Whilst there are many legal careers from paralegal, legal academic, to judge the most popular for law graduates is either solicitor or barrister. But how do you qualify as a solicitor or barrister?

To become a solicitor there is of course the apprenticeship route, saving university tuition fees and providing a regular salary, however it can be demanding balancing work and study. Of course there is the more traditional route of completing a degree or equivalent qualification and then passing both the Solicitors Qualifying Exams Part 1 and 2, which were introduced in 2021 as the new route to qualification. The first part of this exam is a set of multiple-choice questions testing knowledge of the law and then the SQE2 tests the practical skills needed as a solicitor such as advocacy, interviewing, legal writing and research skills. These are extremely demanding and alongside studying for these, many also complete the two years required qualifying work experience in a firm. After successfully completing all these the Solicitors Regulation Authority will complete checks on any individual wishing to qualify as a solicitor, before they add them to the official Solicitors Roll. There are many areas and roles a solicitor can take from criminal to conveyancing and in a high street firm to in-house for a company or a local authority.

To become a barrister after having obtained your qualifying LLB law degree, there is a further years study on the Bar Training Course, learning key advocacy skills to be able to present cases in court. After this is a one-year pupillage in a barristers chambers, being a junior to others, before taking on small cases and then leading on your own. After this joining the Barristers Register held by the Bar Standards Board and hoping to obtain tenancy in a chambers as a self-employed barrister assisted by a clerk, this is a highly competitive profession.

Questions to consider

• Make a flow chart to show the route to becoming a solicitor and barrister.
• Research changes to the Law Society’s recommendation to pay trainee solicitors a recommended wage.