Law

About Law

Law apprenticeships start at level 2 and go as high as level 7. This provides you the ability to work your way into any level of the judicial system. The judicial system is a vital pillar of society, without it society will not run as smoothly.

There are two types of lawyers in the UK, solicitors and barristers. Both will require you to complete a law qualification and then training (including a exam) before you can qualify as a solicitor or barrister.

Solicitors will normally be the first point of contact if a individual or a company need legal advise or help. To become a solicitor you will need to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in a law firm, which helps to develop your legal knowledge and practical skills and can be completed in one year (full time) or 2 years (part time).

Barristers are more specialised in certain legal topics and act more as legal advisors to high level clients or other legal professionals. To become a barrister you will need to acquire your legal degree then take the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) and if you are successful you will then apply to join a Inn of Court. There are four Inns of Court (Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple). Once you join a Inn of Court you will undertake the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) which takes between one or two years. When the BPTC is successfully completed the Inn will call you to the Bar where you will become a unregistered barrister and go through the final pupilage stage working directly under a barrister. After a year the supervising barrister can recommend you to become a qualified barrister where you can then apply for Authorisation to Practice.

Type of apprenticeships

Law apprenticeships start from level 2 where you will train to become a legal secretary in the judicial system. Similar to other apprenticeships you will work and study which is a benefit as you will be able to better decide the correct path you want to take, where it may be commercial law or civil law. The level 6/7 apprenticeships are set up in such a way that it includes level 3/4/5 apprenticeships within it (but you can start on different levels depending on your experience). Therefore you can apply to level 6/7 apprenticeships straight from A-levels. This path will take the same duration of time or a bit less than if you go through the university route.

Entry Requirements

Level 2: You will need to be at least 16 years old, living in the country.

Level 3: You will need to be at least 16 years old, living in the country and have at least 5 GCSE at grades A*-C (9-4) including math and english or level 2 qualification.

Level 4/5: You will need to be at least 16 years old, living in the country and have a level 3 law qualification.

Level 6/7: You will need to be at least 16 years old, living in the country and have a level 3/4/5 law qualification.

GCSEs that suit this Apprenticeship

Regardless of what GCSEs you do you can always go down various career paths, but certain GCSEs will give you an advantage and some will be required. Below is a list of GCSEs which will help you with law apprenticeship:

A-levels that suit this Apprenticeship

Higher level apprenticeships may need A-level qualifications to enter, however, regardless of what A-levels you do you can always go down various career paths, but certain A-levels will give you an advantage and some will be required. Below is a list of A-levels which will help you with law apprenticeship:

Duration of Degree

The duration of the apprenticeship course will vary depending on the level you are in, below is a list of various levels and their normal duration:

Who This Apprenticeship Suits?

Every apprenticeship will be enjoyable and suit different personalities, below is a list of characteristics and personalities which will enjoy a law apprenticeship:

Module /Topics

Law apprenticeship has many topics that need to be covered, below is a list of the topics that will be in the curriculums of each level.

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4/5:

Level 6/7:

Industry Sectors

Law apprenticeship allows you too apply to different industries, below is a list of them:

Types of Jobs

Law apprenticeship allows you to apply to a wide variety of roles, below is a list of them:

Level 2:

Level 3:

Level 4/5:

Level 6/7:

Work hours and Salary

As a law student you will usually work 30 hours per week up till level 6/7, where you will usual work 37.5 - 40 hours. As a law student or graduate you will most likely work a lot of overtime to progress cases forward in a timely manner, thus, you could easily be working more than 40 hours a week.

The salary you can expect can be seen below, note that if you work in commercial companies or private companies you may see higher salaries depending on the company that hires you, public sector roles usually will pay less than private or commercial roles.