Defer to common sense
updated on 03 May 2011
Dear Oracle
I have received offers for law school, but don't have a training contract or much financial support. I was thinking about getting a job for a year to save some money, but I'd have to defer my place. Is this a good or bad idea?The Oracle replies
Instead of deferring your LPC, have you thought about declining the offer and reapplying later when you do have a training contract or enough surplus cash to fund the course? Remember that the LPC is designed to prepare you for legal practice - it is of little use if you do not end up training as a solicitor. This means that if you were to do the course and not go on to find a training contract, you would have wasted a year of your time and a considerable amount of cash! Take a look at this news story we ran in 2009 about the Law Society warning wannabe lawyers to think carefully before embarking on the LPC without having first secured a training contract (see "Law Society warns students off law").
Having focused on the dangers, it is of course perfectly possible to secure a training contract during or after your LPC - and many people do (see "CoL paints rosier picture of LPC to TC ratio"). The important thing is to weigh up how likely you are to find a legal job at the end of the course; if you have excellent academics, work experience, an interesting CV and good interview technique, you might decide it's worth the risk. If you decide it is, there are various funding options you can investigate - the usual one being a high-street bank loan. Check out our finances page for more information, including details of some banks' recent withdrawal of their special loans offering favourable rates to postgraduate law students.
