Career Change - Become a Solicitor

kellyr4

I wish to set the scene.

I am a 27 year old male with a long term partner and 1 child. Having completed a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree in DCU, I worked in Fund Administration for 3 years. I then moved to the Corporate Finance department of Ireland's national airline. I have been working in this area now for almost 2 years. In spring of this year I began studying for the ACCA's. I have no real dsifre to become an accountant but just kind of fell into doing them because lots of people in my job are doing them.

Due to my exemptions because of my degree the first subject I had to study for in the ACCA's was Law. During my degree at DCU I also completed a module in Corporate Law.

Anyway, whilst studying Law for the ACCA's I realised that this was an area that I found extremely interesting and actually enjoyed studying.

For the past few months I have been giving serious thought to packing in the ACCA's and taking the steps to qualify as a solicitor. This is the plan that I am considering taking.

Irish Test - July 2008

November 2008 - March 2009 - FE -1 Preparatory Course Portobello College

September 2009 - FE - 1 Exams (Not sure how many to do in one sitting)

Find Apprenticeship with Solicitor office.

Upon qualification I would like to complete the Diploma in Family Law with Law Society. Divorce is on the increase in this country and I believe that this is an area that I would enjoy.

I would greatly appreciate your comments or opinions. I am 27 years old now. If I began the process next Autumn like I stated before, would it be possible for me to have my own practise by say 2011?

grumpytrousers

you're a bit off the mark there....

'find apprenticeship with solicitors office' isn't as easy as, say, the Irish Test. And for some it's as hard as the FE1's...or can take as long. You're not going to walk into a job like that.

Either way, best of luck with that part, and if you *do* walk into a job 'like that', then, in advance, i doff my cap to you sir!

if you start in blackhall place in September/Oct 2010, (i'm basing this it being 'unlikely', though not impossible that you'd do all eight Fe1s in March '09 and pass 'em for the following Sept AND have an apprenticeship under your belt) you would be formally qualified by around April 2013.

that's you, out as a newly qualified solicitor, with probably bog all experience really and truly. You can, actually, start off as a sole practitioner almost immediately. Whether that's wise or not is your own call; most solicitors would tell you that it's only the year or two AFTER you qualify that it all starts to make sense and the pieces start to fit together. Do you honestly think you'd have the working capital alone to just start running a firm and have all the headaches attendant with that in your first year out?

just a few thoughts; again, best of luck to you.

johnnysmurfman

kellyr4 wrote:

I wish to set the scene.

I am a 27 year old male with a long term partner and 1 child. Having completed a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree in DCU, I worked in Fund Administration for 3 years. I then moved to the Corporate Finance department of Ireland's national airline. I have been working in this area now for almost 2 years. In spring of this year I began studying for the ACCA's. I have no real dsifre to become an accountant but just kind of fell into doing them because lots of people in my job are doing them.

Due to my exemptions because of my degree the first subject I had to study for in the ACCA's was Law. During my degree at DCU I also completed a module in Corporate Law.

Anyway, whilst studying Law for the ACCA's I realised that this was an area that I found extremely interesting and actually enjoyed studying.

For the past few months I have been giving serious thought to packing in the ACCA's and taking the steps to qualify as a solicitor. This is the plan that I am considering taking.

Irish Test - July 2008

November 2008 - March 2009 - FE -1 Preparatory Course Portobello College

September 2009 - FE - 1 Exams (Not sure how many to do in one sitting)

Find Apprenticeship with Solicitor office.

Upon qualification I would like to complete the Diploma in Family Law with Law Society. Divorce is on the increase in this country and I believe that this is an area that I would enjoy.

I would greatly appreciate your comments or opinions. I am 27 years old now. If I began the process next Autumn like I stated before, would it be possible for me to have my own practise by say 2011?

Good luck, but it's highly unlikely to come off for you. How could you possibly have your own practice so soon? It's not just a financial thing, it's also a fact that you will have no experience at all and will probably be pretty incapable of doing most of the work you manage to acquire which could be anything from District Court criminal law to asylum law to conveyancing.

johnnyskeleton

kellyr4 wrote:

Upon qualification I would like to complete the Diploma in Family Law with Law Society. Divorce is on the increase in this country and I believe that this is an area that I would enjoy.

That's a sobering thought.

kellyr4 wrote:

I would greatly appreciate your comments or opinions. I am 27 years old now. If I began the process next Autumn like I stated before, would it be possible for me to have my own practise by say 2011?

Generally a solicitor will build up their practice slowly over time, by representing people, appearing in court, and becoming known among their coleagues. However, if you have a lot of money or connections, you can buy yourself in.

It is possible that you could have your own practice, but no customers. The reality is that a legal career takes long term committment, and is a lot of hard work.

Tom Young

Well gratuitous advice is as it is.

My take is that if you have done the ground work, understand the issues (with practice and with education) and have the motivation. Go do it.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Having a legal angle, edge or indeed qualification in addition to your commerce qualification and airline experience might well lend itself to you being an excellent Regulatory person or indeed in-house counsel.

The law is interesting, it is technical and it can be perceived to be over populated. Like in any business or trade, if you are good at what you do and are motivated you can do very well.

Carpe Diem, but in-line with the previous comments its not the easiest route to take.

Tom