There are some 10,300 firms currently in private practice in England and Wales, and around 12,000 self-employed barristers (15,000 including employed barristers). These two areas provide a home for the vast majority of our lawyers in the United Kingdom. But not everyone who successfully completes the academic stages decides to go into private practice. Many go on to work as lawyers in other organisations, such as an in-house lawyer, or for any number of other organisations that employ legal services. Others utilise the skills they have learned during their training without actually practising as a lawyer. It isn't just the Tony Blairs of this world who start out with a legal training and end up with what, on the surface, seems like a completely different job.

Legal training is a valuable commodity outside the world of solicitors and barristers. Many employers will value the skills you have learned along the way. These skills include: the ability to research, collect and analyse large amounts of information; to weigh-up points and counter points; and to create a logical argument and reasoned conclusion from a set of facts. The ability to communicate clearly with the public and the profession alike is another sought after ability. Discretion, the ability to handle and work under pressure, and a first-class memory are all abilities valued in the general career market.

The links on the right give an idea of the different options available for those with legal knowledge and training. The main links you see are for opportunities to still practise as a lawyer but not within private practice. There are also links to law-related jobs (eg, paralegal, outdoor clerk and legal exectutive) and non-law-related jobs (eg, civil servant, academic or coroner).