If you are thinking about a career as a solicitor, you need to think carefully about the amount of work and commitment involved.
Do your research
Before you start making choices about embarking on a legal career you need to do a lot of background work. First of all, if you are considering starting a university law degree then you will not only need to find the right one and be accepted on to it but you should also be aware of the extra training you will need afterwards.
Whether you have a law degree or a top-up law degree, you will still need to undertake extra study and secure a training contract. The full training to become a solicitor can be very intense and you will need to be committed to this over a number of years. Competition is fierce for training contracts and once you have managed to secure and complete this, then competition for jobs is also extremely tough.
Talk to people in the know
To get a feel for what being a solicitor is like, you should talk to as many people as possible. By chatting to people who work in the profession you will gain a better understanding of how it works. Better yet, you could try to arrange some work experience to see first-hand if this is the career for you.
Personal qualities
Studying the law is not really enough to become a successful solicitor. As an expert on legal careers will tell you, you have to be extremely determined and a very highly motivated individual to cope not only with the study and training but the inevitable rejections when it comes to securing contracts and jobs. These personal qualities will also come in handy when you are performing the job itself should you make it through. Excellent academic skills are of course very important and you should also take into account the cost of legal study and training.
You will need to work out how you are going to fund it all, especially if you don't want to end up with a large debt at the end of your training. It is possible to receive sponsorship for some of your studies or training so this is definitely worth looking into early on. Some people take part-time jobs to fund their university studies but this is not an easy option. You still have to have the time (and energy!) to complete your assignments.
Commitment and tenacity really come into play when you consider that there are no guarantees that you will get a training contract or a job. You need to work very hard at making sure this happens for you. If you do decide that becoming a solicitor is for you, then doing as much background work and work experience/holiday work as possible is crucial to improving your chances of work.
To find out more about the work of solicitors and the specialities they cover then your [/i]local QualitySolicitors[/i] is a good place to start.[/i]
Do your research
Before you start making choices about embarking on a legal career you need to do a lot of background work. First of all, if you are considering starting a university law degree then you will not only need to find the right one and be accepted on to it but you should also be aware of the extra training you will need afterwards.
Whether you have a law degree or a top-up law degree, you will still need to undertake extra study and secure a training contract. The full training to become a solicitor can be very intense and you will need to be committed to this over a number of years. Competition is fierce for training contracts and once you have managed to secure and complete this, then competition for jobs is also extremely tough.
Talk to people in the know
To get a feel for what being a solicitor is like, you should talk to as many people as possible. By chatting to people who work in the profession you will gain a better understanding of how it works. Better yet, you could try to arrange some work experience to see first-hand if this is the career for you.
Personal qualities
Studying the law is not really enough to become a successful solicitor. As an expert on legal careers will tell you, you have to be extremely determined and a very highly motivated individual to cope not only with the study and training but the inevitable rejections when it comes to securing contracts and jobs. These personal qualities will also come in handy when you are performing the job itself should you make it through. Excellent academic skills are of course very important and you should also take into account the cost of legal study and training.
You will need to work out how you are going to fund it all, especially if you don't want to end up with a large debt at the end of your training. It is possible to receive sponsorship for some of your studies or training so this is definitely worth looking into early on. Some people take part-time jobs to fund their university studies but this is not an easy option. You still have to have the time (and energy!) to complete your assignments.
Commitment and tenacity really come into play when you consider that there are no guarantees that you will get a training contract or a job. You need to work very hard at making sure this happens for you. If you do decide that becoming a solicitor is for you, then doing as much background work and work experience/holiday work as possible is crucial to improving your chances of work.
To find out more about the work of solicitors and the specialities they cover then your [/i]local QualitySolicitors[/i] is a good place to start.[/i]