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Written by Rachel Shepherd, Editor, Graduate Prospects, December 2012
Following a period of further study non-law graduates are on equal footing with law undergraduates when it comes to applying for training contracts
Non-law graduates can offer employers particular knowledge and skills, for example, languages will be valued by firms that handle international work and numerate degrees will be useful for tax and banking law.
More broadly, science, engineering and maths qualifications indicate a capacity to make sense of the large amounts of information that lawyers face, while graduates on the arts and humanities side may have writing skills that are useful for drafting legal documents.
Even so, law remains a highly competitive field and non-law graduates must demonstrate their strong commitment to a legal career.
'The important thing to remember is not to dismiss any experience or activity you may have undertaken, whether related to your non-legal studies, extra-curricular activities or non-legal employment. It is important to remember that legal recruiters are looking at your potential to be an excellent trainee or pupil,' says Marc Steward, careers consultant at The College of Law.
Non-law students must seek out vacation placements and voluntary experience. They should also attend law careers events and talk to practising solicitors whenever possible.
If you're thinking of making the switch, you need to find out more about law careers as soon as possible. You must have applications for full-time conversion courses submitted by the February before the autumn start date. Applications for training contracts in medium-sized and large law firms are taken around the same time or in the summer.
'For many prospective GDL students, it is important not to worry too much about a perceived lack of legal experience, but think about what skills law firms expect to see, the experience you do have, and match the two together. Who knows, some of these experiences might actually have some legal angle to them if you think logically,' adds Marc.
Case study
Katherine Pymont is a trainee solicitor at Kingsley Napley. She studied English literature at undergraduate level and had a previous career in the media before converting to law via the GDL/LPC route
I was attracted to a career in law because it would enable me to use the skill set I had obtained as a journalist - strong written ability, interpersonal skills and attention to detail. It also had the added bonus of being part of a profession, a structured environment in which to work, and varied intellectual stimulation.
Returning to a classroom after several years in the work place was in fact a welcome surprise. The GDL was challenging but enjoyable. Of far greater concern was making my two-year study break worthwhile by obtaining a training contract.
Having completed my final LPC exams, I started work at Kingsley Napley as a paralegal in its criminal and regulatory department. Day to day my primary responsibility was to prepare hearing bundles. Shortly after I started I applied for a more senior position as a legal assistant and moved over to this role in August of the same year. The role was one of general assistance with regard to regulatory prosecution work. There is no doubt that the combination of my English degree and experience as a journalist assisted me greatly in these roles and also subsequently in obtaining a training contract.
The decision to apply for a training contract at Kingsley Napley was not a difficult one. It is a progressive firm with high-profile clients and an unusual breadth of practice areas. There is also a friendly and cohesive environment in which to work and the open door policy operating throughout the firm provides the opportunity to integrate and learn from every team member regardless of seniority.
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