Overview
The legal sector is a real challenge, with constant change and a variety of different avenues available to graduates. It’s true that there are often long hours, demanding clients and strict deadlines but if you want the satisfaction of working on stimulating and often ground-breaking projects then considering a career in the law is a good option.
With a strong degree, some work experience and sufficient motivation, any LSE student should feel as well-equipped to enter and progress in the profession in the UK or overseas.
LSE Careers works closely with many law firms, barristers’ chambers and businesses who offer opportunities to students and graduates interested in pursuing the law – we host an annual Law Fair and Careers at the Bar evening alongside employer-led seminars on campus and in firms’ offices.
These pages are designed to provide an overview of different entry points and their associated training as well as an understanding of the current legal market. Keep an eye on LSE CareerHub for the latest opportunities, events and resources in the sector.
Legal landscape
The legal market is worth £22.6bn to the UK economy (1.6% of total GDP) and has continued to adapt in recent years to fit the globalised world in which we now live. The Legal Services Act of 2007 ushered in a series of changes including new alternative business structures (ABSs) and the ability for firms to issue shares to external investors. Coupled with a trend for firms to look at legal process outsourcing, off-shoring and near-sourcing it has meant significant changes to the legal landscape in the past decade. Equally the full impact of the Act upon the Independent Bar is yet to be fully recognised so it’s advisable to be up-to-speed on current issues to decide whether a career in the law is really for you.
Law firms and the wider legal sector also weren’t immune to the impact of the 2008-2013 global recession with the a new emphasis on profitability and commerciality leading to the disappearance of some large names (Dewey & LeBoeuf, Halliwells) and other cost pressures forcing many to revisit their business models, cutting trainee numbers and hiring more paralegals as some large corporates bring their legal services ‘in-house’.
Today in 2015, five of the top ten law firms by revenue globally remain headquartered in London, and the city remains the world's most competitive legal market, accounting for 7% of global law firms' revenue. However, over 200 foreign law firms have offices in the UK and much work is now cross-jurisdictional and the increasing dominance of US firms within the European market and firms expanding into the BRIC countries may create a new dimension as the markets in India and China look to liberalise their regulations.
Developments in technology are having a significant impact on how larger firms operate as they pursue desires to offer a full-service operation in all jurisdictions. Major mergers, particularly in North America, the Asia-Pacific and Oceania (and more recently South America) have allowed firms to have ‘global footprints’ which did not exist even five years ago. Indeed, the merger in January 2015 of Dentons and Dacheng Law Offices has created the world’s largest law firm with over 6,500 lawyers globally.
The Bar has been affected by how the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) buys advocacy services and by significant cuts in legal aid funding; in particular, the Criminal Bar is under pressure from solicitor advocates who appear increasingly in Crown Court, taking work from criminal barristers and the junior bar. However, barristers continue to provide an essential aspect to our legal system and civil, commercial and employment litigators have done better than those in other areas.
As of May 2015, there are 167,503 solicitors (Solicitors Regulation Authority) in practice with 15,716 barristers (Bar Standards Board) and around 133,000 employed in patent, copyright and other legal activities. Over the last decade the numbers of female solicitors has risen by 86% and UK law firms' total intake currently totals over 700 in aggregate - about 5% of the total graduate recruitment in 2013 (Legal Services).
Useful links
- AllAboutLaw
Law careers information and advice, and legal graduate jobs and training contracts.
- American Bar Association
Professional association providing law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.
- Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society
Dedicated to protecting & promoting authors' rights.
- Brill - Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Collections of Human Rights documents available to order as microfiche, including Amnesty International.
- British Design Innovation
Aimed as an information resource for designers, offering offer guidelines, practical briefing and evaluation templates, and IP information
- British Inventors Society
Improve the prospects of all inventors, individual or institutional by educating and accrediting them.
- Careers in Law
Law reviews, salaries, interview tips, jobs, the top law firms and more - based on thousands of reviews posted anonymously by trainees at magic circle, mid-sized and regional law firms.
- Chambers student guide
Contains details on practice areas with listings of key players plus information on the top 100 law firms (as employer profiles). Uses anecdotal information to provide an insider's view of different firms and sets. Also includes a search facility for firm
- College of Law
Basic pages taking you through the legal system and what the role of a solicitor and barrister entails.
- College of Law: employability
Useful resources on a career in law.
- College of Law: Future Lawyers Network
Contains lots of good resources for people thinking about career in law.
- Copyleft
Information about a free licensing system which enables people to learn, develop and exchange ideas without the restrictions normally imposed by copyright law and royalties.
- Counsel Magazine
The weekly published magazine published for barristers. Not available on-line
- Inside Buzz - Download Free Career Guides
Written by experts in the field, these guides are a resource for students and graduates interested in a career in either management consulting, law or investment banking.
- Intellectual Property Lawyers' Association
Represent the solicitors' profession in the Users' Committee of the Intellectual Property Court and the Patents County Court. They monitor the progress of relevant national and European legislation and participate in consultations.
- Junior lawyers society
Includes a step by step guide to becoming a solicitor.
- Law Society - ABS
Information about alternative business structures.
- LawCareers.Net
This site has details of practice areas by specialisation and vacancies for training contracts, pupillages and paralegal positions. LCN Focus features specific firms and there are interviews with trainees. Copies of firms' brochures are also on this site.
Major legal website with some information on human rights issues.
- Legal Directories Worldwide
Global directories of law firms.
- Legal Ed Central
BarPlus New York Bar Review.
- Legal Services Commission
The public body responsible for developing and administering the Community Legal Service and the Criminal Defence Service. Contains details on developments within legal aid, legislation, arrangements, contracting and links to other useful web sites. Great
- LLM Study
Search for Master of Law programmes offered by institutions worldwide.
- Lloyds
Guidance and support for a range of issues from writing a business plan to trading online.
- Local government Jobs
The official recruitment site for local government, with information and searchable vacancy database for training contracts and legal assistant positions in local government.
The LG Careers website provides extensive information on careers within Local Government
- LPC Central Applications Board
- Own It
Intellectual property right advice for creative businesses.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority
The independent regulatory body of the Law Society in England and Wales. Includes a jobs and new section.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority - ABS
List of licensed ABS bodies. Useful for finding ABS employers.
- Start Quest
Helping you start up in business successfully through signing up to informative daily emails.
- The Bar Council
The professional body for barristers in England and Wales. Introduction to a career as a barrister including what barristers do, practice areas, profiles of barristers, the institutions of the bar, training, funding and statistics.
- The Bar Standards Board
Regulates barristers in the UK. Plenty of useful information about starting a career in law.
- The Guardian: alternative business structures
Current news about alternative business structures.
- The Law Society
Represents solicitors in England and Wales. From negotiating with and lobbying the profession's regulators, government and others, to offering training and advice, they're here to help, protect and promote solicitors across England and Wales.
- The Law Society International Division
The Law Society International pages list the legal system by country and the requirements placed upon UK students who wish to practise there; some information for those who wish to practice in the UK. There is also a database of firms practicing in differ
- The Law Society/Junior Lawyers Division
The Society has 13 special interest groups. If you are interested in these areas it may be worth making contact to see if there are any events or services for students; it may give you an entry point to start talking to people working in a practice area.
- The Law Society: Junior Lawyers
Document outlining how to become a solicitor.
- The Lawyer: alternative business structures
Informative, detailed account of alternative business structures.
- Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook 2010
Copies also available in the Careers Service (first come first served). Guidance on the main areas of law, the type of work, skills need and careers options.
Copies also available in the LSE Careers resource centre (first come first served). Guidance on the main areas of law, the type of work, skills need and careers options.
- Working as a family mediator - the Independent
This article has some good information and advice, particularly on how to get started.
Further information
Solicitors
Barristers
Ancilliary Legal Professions
Links to external sites
Some of the links on this page are imported from our Diigo social bookmarking account. You can view all our links directly on our Diigo site. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on our website and to update it regularly, LSE cannot be held responsible for the content on external websites.