Becoming a Lawyer in the United Kingdom is a rewarding and exciting journey. For those leaving school later this year, or even if you just fancy a career change, it’s important to understand the routes into the career.
In our first article on Monday, we covered the CILEX Route into Law. Today we speak to Niamh Wilson, Trainee Solicitor at Swinburne Maddison. Niamh opted for the traditional route into law which involves studying at university. So far, Niamh has experienced working within Family law, Corporate and Commercial and Commercial Property. Niamh discusses her studies at university and putting her knowledge into practice at the firm.
Niamh’s University story!
Ever since I was young, I had always known that I wanted to become a solicitor but navigating what qualifications I needed and how long it would take for me to qualify was confusing! So, let me break the process down for you, explain my route into law, the work experience that I obtained and how I am now only one year away from qualifying.
Whilst I was in sixth form it felt like the only option I had was to go to university. At that time, I had decided that I wanted to study law and eventually go on to practicing in the legal world. I applied to Northumbria University for an undergraduate degree which saw me obtaining my law degree and also a master’s degree with an exemption from the Legal Practice Course.
The Legal Practice Course (more commonly known as the LPC) is a course that, at the time, you had to complete after your law degree before you could start your training contract as a trainee solicitor. The LPC gives you practical skills such as how to draft legal documents, research the law and how to make submissions at court by practicing your advocacy skills. I decided to do this course as I knew at the time, I wanted to become a solicitor and that all the qualifications I needed were within this one course. A lot of my fellow classmates studied their three-year undergraduate degree separately and then went on to complete a postgraduate degree alongside their LPC.
Before starting my law degree, I undertook some work experience at another law firm. This enabled me to gain insight into what practicing lawyers do day to day. This only filled me with further excitement for starting my university course and working towards my career goals. In my third year of university, I undertook another week of work experience again at another law firm in which I shadowed solicitors in different departments including corporate, family, commercial property and private client. In my fourth year I started working as a paralegal within the family department part-time whilst completing the last year of my degree. At the time this was tough as I was balancing a full-time master’s degree and LPC modules alongside working. However, this only made me more determined to finish my degree as I knew it was another stepping stone to reaching my eventual career goal.
When you finish your degree alongside your LPC you can then start to apply to firms to complete your period of recognised training also commonly known as a training contract. It should be noted though that a lot of firms recruit for training contracts a couple of years in advance, and you should keep a look out on their websites for their application processes – they can be like gold dust! I think the time I spent working as a paralegal whilst studying before obtaining my training contract was very beneficial as it taught me how to use a case management system, get used to time recording and generally what it is like to work within a legal environment. This was all great practice and enabled me to stand out in applications and interviews.
In the end, I successfully obtained a training contract at Swinburne Maddison. Traditional training contracts will typically last two years. Here you will complete what is known as ‘seats’ in different teams. These seats will see you expanding your knowledge on different types of law, for example, you could spend six months in family law dealing with child arrangement orders and divorces and then for the next six months you could be completing work in the commercial property involving development sites and dealing with transfers of land. The idea of rotating departments and completing different seats is so that at the end of your training you can pick an area of law to specialise in and utilise the different skills you have obtained and practiced throughout your time in different seats.
However, the process for qualifying as a solicitor has changed just a little since I began university and there is now the option of completing a six-year apprenticeship where you work full-time and complete your relevant law degree. At the end of the six years, you will be a qualified solicitor.
Instead of completing an LPC like I did, there is now the Solicitors Qualifying Exam known as the SQE. This consists of two multiple-choice exam papers on which you can be examined on any area of law. This was introduced in 2021, but there are arrangements in place to deal with the transition from the LPC to the SQE route. However, this does not change the time frame for qualifying as a solicitor as it is still around the six-year mark from starting university.
I am currently due to qualify in February 2025 as a Solicitor. This will have taken me four years at University, nearly a year of working as a paralegal and two years of my training contract – but I have no doubt that this will have all been worth it!
Quick-fire Questions!
What advice would you give to someone looking to begin their legal career?
Not to put so much pressure on yourself! I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself that I had to finish university with a secured training contract to start as soon as I graduated. I felt as though I would have been seen as a failure if I did not achieve this and qualify by a certain date. It is only now, nearly two years on from graduating, that I realise that this situation is only true for a small minority of people. Try not to be disheartened when you receive rejections from firms as this happens to almost everyone starting off on your legal career. As cliché as it sounds, everything happens for a reason and a better opportunity around the corner.
The biggest positive about taking the University route?
I think the biggest positive about completing the traditional route was that I got to focus full-time on my studies. I can imagine that both working full-time and completing my studies would be incredibly difficult to manage if I had taken the solicitor apprentice route.
Describe Swinburne Maddison in three words.
Supportive, caring and collaborative. Ever since I joined Swinburne Maddison I have felt incredibly lucky to be completing my training with colleagues and partners of the firm who care about your development and support you through it. There is always someone on hand to answer your questions and no question is a silly question!
As highlighted by Niamh in this article, work experience has played a big role as it enabled her to stand out from other candidates when applying for her training contract. At Swinburne Maddison, we offer summer work placements and applications are now open. Please visit the Work Experience page on our website.
