Law without being a solicitor or a barrister

staygold

Hey all,

I'm currently doing law through arts and next year will be doing a conversion course to give me an LLB.
Was looking through the options and there's an awful lot of courses that I'd like to be doing but which clash with other options. For example, Equity clashes with Environmental law.

As it stands, I've done the following;
Irish Legal Systems
Contract Law
Tort Law
Constitutional Law
International Human Rights Law
Law of the Sea
Company Law
EU Law
Criminal Law



Next year I'm thinking of doing the following (as they interest me)
Labour law
Jurisprudence
Public International Law
Environmental law
Information Technology Law
European Human Rights Law
Land Law

There's a load of other options in things like administration law, equity and media law.

I don't think I'd like to be a solicitor or a barrister but I would be very interested in working in things like environmental law, human rights law or for a trade union. Would I need to become a barrister or a solicitor to work in the law of these areas (in which case, I'd need to take things like Equity, Administration law and evidence. )

I'm very good at public international law but it's meant to be impossible to earn a living in this area. Would I be better off becoming a solicitor/barrister and then seeking to go into things like environmental or human rights law?

If it helps, my marks are quite good. I'm currently on a 69-70%




Thanks!

dermot_sheehan

Many organisations/unions and companies have people in house with law degrees but no professional qualification to help advise them.

You also do not need to be professionally qualified to represent someone before various tribunals such as the Equality Tribunal or Employment Appeals Tribunal.

That being said, it would be the norm to have someone qualified as a barrister or solicitor acting in a representational capacity. You technically don't need to do various subjects to take the FE-1's and become a solicitor (the mandatory subjects only applies to the King's Inns) but it would be cutting off the option of taking the bar.

staygold

Would you reccomend passing the FE1s before seeking out jobs in the likes of NGOs and trade unions?

Just wondering if it's worth the time and effort if I don't intend practicing as a solicitor or barrister and if I'd be at a huge disadvantage compared to people who were.

dermot_sheehan

There are many out of work solicitors competing for jobs in NGOs and trade unions.

Some even work for free for such organisations and are paid their dole under Fas' jobseekers scheme.

It's a very competitive market.

staygold

Yeah, the market seems very bad right now.

Sounds like it'd be better to qualify first, otherwise I'd be at a huge disadvantage compared to these people.

NoQuarter

Hi staygold, I dont mean to go off topic but out of interest, what stuff did you deal with doing law of the sea?