Cost of training to be a solicitor

segaBOY

I have a degree in law and am wondering about the average cost of undertaking training to become a solicitor including fees and books. I have looked into the fees schedule on the Law Society website and am gauging about €20k including fees and books. Would I be right in this figure?

Thanks.

littlemac1980

8 x FE1 exams cost €1000 approx, if you can pass them all first time. If not then they are €100 - €120 to resit - not sure exactly.

2 x Mandatory Courses in Blackhall are €15000 approx to complete.

Those course are only available in Dublin and are Full time - the first PPC1 is 6 months long, and the second PPC2 is 3 months long. So you have to allow for Accomodation, living expenses and travel based on your circumstances.

Getting any training contract is tough. Getting one that pays is much tougher, but by no means impossible.

The best case scenario is that you would secure a Training contract that would pay you a decent wage for the duration of all your training (Post FE1's) and would also pay the cost of your fees. In such a scenario - it should cost you nothing to train, and you should make a decent salary with which you can live comfortably on - Those are rare (Generally confined to the larger corporate/commercial firms).

The worst case scenario is that you could only secure a training contract where you are paid neither a salary nor any contribution toward your fees. By law your training solicitor is required to pay you a wage (Minimum wage) but the reality of the situation is that many people, particularly in recent years are happy to get trained and don't seek to enforce that, as doing so would see them without a training contract.

Generally you will probably (hopefully) find yourself somewhere in between, if you can get a decent enough wage and some contribution toward your fees, with a good training solicitor then it can be relatively painless to go through a couple of years on low income but in manageable circumstances.

A lot also depends on your personal circumstances - if you have few ties to a particular area - i.e. no family commitments, mortgage etc. and can travel you can look around for the best options, but will need to find accomodation there etc.

If you are able to live at home with your parents for a couple of years, that also can take the strain off financially.

Its certainly not as straightforward as suggesting it is likely to cost a certain amount, but I hope the above has given you some indication of what may be involved.

segaBOY

Thanks for your advice-much appreciated!