Becoming a solicitor
The Stages to becoming a solicitor
The first stage is academic and involves you gaining a qualifying law degree that includes a certain number of core subjects or modules. If you study a non-qualifying law degree you will need to do a conversion course such as the Common Professional Examination (CPE) before progressing onto the next stage. The second stage requires you to study the Legal Practice Course (LPC), offered by a number of universities. Available on a one year full-time and two year part-time basis, places on this course are limited at certain universities, It is essential to apply in good time. The final stage is practical, you will need to complete two years as a trainee solicitor with a firm of solicitors or in the legal department of a local authority or large company. This is known as a Training Contract.
To succeed as a solicitor you need first rate communication and people skills. Anyone interacting with you needs utmost confidence that you and your firm will deliver to the brief given. The ability to write and draft clearly in an understandable manner is crucial and you need to be a good listener as well as a good speaker. The other thing to bear in mind is that you need to be committed to very hard work and to the likelihood of having to work long hours when a particular case or deal is ongoing to meet deadlines.
Law student debt is a serious issue and means that the decision to train as a lawyer shouldn't be taken lightly. Rewards after qualification and especially at partnership level are high, but there's lots of scrimping and saving to be done before then. Recent estimates show that students must finance the increasing cost of university life while contending with tuition fees, as well as footing the bill for completion of their vocational qualifications. Often, this can mean debt figures of up to £50,000 upon commencement of the training contract.
Areas / firms
i. General practice involves working in a small or medium-sized firm and offering legal advice to the local community. Among other things, lawyers in general practice work on drafting wills, investigating compensation claims for injury victims, helping clients to buy and sell property, representing workers at employment tribunals and representing individuals in family law matters.
ii. Commercial firms, particularly those in London, specialize in advising large corporate clients on multi-million pound transactions. Such firms often have branch offices in major financial and commercial centres throughout the country and abroad. Because of their size, breadth of experience and highly qualified staff, they offer advice in numerous areas of law, such as company/commercial, corporate finance, media and shipping.
iii. Niche practices specialize in a particular area of law, for example sports law, where they could find themselves representing a famous client in contractual and sponsorship negotiations.
iv. Legal aid firms specialize in cases brought by clients who cannot otherwise afford solicitors' fees. Legal aid solicitors concentrate on advising on issues such as divorce law, personal injury claims, and landlord and tenant issues. Criminal law legal aid solicitors attend police stations and help members of the public who have been arrested on suspicion of having committed a crime.
The Training Contract
In 1994 the Law Society decided that the term 'articles' was to be replaced with the more generic 'training contract'. The training contract, which includes the professional skills course (PSC), is the final stage on the path to qualifying as a solicitor. It is the stage at which you put into practice all the knowledge and skills you have learnt so far, and develop these further within a working environment.
Once you have accepted a training contract it is then important to ensure that your training contract has been registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (your firm will usually do this for you). The format of the training varies from firm to firm, but most firms operate a series of departmental rotations, most often four seats in separate departments, each lasting six months. On-the-job training is provided throughout, and is supplemented by courses and lectures throughout the two-year training period.
Around the middle of your second year, most firms will make post-training job offers and you will know whether you are going to be offered a position upon finishing your training contract. Approximately six to eight weeks before your training contract is due to end, the Solicitors Regulation Authority will send you the necessary forms so that you can apply to be formally admitted to the roll of solicitors. Provided all necessary training conditions have been satisfied, you will be admitted to the roll. Congratulations - you are a solicitor!