The legal sector has long been portrayed as a prestigious place to be. A career in law can be intellectually challenging, personally fulfilling and financially rewarding, with many career options that serve a variety of core and non-core functions. 

With a multitude of positions and an ever-expanding range of practice areas, law offers you the opportunity to specialise in what you find personally interesting. Family, environmental and criminal law are just a handful of the routes you can go down.

A career within law may appeal to you because of its reputation of being a relatively well-paid and lucrative sector. However, how much you earn depends on several factors, including the type of law you practice, public or private, where you are in your career, and the size of the law firm you work for.

While most lawyers have studied humanities at ‘A’ level, people come into law from a range of backgrounds including science and creative subjects. Reading and research is required to take in information quickly and efficiently, but you must also be able to listen, understand and apply reasoning.

There are several different ways into the profession – from the conventional route of higher education to studying for qualifications in your own time, or getting your foot in the door as a paralegal or legal secretary. 

At the heart of the legal professional’s role is client service. There are a variety of roles but the main professional roles are as Solicitors and Barristers. Increased segmentation and specialisation in the legal profession has spawned a growing number of legal specialties and sub-specialties that cater to almost every legal interest.

Within law firms cultures vary widely and it’s important to think about what type of culture might best suit you. Some firms are more traditional and hierarchical, whereas others strive to be less traditional and have in place relaxed policies on things such as dress code and working from home.