I want to work in Law

Introductory information

• For all aspects of pursuing a career as a solicitor, AllAboutLaw, the Law Careers website covers all key information.
• An overview of the legal sector on the prospects site
• The University of Law’s website - includes useful information on the English legal system, types of legal career, skills required and routes to qualification
• The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law – excellent basic introduction from LawCareers.Net. Pick up a copy from the careers Service or download the digital version from their site
• The Law Society international communities pages - provide information for those exploring international opportunities

Becoming a Barrister or Solicitor

On the law careers website, you can find a diagram of the route for graduates to become solicitors or barristers, with explanations of each stage.

Please note that the route to qualification as a solicitor is changing from 2021. The links below give further information and will be regularly updated as new information becomes available:

• The University of Law regularly publishes features designed to increase your knowledge of the recruitment process or the legal profession as a whole.
• View information from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route.

UK firms' websites

• A full list of law firms globally, by practice area, can be found on Chambers Guide.

The “Magic Circle” – the top 5 UK firms, all with clients and offices worldwide

• Allen & Overy
• Clifford Chance
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Linklaters - one of the largest international firms
• Slaughter & May - international corporate, commercial and financial practice

The “Silver Circle” – firms ranking just below the Magic Circle but with a similar scope and range of work

• Ashursts
• Berwin Leighton Paisner
• S J Berwin
• Herbert Smith Freehills
• Macfarlanes
• Travers Smith

American firms in London

• A full list of US films in London

List of Law firms in UK

• A full a-z list of law firms in the UK

Sites with general information for barristers

• Bar Standards Board - includes advice on “Becoming a Barrister”
• Bar Education & Training: Bar Standards Board
• Pupillage Portal - the Bar’s official online pupillage application system
• Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) - Information about the course, application timetable and application procedure
• The Barrister Magazine - independent magazine for practising barristers including news, link, events and a list of chambers
• Chambers Student - provides useful information on how to become a barrister for both law and non law graduates
• Securing a pupillage is incredibly competitive. This article provides some statistical information. The Lawyer Portal provides additional statistics on the legal profession
  
• Chambers Student 'getting bar ready' - provides useful tips on what you need to be doing now if you are interested in a career at the bar
• It is essential for aspiring barristers to complete at least one mini-pupillage. Chambers Student provides a list of vacancies

The Inns of Court

The four Inns of Court provide support for barristers and students through a range of educational activities, lunching and dining facilities, access to common rooms and gardens and the provision of various grants and scholarships.

Anyone wishing to join the Bar must join one of the Inns, which are responsible for "Calling" barristers to the Bar. You can join as a student member while you are still at University.

• Gray's Inn
• Inner Temple
• Lincoln's Inn
• Middle Temple

Chambers

• A comparison of pupillages, size and practice areas at the leading barristers' sets.

Other professional bodies

• The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives
• The Institute of Barristers' Clerks
• The Council of Licensed Conveyancers
• Law Centres Federation
• Association of Costs Lawyers

Public and voluntary bodies

• The Crown Prosecution Service
• The Government Legal Profession (formerly known as the Government Legal Service)
• Her Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service
• Ministry of Justice
• Criminal Cases Review Commission
• Criminal Records Bureau
• Law Commission
• The Legal Services Commission
• The Free Representation Unit (FRU)
• The Citizenship Foundation - Solicitors in Local Government

Paralegal work

• Institute of Paralegals
• CILEX Paralegal Programmes
• National Association of Licensed Paralegals

Court reporting

• British Institute of Verbatim Reporters
• Datasite (formerly known as Merrill Legal Solutions)

Recruitment agencies and jobs boards

Below, we list some agencies and job sites which specialise in law-related posts, but their inclusion here should not be taken to imply any recommendation. Few, if any, will recruit for training contracts - paralegal work is more likely and, even here, experience and a further qualification is normally required.

• Alford & Bishop - run by a Kent graduate, this agency recruits solicitors and legal support staff for positions across the south of England
• Badenoch & Clark
• CVLinks - CVLinks is a jobs matching service that exclusively focusses on jobs in the legal sector
• GR Law - Recruit lawyers, paralegals, legal secretaries and other legal support staff for law firms and in-house legal departments in London.
• Hays
• LawCrossing - legal jobsearch website, including summer placements for students and paralegal work
• Legal Week Jobs - a legal recruitment website covering a wide range of legal jobs including graduate/trainee, paralegal, legal secretarial and support jobs from legal recruitment consultants, companies and law firms
• Michael Page Legal
• Legal Jobs Board - online legal recruitment portal featuring vacancies for legal secretaries, paralegals and various legal executive positions within the UK.
• Simply Law Jobs - paralegal jobs, solicitor jobs and legal secretary jobs.
• Taylor Root - International legal and compliance recruitment
• Totally Legal - Site includes paralegal jobs, careers and CV advice

Jurisdictions outside England & Wales

Scotland

• The Law Society of Scotland
• Scottish Law Firm Directory
• The Faculty of Advocates
• Solicitors in Scotland with a website from Delia Venables
• Solicitor, Scotland Occupational Profile
• Scottish Paralegal Association

Ireland

• The Law Society of Ireland
• The Law Society of Northern Ireland
• The Honorable Society of King's Inns
• The Bar Council of Northern Ireland
• GradIreland.com
• Solicitors and Legal Sites in Ireland by Delia Venables

Europe

• The European Court of Justice - offers 5-month stages (traineeships) to law graduates
• European Ombudsman - offers 5-month stages (traineeships) to law graduates
• The College of Europe - offers Masters degrees in European Studies (with law as one of the options available) taught through English and French at campuses in Bruges and Warsaw
• The European University Institute, Florence - structured doctoral programmes in law from a European perspective
• European Master in Law & Economics - study for an LLM in two or three European universities. Scholarships are available
• Portal to Europe-wide resources, from Delia Venables
• Law firms and lawyers in Europe listed by country

USA

• The New York Bar Exam - graduates with an English law degree can study for this exam in the UK
• Barbri - is a provider of New York Bar training
• Legal Education in the USA – from the Fulbright Commission
• Chambers Directory of US firms online

Canada

• Canadian Students Law Society at the University of Kent
• Canadian Bar Association
• Federation of Law Societies of Canada
• List of Canadian law schools and other legal resources, including vacancies
• Canadian Law List - searchable list of firms by city and practice area

Australia and New Zealand

• The Law Council of Australia
• Australian Law Schools
• The Law Society of New Zealand 

Asia

• Asia Law Profiles
• The Legal 500 Asia Pacific Top 500
• The Lawyer Asia Pacific top 150 firms 2014
• China Lawyers Association
• Chinese Law Firm Directory
• The Law Society of Hong Kong - includes list of firms and information on qualifying in Hong Kong
• The Bar Council of Malaysia
• The Law Society of Singapore
• Lehman, Lee & Xu - Branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Shenyang and Chengdu.

Africa

• Nigeria Law - the web site for everything about the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
• The Law Society of Kenya
• The Law Society of South Africa

Worldwide

• The International Centre for Commercial Law - A guide to the legal market in over 70 countries with in-depth independent editorial and law firm directories
• Career Opportunities in the International Legal Field: outlines the different options in public and private international law and provides links to employers and information resources.
• List of Bar associations by region from Hieros Gamos legal research centre
• IFLR1000 - guide to the world's leading financial law firms, covering over 1000 firms in 100 jurisdictions

It is essential to get work experience if you are planning a career in law.

• AllAboutLaw - Vacation schemes

Vacation Schemes (solicitors)

A vacation scheme is a period of work experience with a law firm. These are increasingly used by firms as a way of assessing potential for training contracts. You can find out more about training contracts using the following links

• All About Law
• Chambers Student
• Law career advice on Target Jobs

Most vacation schemes are advertised on LawCareers.

Insight Days

• The Gateway
• Chambers Student

Mini-Pupillages (barristers)

Short experiences (usually 3-5 days) that will give you an insight into the work of a barrister

• The Bar Council mini-pupillage hub

Work Experience Guides

• Prospects guide
• Chambers Student guide

Sites with general law information

• Law Careers Net - general advice on legal careers, training and employers, with searchable databases of training contract and pupillage providers (including vacation placements)
• Target Jobs - legal careers, training contracts, pupillages and expert advice
• The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law - download the brochure here
• Chambers & Partners Student Guide - Information on firms, chambers (mainly commercial) and practice areas. The "True Picture" section provides an insider's view on what it is really like to work for the top 100 law firms, compiled from confidential interviews with trainees. There is also information on career choice, vocational course providers and deadlines.
• The Legal 500 - in-depth survey of firms, in the UK and worldwide
• Lawyer 2B Magazine - news and features for anyone interested in a career in law
• The Lawyer - legal news and vacancies from the weekly Lawyer newspaper
• All About Law - inside information, tips and advice on all aspects of a career in law, plus discussion forums and blogs from trainees, pupils and lawyers.
• Legal Week - good background on law firms and current issues in the profession, plus a career clinic and a student section
• Law and Legal - Careers advice, solicitors and news
   job profiles, relevant news and application advice. Also see their careers page
• Lawtons Solicitors Criminal Law guide
• Rayden Solicitors - How to become a family lawyer
• Rayden Solicitors Rayden Solicitors - Magazine aimed at new and future legal professionals with information on qualifying, specialisations and career development
• Solicitors Journal
• The Lawyer Portal
• WikiJob - information about legal employers and law firms (including graduate interview tips)
• The Times
• The Guardian

Advice on CVs, application forms and interviews

Conversion courses for non-law graduates

• All About Law for non-law students 
• Qualifiying without a law degree 
• The Central Applications Board lists, and links to, universities where you can take these courses (the CPE/GDL) 
• Lawyer 2B article - trainees, barristers and Kaplan Law School staff discuss career decisions and how to pursue a legal career as a non-law student.

Sites with general information for solicitors

• Article about how to become a criminal solicitor 
• The Law Society - includes links to the Solicitors Online directory, the Law Society's Gazette (see below) and specialist areas of practice
• Junior Lawyers Division of Law Society – represents student members and trainees
• Solicitors Regulation Authority - information on becoming a solicitor
• The Central Applications Board - lists LPC and CPE/GDL courses
• Solicitors Online  - produced by the Law Society, this allows you to choose a location and obtain a complete list of firms in that area
• The Law Society's Gazette online  - includes job vacancies
• Legal Aid Practitioners Group  - includes directory of firms providing publicly funded legal services and occasional advertisements for training contracts in this area of practice
• Law Works -independent charity to support a commitment to pro bono across the solicitors' profession.
• Trainee Solicitor Surgery - e-book. Specialist careers advice on how to get a solicitor's training contract