The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law

Welcome

The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law, sponsored by The University of Law

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Meet the Lawyer

Find out more about life as a lawyer with LCN's Meet the Lawyer profiles

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First-year opportunities

Find out which firms have open days and insight schemes for first-year students

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Becoming a solicitor

Discover what you need to do to become a solicitor

Visit the Solicitor hub

Welcome Meet the Lawyer First-year opportunities Becoming a solicitor

Kickstart your legal career with these upcoming events!

LawCareers.Net and Ropes & Gray masterclass: private equity – lifecycle of a private equity deal

Tuesday 27 January | Register now!

LawCareers.Net and BPP University masterclass: top tips for researching law firms effectively

Thursday 29 January | Register now!

First-year Bootcamp | LawCareers.Net x The University of Law

Tuesday 3 February | Register now!

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The Beginner's Guide to a Career in Law

Your essential first step to a career in law

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Key law career questions

Find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about a career in the legal sector

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Key law career deadlines

Discover several key events and deadlines that you need to diarise

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Reality check

Without wanting to detract from the exciting and challenging legal career on offer, here are some things to bear in mind

Beginner's Guide

First-year checklist

Find out what you should be doing in your first year at university as a law or non-law student

Meet the Lawyer

Read how today's lawyers went from student to qualified lawyer

Legal career paths

Take a look at our simple career timetable

Solicitor versus barrister

What's the difference and which career would suit you? Use this guide to get you started

Meet the Lawyer

Zoe McGovern

From forensic science to property litigation, solicitor Zoe McGovern details an unconventional route into law, the value of early work experience and what makes Ashfords an approachable, multi-service law firm offering diverse and rewarding work.

Meet the Recruiter

Nikita Patel

Nikita Patel offers a unique glimpse into the recruitment process and culture at Fried Frank, highlighting the importance of authenticity, resilience and commercial awareness for the firm’s future trainees.

Meet the Lawyer

Abi Pawlett

Abi Pawlett discusses her journey into law, including how she made use of her non-legal experience in applications. Plus, she shares how changes in legislation are impacting her day-to-day work in employment law.

Meet the Recruiter

Megan Melia

Megan Melia goes through what candidates should expect on a vacation scheme, important skills Weightmans is looking for, common ways candidates let themselves down and how the firm is adopting the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.

Videos

See more videos

LawCareersNetLIVE Manchester 2024: trainee panel

Practice Area Profile | Indhu Birdy - Baker McKenzie

LawCareers.Net masterclass: commercial awareness

Meet the Lawyer | Hebe Thorne - Burges Salmon LLP

Masterclass | researching law firms – identifying the firm for you

Vacation Scheme Insiders

Harry Edey

University

University of St Andrews

Subject

Latin and Spanish

Started

Summer 2025

Vacation Scheme Insiders

University of Oxford

Music

Spring 2025

Vacation Scheme Insiders

Ellie Goldsmith

University

University of Liverpool

Law with business

Summer 2025

The Law Apprenticeships Guide 2026

"Where should I start?"

Practice areas

Find out what life is like in practice

Becoming a solicitor

Find out what becoming a solicitor involves

Becoming a barrister

Find out what becoming a barrister involves

Becoming an in-house lawyer

Find out what becoming an in-house lawyer involves

Useful content!

Feature

Starting a legal career from a non-law background – a step-by-step guide

Curious about becoming a lawyer without a law degree? Here's everything non-law students need to know about legal careers, qualification routes and getting started.

Ask the Oracle

What career choices do I have with a law degree?

I’m about to graduate from my law degree but don’t want to work at a law firm. What are my options?

LCN Says

Dimitar Dimitrov - Five tips for flawless LawCareersNetLIVE applications

Dimitar Dimitrov

To secure a place at one of our prestigious LawCareersNetLIVE student conferences you must submit a top-class application. These applications are similar to training contract applications – but don’t let that intimidate you.

About the legal sector

What lawyers do

Learn more about the branches of the legal profession, areas of law, and practice areas

Types of lawyers

Read our table of key facts to help you distinguish between the different types of lawyers

Paralegals

Find out about this distinct group of legal professionals

Work experience

Find out about the various work experience opportunities available for aspiring lawyers

News

Law Society disappointed with lack of solicitor representation in new King’s Counsel silk appointments

The King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA) have announced the names of 96 new silks – King’s Counsel (KCs). Despite the nine solicitors who applied this year, all successful applicants were barristers, reflecting the long-standing pattern that the KC cohort is overwhelmingly drawn from the Bar. Since solicitors first became eligible for KC status in 1995, only 66 have been appointed out of 231 applicants.

News

Magic Circle partner salaries surpass average UK salaries before January underway

Both law firm partners and the top CEOs listed on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) exceeded the average annual salary of a full-time UK worker just days into the new year, according to new analysis from the High Pay Centre.

News

President of UK Supreme Court announces retirement

The UK’s Supreme Court President Lord Reed announced that he'll step down on 10 January 2027. Law Society of England and Wales President Mark Evans stated: “We pay tribute to his service, leadership and dedication and wish him well in the future.”

News

A&O Shearman retains 76% of spring 2026 qualifiers

A&O Shearman has confirmed that 32 of its 42 spring 2026 qualifying trainees will remain at the firm, posting a retention rate of 76%.

Beginner's Guide to a Career in Law

Kickstart your legal career with these upcoming events!

Beginner's Guide

Videos

"Where should I start?"

Useful content!

About the legal sector

More insights

Upcoming Events

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