Workplace Too late for career change?? Solicitor

blueeyeskelli

blueeyeskelli

blueeyeskelli
O.G.
May 9, 2011
742
0
#1
Hi All

So when i was in school i always wanted to be a solicitor/Lawyer, however for different reasons this did not happen. It is always something i have never stopped thinking about but i think as i have worked now since i was 16 ( I am now 24) I will be lost without any income while i go and study full time.

I am currently on my second year of a part time Business management degree, can I do a conversion course after this to just do the LPC? and then go onto training contract or will i need to start a full 3 year degree from scratch and my degree now does not mean nothing?

and finally is 24 too old now to start training to be a solicitor with the degree then one year lpc and then a further 2 years training?

Thanks xx
 
#2
blueeyeskelli said:
Hi All

So when i was in school i always wanted to be a solicitor/Lawyer, however for different reasons this did not happen. It is always something i have never stopped thinking about but i think as i have worked now since i was 16 ( I am now 24) I will be lost without any income while i go and study full time.

I am currently on my second year of a part time Business management degree, can I do a conversion course after this to just do the LPC? and then go onto training contract or will i need to start a full 3 year degree from scratch and my degree now does not mean nothing?

and finally is 24 too old now to start training to be a solicitor with the degree then one year lpc and then a further 2 years training?

Thanks xx
Click to expand...

It's never too late. Study what you love. It's been almost 10 years since graduating college with a bachelor's in finance. I currently work in finance and am taking courses at FIT to switch to merchandising, buying or e-commerce. It's the worse when you're stuck in a career you hate. So do what you feel is best even though it might take you a bit longer.

Also I'm 32...
 
#4
Your 20s are the perfect time to change course or tweak your career and have the basic ability to make choices that are open to you. It is still absolutely possible. Best of all, you will know that no matter what, you can say you tried it and made a go for it, instead of never having had the chance....

I am now in my late 40s and to me, the thought of it is too challenging, but not impossible perhaps, but I do not have the motivation and stamina I had when I was in my 20s, that's for sure! You don't want to end up looking like my avatar LOL

From someone who's missed out on opportunities in her 20s, i say go for it and follow your bliss! Once you follow your true calling, happiness will come right on its heels.
 
#5
I don't know about the UK, where I think you are, but in the US many people in law school are older. I started law school older than you and am doing well and so did my DH. In some ways being a little older was a big help during interviews and in classes.
 
#6
Perfect Thank you all for your responses!! To be honest I am still 100% unsure of what to do its law or merchandising completley different i know!!

The only thing that tends to hold me back in law is the fees for the courses are around 20k and you are not entitled to help or grants etc!1

once again thank you xx
 
#7
I don't think your age should deter you. But your mention of being "lost" w/o income when going to school is a factor. Given this (and the tight job market), I'd suggest you look into what the hire rate is for recent grads from the schools you are considering. Also, knowing what kind of jobs most grads are getting after school is important (there is a general misconception that most law grads make a very high income in their first jobs). This info should help you in planning how to best pursue your dreams w/minimal debt issues.
 
#8
blueeyeskelli said:
Hi All

So when i was in school i always wanted to be a solicitor/Lawyer, however for different reasons this did not happen. It is always something i have never stopped thinking about but i think as i have worked now since i was 16 ( I am now 24) I will be lost without any income while i go and study full time.

I am currently on my second year of a part time Business management degree, can I do a conversion course after this to just do the LPC? and then go onto training contract or will i need to start a full 3 year degree from scratch and my degree now does not mean nothing?

and finally is 24 too old now to start training to be a solicitor with the degree then one year lpc and then a further 2 years training?

Thanks xx
Click to expand...

As far as I understand it...

If you want to work as a solicitor, you'll need to do the CPE/GDL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Professional_Examination) in order to "convert" your current degree, and then follow this up with the LPC; this will probably take two years (one for each qualification), although you can take an accelerated six-month version of the LPC if you have a training contract with certain city law firms.

24 is not too old to start training to be a solicitor. It is reasonably likely that a relatively high proportion of the graduate intake to most city firms will be straight out of university, but that shouldn't stop you from succeeding - in fact, your maturity and other experiences might well set you apart from your peers once you're settled within a firm. However, you should think carefully about whether it's what you really want before embarking on this path: it's an expensive and lengthy process to go through if you're not sure you're fully committed to it. Getting a training contract is tough at the moment (although I should add that I'm only really familiar with the London market), and the GDL/CPE can be quite hard work, academically speaking.

When you get into the final year of your non-law course, I'd strongly advise you consider a vacation scheme (http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sect...to-apply-for-vacation-placements-in-law-firms). This will give you the opportunity to work out whether you're really interested in law, and the type of work you'd be doing as a solicitor - and, to put it bluntly, whether firms are interested in someone with your profile. I've seen so many people with excellent backgrounds fail to get a training contract year after year...frankly, if you can't get a vacation scheme after sending out a reasonably large number of carefully-targeted applications, chances are you're going to struggle to get a training contract, so that might be a good opportunity to re-think.

I don't mean to sound harsh here, but I think it's best to give people honest advice on matters like this. Law firms are very, very picky about the type of person they take - they receive such a huge number of applications that I think sometimes strong candidates with less conventional backgrounds fall through the cracks. It's a pity, but it's also a reality.

Please do feel free to PM me if you have any more questions :smile: I have a little bit of experience with this kind of thing.
 
#9
It's never too late to go back to do what you love. My dad went to law school in his late 30s, after he'd already gotten his MD too (and worked as a doctor for 15 years). He then combined both careers into one for the rest of his life.
 
#10
I have a friend whose mother went to med school at 48 after quitting her career as a pharmacist. Sure, she had a leg up but her age never discouraged her.

Conversely, DH's co-worker left his job to pursue his law degree. Mountains of loans later, he did not love it and is now a firefighter.

Again as others have previously stated, do what you're passionate about because the money isn't worth your unhappiness. Listen to the little person inside of you - not what people expect of you or how they perceive you.

I should practice what I preach. ;)
 
#11
I started law school at 25, so I say go for it! I'll have my masters when I'm 30 and then finally be a lawyer when I'm 33 (in Denmark, you take your bachelors degree in 3 years, then your masters in 2 at which point you're officially done with the education and can work in government etc. If you want to be a lawyer/solicitor/barrister, you then have to do 3 years as an assistant attorney).

If that's really your dream, you should do it. But let me warn you: it's hard work and less glamourous than what they show on Ally MacBeal.
 
#12
In law school, I have a classmate who was then 40+ years old, with a wife and three kids, and another one aged 60+ years old with grandkids to boot! So, I can say with conviction that it's never too late to chase your dream. :smile:
 
#14
blueeyeskelli said:
Hi All

So when i was in school i always wanted to be a solicitor/Lawyer, however for different reasons this did not happen. It is always something i have never stopped thinking about but i think as i have worked now since i was 16 ( I am now 24) I will be lost without any income while i go and study full time.

I am currently on my second year of a part time Business management degree, can I do a conversion course after this to just do the LPC? and then go onto training contract or will i need to start a full 3 year degree from scratch and my degree now does not mean nothing?

and finally is 24 too old now to start training to be a solicitor with the degree then one year lpc and then a further 2 years training?

Thanks xx
Click to expand...

You'll need to convert your BM degree (a year full-time) before commencing LPC (one year full-time or two years part-time). I think you could also do the conversion part-time or you certainly used to be able to as there were PT conversion students in some of my lectures when I did my law degree (unsure of how long the PT conversion takes though.)

This is an extremely competitive field so be sure you want to switch and be prepared for not being able to get a training contract immediately.

Do you have any idea which area of law you would be interested in specialising in?

I don't know what you do now but salaries on training contracts are still very low so that's two years of that; on the plus side, the salaries are so low whilst training that you don't have to start repaying your student loans. If you continue to do the courses part-time then you could work whilst studying but be prepared to give up your life for the duration as it would be a lot of work.

PM me if you want to chat about it.
 
#15
Elara said:
It's never too late to go back to do what you love. My dad went to law school in his late 30s, after he'd already gotten his MD too (and worked as a doctor for 15 years). He then combined both careers into one for the rest of his life.
Click to expand...

I am 34 and a lawyer ... I still dream of going to medical school! ;)
 
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