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There are some 10,000 firms currently in private practice in this country,
and around 11,500 self-employed barristers (14,000 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 in industry 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 Blair's of this
world who start out with a legal training and end up with what, on the
surface, seems like a completely different job.
Skills
Legal training is a valuable commodity outside the world of solicitors
and barristers. Many employers will value the skills you have learned
through your legal training. 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. There are also many other
work options including notaries, patent agents, chartered secretaries,
barristers' clerks, legal secretaries, law costs draftsman, court workers
and legal recruitment agents.
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