Becoming a Solicitor

[HeWhoNeverWas]

Hi. I have a law degree, but not a qualifying law degree. I sat every required module for admission on to the LPC except Trust law. Being the fool I am, I am now regretting not having done Trusts to get a QLD. Why? Because I really want to do the LPC. I am told if I want to do it, I first have to do the Law Conversion Course (one year) which includes going over all the other modules I have already passed, and then the LPC. The conversion course would be a huge financial burden (I know, I know, it's all my fault!) too. Is there anyway I can simply sit Trusts law as part of the course and only pay a reasonable fraction of the course fee? I really want to take the LPC route but am going to have to abandon it if it means doing the entire law conversion. Any information from solicitors etc out there 'in the know' would be great.

[Buenchico]

I'm out of my depth with the detail of your question but I'll ask whether you've checked out all of the information available on this website:
http://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/
or considered the ILEX route. See here:
https://nextstep.dire...67/Pages/default.aspx
and here:
https://nextstep.dire...68/Pages/default.aspx

Chris

[Eve]

Have you tried speaking to someone like the Open University, see if they would let you do just the trusts module?

You could also speak to unis who do both the Law degree and LPC, see if there is any way they would let you sit the trusts module alongside the LPC for an additional fee. Difficult though as it's quite an indepth module and there would be likely to be difficulty in clashes between LPC and trusts lectures and seminars, possibly even the exam depending on timetabling, let alone the additional burden of study as the LPC is a very demanding year. You could always see if you could temper that with doing the LPC part time over 2 years by evening study to help you fund your way through.

Alternatively, you could see if a uni would let you just sit the trusts module though you would have to be flexible as to the timetabling and it cold make full time work difficult.

You would need to check with LPC providers whether they would accept any of these options though.

ILEX can provide some exemption although you would be looking at a good few years study and qualifying work based experience to get anywhere near being able to qualify as a solictor.

[mike11111]

I don't know where you studied Law, but I am surprised that Equity and Trusts was not a compulsory module towards your degree. Every law school with which I am familiar teach the 6 basic subjects (Crime, Contract, Tort, Constitutional, Land and Trusts) as weel as other options. If your university did not inform you of this when choosing your options, then they strike me as negligent. By the way, getting a Law degree and the diploma of Legal Practice is the easiest part of becoming a solicitor; finding a training contract (once called Articles) is the hardest. I speak from experience; LL.B. (with distinction) Dip LP (with merit) but no training contract and therefore unqualified.

[Eve]

I'm surprised as well! I thought E&T was a compulsory part of the degree and that the problem someone might have with getting a qualifying law degree would be failing a core module. Did you do a joint honours with another subject being more dominant?

We had more than the 6 main ones being compulsory, we had to do two lots of European Law, Administrative Law in addition to Constitutional and Legal System and Legal Process as well. Didn't have any choice.

Mike is right about the study being the easy bit. Training contracts are notoriously hard to come by and there is fierce competition. I remember seeing a figure that there was an average of 130 applications per training contract in 2009. Given my experience of recruiting, I'd say that was conservative and would imagine it's considerably higher.

The legal market is not bouyant at the moment, there have been swathes of redunandancies (continuing still albeit to a lesser degree) and recruitment is happening but on a muted basis. Many firms were hit hard by the recession, quite a few didn't make it through and many others have been seriously belt tightening, shedding staff and holding fast rather than recruiting.

Experience is a big plus point. The big area of a few years back for junior recruitment was residential property work but that was decimated with the recession so the main area for getting in at a junior level is personal injury. Many firms have junior claims handlers/paralegals, for example first response advisors who take initial calls about claims.

It's not well paid at entry level and there is wide competition as there is no real need for legal knowledge so many people with no legal background are taken on. It's a start though and now difficult to progress to a paralegal role, running your own caseload in areas such as low value volume RTA work, slip and trip claims etc...

I was lucky, I was headhunted for my TC by a

[Eve]

Oop... to summarise the rest of my answer which disappeared..

by a firm I impressed while working but have seen many people try and try and not make it. You can still haev a good legal career, being qualified isn't everything.

If you have the determination to go in and start from the bottom, make sacrifices, work hard, listen and learn and have the ability and drive then there is no reason you can't have a good legal career.

It is one demanding profession though and not always for the fainthearted.

[HeWhoNeverWas]

Thank you all very much for your comments. It is compulsory for all six modules to be sat in order to get a QLD but I opted for them Academic Law Degree and sat 5 of the 6. I was warned. My fault. I like the idea of sitting Trusts only and then going on to do the LPC. I tried two Unis on that, both of which said they did not offer that, but I will try the Open University to see what they have to say.

Luckily I am getting some experience at the moment. Thank you Chris for your comments, I'll check out ILEX.

Many thanks one and all.

[Eve]

I had a look on OU and this seems to be the relevant course albeit mixed with Land Law...

http://www3.open.ac.u...duate/course/w301.htm

Pricey:

Start: 05 Feb 2011
End: Oct 2011
Fee: £2050.00

Registration (including payment) must be completed by 22/12/10

[Eve]

You would need to check with LPC providers whether they would accept this as to make your law degree qualifying.

Cheaper than the GDL though!

[bushbaby_de]

I don't see how this would work as you still wouldn't have a QLD - you'd have an academic law degree plus a pass on an OU module....