Anyone retrained as a lawyer - is 33 too old?

[careerchange202024]

Anyone here retrained as a lawyer later in life?

I'm currently 30. I'm thinking of retraining to become a solicitor after I've paid off my mortgage as it gives me a bit more flexibility financially. I intend to finish paying off my mortgage when I'm 33. Is that too old to be thinking of retraining?

I currently have a maths degree so I should be able to do the law conversion course - LLB for Graduates. I'm confused on the timing for this as well as I thought it was a 1 year course but I've seen a few universities advertise this as a 2 year course despite it being full-time.

I'm really keen at the moment but don't know if I'm kidding myself with how competitive the job market probably is for solicitors and how many younger law grads there will be.

It would be nice to get some legal work experience in the meantime but I know that's hard to come by. Any advice or stories would be really appreciated.

I went to law school to do the GDL aged 30, then the LPC. I did have a training contract before I started, otherwise I wouldn't have started as too expensive and too much risk of never qualifying and having wasted all that money. I'm now over 10 years qualified and a partner in a City firm. It was hard - I was a single parent to primary school aged children when I started. But it has been very gratifying to build a solid career and 30 is no age at all really. I certainly wasn't the oldest at law school! Go for it.

I started a position as a trainee patent attorney just before my 34th birthday. Best decision I ever made! I definitely wasn’t the oldest trainee I met.

Have you considered patent law? You need a STEM degree, so it could be right up your street.

I began a GDL at 28 but gave it up when I realised I did not want that workload or pressure.

I don't think there's an age too late for anything really. If you can, you want to, and you can make a go of it, do it.

You might have to talk yourself up in the application but it's possible. End of the day the institutions want the fees. My school did the free of charge LLB after the GDL. But I can imagine a training contract is what's difficult to get at that age, given it's oversaturated.

My DH decided to retrain early 30s and wasn't the only "mature" trainee in his year. He's now six years qualified and works for a top regional firm. I'm also a lawyer and some of the best trainees and lawyers I've worked with have come to the profession as a second career. Our last three trainees have retrained from another profession so it definitely wouldn't hold you back. I think DH found it challenging balancing full time work, study and personal life and he just about emptied his bank account paying for it but assures me it was worth every minute and penny spent. If you think it's for you, definitely go for it.

Wow that's amazing! How did you manage to afford and juggle studying whilst also taking care of young children and providing for them?

And how hard was it to get a training contract beforehand? Did you have any previous legal experience?

I've seen a few job adverts for trainee patent attorneys but that was way back when I wasn't considering going into law. I know that it's to do with intellectual property but that you don't need a law degree? What is the job like? And the pay?

Was the GDL really tough from the start then?
What did you end up going into in the end if you don't mind me asking? Still something legal-related? Or did you go back to something completely different?

Definitely not too late. Lots of law firms like older trainees as they often have relevant professional experience amd (not always) a better work ethics than people in their early 20s. I think you've left it too late to apply for summer vacation schemes this year, but if you want to apply for training contracts you will definitely need some law work experience to demonstrate that you are serious.

That's lovely, was he inspired by you to get into law? Was the full-time work a training contract? Or do you mean he was working in his old job full-time whilst studying for law on the side?

Not too old at all. I think it helps to be a bit older in certain professions like law - you have more confidence and clients trust you more as they assume you're highly experienced. My dad retrained as a barrister in his mid 40s. I did the conversion course in my late 20s. It was one year then and I thought it still was but I'm not sure. I then did the LPC and a 2 year training contract. If you're keen then you should go for it.

I don’t think your age is an issue here but I’d say get some experience before signing up for the GDL etc so you get an idea of what it can be like. Law isn’t for everyone. If you don’t currently have any experience what is it that attracts you to it? Don’t forget also that the job can vary quite a bit between practice areas, whether you are in-house or private practice.

I’m a patent attorney. It’s a great job if you like technology and arguing. You need to be able to write well and quickly grasp technical concepts in unfamiliar technologies, as most of us have clients in a wide variety of technical areas.

Starting pay is not amazing, but increases rapidly as you pass exams. And you train as you work, so have no study costs. Probably around £60 - £80k once you qualify (which generally takes 4-5 years). Partners in private practice earn 6 figures.

Find the Careers in Ideas web-site for more info. For better salary information, look up the Dawn Ellmore salary survey.

We don’t normally recruit candidates with pure maths degrees, but we increasingly need attorneys who can cope with AI, quantum computing and software related inventions, so that might not be an issue any more.

Hmmm - having said all that, i’m not 100% convinced that a maths degree would enable someone to sit the patent attorney qualifying exams. The European Patent Office species “a scientific or technical degree”. You’d need to investigate further....

@careerchange202024 He worked full time in his old career while doing his post-grad LLB etc. so I definitely think if you want it you could make it work. I'd love to say I'm the inspiration but we met through work when he was already well down the lawyer path.

The 2 year llb is a full degree. I did one last year. Generally aimed at graduates.

The graduate gdl is a 1 year intense course in all 7 core subjects. My degree had optional modules you can take too.

Then you do lpc which is 1 year oh how to be a solicitor. Usually paid for by firms if you have a training contract.

Would I bother doing any of it without a training contract? Probably not as no guarantee of a job at the end. But these job are very competitive and wanted by people who are really really keen. Interning in vacations, running all the law societies etc.

(I did mine for interest and the subject is interesting, I don't think the job would be)

Of course you can pay and pass exams and then work for a local high street firm doing house purchases. Not much money in that.

And sqe is replacing older exams so it's all change anyway.

We have two trainees at my firm now. Both qualify this year. One is 36 and the other 39, so not too late at all

I am currently doing the LPC (28), I did the GDL last year. I already had a training contract and will be qualified by sept 2024. I would say know your reasons for changing your career as it’s very tough but it’s 100% doable and try and secure a TC first. I worked in compliance and will be taking a salary cut for training but hoping it will pull off in long run. I have also met lots of trainees who are late 20s to mid 30s so don’t let it put you off. I think law firms like the additional background experience and other skill set that non lawyers can provide.

You don’t need a law degree (or any law qualifications) - you learn all the relevant law during the training period. Once you’re qualified it is pretty well paid (and very much office hours only). Within 5 years of qualifying I was earning a six-figure salary.

I find the job very interesting. I never quite know what is going to come in the door on a given day. It’s a mixture of drafting applications (to cover new inventions), replying to objections from patent offices, opposing/defending granted patents at the EPO (currently the hearings are online, but hopefully will go back to F2F soon), dealing with registered/unregistered designs, advising on potential infringement proceedings, looking at freedom to operate before something new launches, dealing with basic agreement work (especially with IP clauses), and a bit of work around trade secrets.

The GDL is being phased out due to the introduction of the SQE.

In theory, you can now qualify without an kind of qualifying law degree, provided you can pass the SQE 1 & 2 exams. In reality, you’ll probably struggle without some preparatory courses.

There are online courses available for a GDL-esque learning. Look at the College of Legal Practice- they are cheaper than the likes of BPP and UoL. The study is flexible so no reason why you can’t start before your 33.

You only need to study for the SQE exams and gain 2 years of qualifying work experience now, which can be paralegal work. So you don’t need to get a dedicated training contract.

That being said, law is notoriously snobby at times and I’d recommend at least trying to get a TC so that you’re in a good position to secure a decent job on qualification.

Thanks for everyone's replies.
I initially intended to do law straight after A-levels as I'd read quite a few of the recommend getting into law books and was really interested. Then had a last minute change of heart and did maths as I felt it would broaden my horizons a bit.

I'm just very worried about spending that time and money to retrain in law and then struggling to get a job as a solicitor at the end of it. I know that a lot of law grads end up in non-legal jobs because of how tough the market is.

Ideally I'd like to get a training contract before embarking on the GDL but I know this is hard with no legal background.

Anyone know where I can get legal work experience? Bear in mind I work full-time as it is. Is it worth volunteering at the Citizens Advice Bureau?

@FlossieF I can confirm that a maths degree meets the EPO degree requirements.

I’d also recommend patents OP and agree with everything @FlossieF has said. You train on the job so don’t have to go back to uni or have a break in earnings. It’s really interesting work and there are options for very high pay (equity partnership) if that is what you are looking for. I have also always believed the hours are better than most solicitor roles.

If you are interested in patent law OP, here is a list of patent law firms www.legal500.com/c/london/tmt-technology-media-and-telecoms/patma-patent-attorneys/. I’d look at Tier 1 first as they are (IMO) generally the ‘better’ firms. If you take a look at the careers pages on their websites it will explain how to apply. No need to do the GDL etc.

Different profession, but 20 years ago I spent 4 years retraining in my 30's - 2 years vocational masters (own expense) and 2 years in a training post. I have never regretted it!