To late to start ?

triple nipple

Hi all, I'm new here on boards.

My question is as follows,

I'm 25 and thinking of pursuing an education and career in law. My concern is that by the time I finish studying I could be 30 or so.

Realistically, do law firms take people in their early 30s for traineeships ? Has anyone similar experience ?

Many thanks in advance for any replies.

Pro Hoc Vice

triple nipple wrote: »

Hi all, I'm new here on boards.

My question is as follows,

I'm 25 and thinking of pursuing an education and career in law. My concern is that by the time I finish studying I could be 30 or so.

Realistically, do law firms take people in their early 30s for traineeships ? Has anyone similar experience ?

Many thanks in advance for any replies.

Simple answer is yes, many persons in their 30's and more enter the bar or the law society. I have seen people far older do do.

No Pants

I have an aunt (a friend of the family really ) who is a barrister. I don't think she started until she was in her forties. She was a teacher or a headmistress or something, so would have already have held at least one degree or some sort which may have helped.

Bepolite

My honest opinion is that sans a specialist skill (engineer/doctor etc.) it might be tougher to find a training contact not least because of your own issues at 30. Not impossible by any stretch of the imagination, however.

Barrister - You might even be a tad too young at 30, but I say this tongue in cheek.

Sala

No you are not. I'm a 29 year old trainee solicitor. It took me a good 3 years to get a training contract. Plenty of people in Blackhall have mortgages, kids, previous careers and are aged 30+. Assess if it's what you want to do but age is irrelevant.

Jude13

Although I am not training to be a solicitor I work in a legal related field. I got into it at 29 and studied for a specific LLM, I am starting my second LLM next year.

One of the Directors in here worked for Royal Mail in Belfast until his early 30's, did and LLB in London and carried on to become a barrister. I have no idea how he kept going. It has changed his life completely.

triple nipple

Thanks for the advice all.

endacl

triple nipple wrote: »

Thanks for the advice all.

I'd sort out that third nipple thing first though. Just in case you need to go down the aul' freemasonry route.



Best of luck with it all. If you don't give it a shot, you're sowing the seeds of a regret for later on.

Greenmachine

One of the mature student who started with me in DCU in 2012, went into law, he was well into his 40's. Great lad and he love the course.

triple nipple

speaking of college's, any opinions on where would be good (respected/well ranked) to go as a part timer ?

Lantus

in the new economy older people will be inevitable in almost all fields as changing work practices force change on us all. Longer working lives means it is almost desirable to enjoy several careers throughout a lifetime.

The old idea that you get a degree at 21, work for 35-40 years and then retire in the country is an idea that many still cling on to but is in all practical purposes dead. I didn't even get my first degree until my very late 20's. I'm now re-training/educating over a decade later in a totally different field.

I don't see this as an end, just another beginning.

Bepolite

triple nipple wrote: »

speaking of college's, any opinions on where would be good (respected/well ranked) to go as a part timer ?

I find GCD excellent if you're going the private route. Otherwise you're really looking at UCD/UCC perhaps UL. TCD might do part-time, I'm not sure but they tend to produce a more academic student rather than a vocational one.

Your college is secondary to building up your contacts however. It's vitally important to make time for extracurricular such as conferences/internships and the right drinking sessions.

triple nipple

thanks again for all the advice guys :-)