Law
If you have high intellectual ability, good judgment and strong interpersonal skills, a career in law could be for you. The main legal jobs for graduates are to work as a solicitor or a barrister ('advocate' in Scotland). Or for something a little different, you could consider training to become a patent agent. Explore the main graduate law professions below to find out what would suit you. We show you how to apply for training contracts, pupillages and vacation placements, and tell you how you can convert to law if you're not studying for a legal degree.
TARGETjobs Law 2010
Training contracts, pupillages and
careers advice for law and non-law graduates.
Click below to launch
Graduate law careers: becoming a solicitor
If you'd like your graduate legal career to involve plenty of teamwork and client contact, a job as a solicitor could be the answer. There's a huge range of areas you could choose from, whether you fancy criminal work, multimillion pound deals or providing advice to individuals in your local area. Find out about training contracts, vacation placement schemes, the legal practice course (LPC) and postgraduate conversion courses for non-law graduates:
Graduate law careers: becoming a barrister
Advocacy is a key part of working as a barrister. Would you feel comfortable standing up to represent your client in court? You'll also need to be self-motivated and happy to work by yourself as well as in a team. As with solicitors, you could choose to specialise in all sorts of different areas. Find out about pupillages, mini-pupillages, the Bar professional training course (BPTC) and postgraduate conversion courses for non-law graduates:
Graduate law careers in Scotland
Qualifying as a lawyer in Scotland is different from in England and Wales. If you'd like a graduate job as a solicitor or advocate north of the border you'll need to decide this early on. In terms of work, you can still choose to get involved in big commercial deals - or go for something a bit more niche, such as crofting law. Find out about Scottish legal traineeships, vacation placement schemes and the Scottish diploma in legal practice:
Graduate careers as a patent agent
(science and engineering graduates)
Jobs as patent agents are open to science and engineering graduates looking for a career with a legal twist. You'll be advising on intellectual property matters and helping clients to protect their inventions and processes. From time to time, you might even find yourself making a case in court.
Graduate law careers in the Channel Islands
If you're looking for big name legal deals outside the City, consider graduate law careers on the Channel Islands. Read on to find out about the law on Jersey and Guernsey and how to train as a Channel Islands lawyer.
Recruiting now