard that the LPC is a larger workload though...

Thank you in advance for any advice given.

My daughters did it full time and I don't remember that they had loads of free time to do a job as well but they preobably have lectures most days. Also if you fail one module some law firms withdraw your training contract so I would not take any chances.

My lectures will all be online (i.e. they do not do live lectures). I only have to go in 2 days a week for seminars.

My offer only mentions passing my LPC, so I am not sure they would withdraw an offer if I passed?

are you worried the firm you're training with won't have enough NQ seats?

They almost always give NQ positions after TCs but I want to keep my options open in case I want to work in a different location in the future (possibly London)

It's not difficult no but lots to get through. My contact hours were 9-5 Saturday and Sunday every other week for 2 years. Full time is 1 year so that's 14 hours a week and I think there's contact time every day so not sure you could fit part time work in unless they were very very flexible with your days and hours.

I have chosen the 2 day option, so I only have contact 2 days a week.

However, as you have a TC am not sure why you need to paralegal too, unless you need money? Does your firm not give you a maintenance grant?

Unfortunately, my firm does not give maintenance grants while doing the LPC. I don't need the money, but it would be useful to build up some savings to help me during my TC (I will need to pay rent, bills, food etc plus save for a property on a relatively low salary).

They almost always give NQ positions after TCs but I want to keep my options open in case I want to work in a different location in the future (possibly London)

I don't think they're going to be very interested in your paralegal experience once you've completed a training contract. I wouldn't bother.

I don’t see how paralegal experience keeps options open. It’s what people do when they are not qualified to be a solicitor or a barrister. It’s what you will do as a solicitor that counts.

the LPC being the equivalent of a full time job! Wow!

The LPC is not difficult at all. Do the reading as you go along and you will be fine. The only people I know who failed modules did stupid things like miss deadlines or plagiarise (WHY?).

I agree that paralegalling during the LPC isn’t something I’d look at during NQ recruitment. It would be TC experience that would be interesting. You don’t mention time to count, but I’d probably be concerned about a shorter TC anyway especially if the paralegalling work was really routine.

As I remember I worked about 15 hours a week as a nanny on the LPC which paid really well and provided me with snacks from the family’s fridge, and occasional reading time during ballet lessons, then maybe 8-12 hours retail which provided me with a very nice discount. My firm paid a generous maintenance grant through so I was working for fun money which I appreciate is different.

Also bear in mind this is your last summer of fun, so if you can afford not to work over the Summer and to do some fun stuff then do it.

Has anyone ever typed “fun” and “LPC” so many times in the same post?

I actually think it probably is about the equivalent of a 35 hour a week job - I did it part time and probably did around 10-12 hours a week plus tutorials and I didn't watch any lectures (I don't find them helpful) plus I'm a quick reader and (blows own trumpet) pretty academically bright. That was to get a high distinction though and I did find it annoying how many people would pitch up to tutorials not actually having done the prep (and so the tutorials were pitched to explain the topic as if you hadn't done the reading). If you're fairly bright I reckon you could pass just by attending the tutorials and then cramming for exams. At BPP a pass was 40% in exams where people could (and did) get in the 90s.

I am not sure on the full time LPC contact time. I did the LPC part time, whilst working full time fee earning. It was hard to do it all (more from the work side than the course) but as long as you are disciplined you should be okay.

If you only have 2 days contact time a week then that is more doable if you work part time alongside.

If you are thinking of part time LPC, you can run a training contract alongside it, so I was a part time LPC and part time TC (converted to full time once I completed the LPC). The part time takes you over the standard 2 year TC (as the part time section only counts as half time), but I still finished my TC a year earlier than I would have if I started it after the LPC finished.

I did the full time BPP LPC course and between lectures, tutorials and reading / prep it was a full time job of around 35/40 hours but I’m pretty sure if you were more disciplined time wise you’d reduce that and could fit in some paralegal work. You might want time off before the exams though as closed book (then ) meant although statute books were allowed there were no annotations.

Later I did my professional skills course at the college of law and it was open book. I’ve never done an open book exam in my life so didn’t start then so whilst I took my folder I didn’t use it and left it under my chair.

Long story short - you’ll probably learn more things of use working as a paralegal and I’m sure you’ll find a way to do both. There will be weeks when the paralegal job expands as does course work but remember it is just the length of the course (and that trainee hours can be long anyway!)