Your university law society will be a great place to start if you are a non-law student trying to explore what is available to you whilst you study - without leaving the comfort of your university campus!

There are so many advantages to joining the law society as a non-law student on both a personal and professional level, and there is nothing to stop you from joining at any stage of your degree! It can seem a little daunting to join a law society without a background in law, but don’t forget that you are working toward similar goals to those studying law currently and have common interests which will soon help you to find your feet and make new friends!

Here are just a few reasons why joining the law society can be a great place to start and can support you as you work towards your ambitions for a career in law alongside studying for your non-law degree.

You can access opportunities you had no idea existed before

Getting the opportunity to interact with firms and companies is a great way to learn more about the legal field and understand the process of becoming a lawyer.

It can be quite difficult to know where to start when trying to get more involved with legal events and if you aren’t sure where to begin looking, then your university law society can be a great place to start. Your law society will bring together a variety of events and opportunities to you on campus, meaning it is much easier to get involved alongside your studies and without the worry of expenses and travel time! 

There will be plenty of chances to get involved with things that cater exactly to what you are looking for and even to explore something new. Being part of the law society will leave you spoilt for choice and whether it is a networking event or a firm-led workshop, what the law society provides is invaluable whether you are a law or non-law student!

You might even find out about other opportunities outside of campus. Having the support of the law society behind you when you initially start getting involved can also mean taking opportunities outside of the society later on seem a little easier.

You will have the opportunity to identify and develop the right skillset

As well as social and professional opportunities, there will also be plenty of chances to develop your skills and understanding of what being a lawyer involves. Don’t worry - many of your skills from a non-law degree are completely transferrable, but having some insight into how to apply them to a legal context can be very helpful. 

There are a few skills that are quite specific to the legal field and finding the right opportunities to keep building and putting them into action can be quite challenging. Your law society will be able to not only help you identify what these types of skills are but also provide you with the perfect scenarios to apply them and keep developing.

Law societies will run different types of competitions for you to get involved in, from client interviewing to negotiating. You will also be able to find out about resources, talks and workshops available to help you prepare for your future interviews or assessment days that address the types of skills law firms are interested in and how you can demonstrate these in future interviews and assessment days.

You might find other non-law students

While the majority of society members will be law students, you will find a few non-law students have signed up just like you! It can be really reassuring to find other people in the exact same boat as you and as it can be quite difficult to find other non-law students looking to pursue a career in law, any opportunity to meet them is one to take!