One of the most strenuous decisions for an eighteen-year-old right after finishing A-levels is choosing the major they would like to pursue at university. I went through the same rigid procedure and ended up choosing law as my major for my bachelor's degree. I write this in hopes of answering some queries and explaining why choosing law as a major could be the right choice if you still have some doubts.
Law careers encompass fascinating and wide-ranging professions that have huge impacts on daily life for us all. Whether you’re buying a pair of shoes, applying for a job or ordering a coffee, most everyday activities are governed by the law in some way, shape or form.
A legal degree opens a wide array of fields within the legal industry for you to explore, a lot of students who are interested in law often fear choosing law as a major would restrict them with a handful of options, this is a far from reality. Completing an LLB degree opens pathways to many different fields within the legal sector, ranging from land law to data security law.
It is also a great qualification to have to obtain employment outside the typical legal career. Law graduates are in the top 10 highest employment rates - bear in mind up to 60% of all law graduates chose to use their law degree to gain jobs other than in the legal profession. So a law degree itself is attractive to a whole range of employers outside the professional legal employers. Top non-law careers widely pursued by law grads include being a recruiter, public relations manager, mediator, director of education, financial advisor, training manager, and marketing manager, according to a survey report published by Indeed.com.
In most cases, after completion of your law degree, you have two pathways to decide from: either being a solicitor by appearing for the legal practice course/ solicitors qualifying examination or being a barrister through a barrister training course. “Lawyer” is a generic term; solicitors and barristers are both lawyers; barristers tend to practise as advocates representing clients in court, whereas solicitors tend to perform the majority of their legal work in a law firm or office setting, drafting and reviewing legal documents, such as contracts.
Whichever of the legal careers you ultimately pursue, your work will involve a high level of diversity and a range of tasks, which are likely to include; drafting legal contracts and documents, negotiating on behalf of clients, researching and interpreting points of law, representing clients in court, and offering high quality legal and commercial advice.
Not only it is an interesting career, but the monetary compensation for a lawyer is also great too! The average salary for a Lawyer is £68,700 gross per year, which is £39,100 (+132%) higher than the UK's national average salary. A lawyer can expect an average starting salary of £25,000, and the highest salaries can exceed £200,000.
Everyone should obviously choose the degree and career path that is right for them. However, if you are unsure about what you want to do or are even considering doing a law degree, I would recommend it! Whatever you choose to do with your law degree will likely be an engaging and rewarding career!
