Is it worth becoming a barrister if you do not intend practicing?

DJ Yallah

Hi,

Is it worth becoming a barrister if you do not intend practicing? I just want to qualify as a lawyer as I feel it would improve my opportunities in my career in financial services compliance, currently as a consultant with a Big 4 firm in London. I have no desire to practice at the bar.

My degree is a recognised law degree but I still need to sit the Kings Inns Diploma's Jurisprudence and Admin Law exams externally as they were not part of my undergraduate degree. I have applied for traineeships with the big Irish corporate solicitors firms umpteen times, never even got an interview (poor degree results). It seems to me that the barrister route can be the quickest way to garner a professional qualification; much quicker than ACA, ACCA or solicitor.

The cost is not a huge barrier as I have saved money and have no mortgage, plus the 9/10 months fulltime Kings Inns would be my only time out of work as I would not devil.

Has anyone else here done the BL with no intention to practice?

johnnyskeleton

I suppose you are in the best position to answer your own question. You know the money and time commitments involved, you know whether your current boss will look favorably on the qualification or not and you know that you dont ever want to practice as a lawyer.

Im not sure what else can be added to that.

Mr. Incognito

Why would anyone pay thousands of Euro, sit exams, go through all the training for.....nothing.

Is it worth it?

No. And you are taking a place from someone that actually might want to practice.

To be fair though the Barrister qualification as always been used as a CV ****, mostly from politicians or accountants.

nuac

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

Why would anyone pay thousands of Euro, sit exams, go through all the training for.....nothing.

Is it worth it?

No. And you are taking a place from someone that actually might want to practice.

To be fair though the Barrister qualification as always been used as a CV ****, mostly from politicians or accountants.

Rather a crude description, but the B.L. decorates any CV

Mr. Incognito

nuac wrote: »

Rather a crude description, but the B.L. decorates any CV

Does it really though?

The difference in my mind between a practicing and non practicing barrister is huge.

To the general public though I guess they don't see the distinction but anyone who can make it through ten years at the bar is a serious operator.

A person who can pass 6 entrance exams and sit in a classroom and pay lots of money to obtain 9 letters after their name - what good is that?

It devalues the profession imo.

The_Minister

I read a paper on barristers from the 1920s and even it recognised the difference between paper barristers and practising ones.

So it's an old ploy.

nuac

I know a number of people who obtained a B.L. along with or after qualifying in another profession e.g. medicine, engineering, quantity surveying, arbitration etc.

The amount and depth of law learned during the B.L may not be of much practical use to them in the actual practice of their profession. However many assume that having a B.L better qualifies the holder to act in a particular matter - that somehow they "know the law"

Many outside the legal profession are unaware of the differences between a practising B.L. and a B.L who has never practised.

4ensic15

I know a man who got the BL years ago. He never practiced but he said it was very useful to him in business.
1. He knew a lot of barristers personally and was able to get good advice when he needed it.
2. He knew when he should get advice and could understand the advice he was given.
3. The CV had nothing to do with it as he never applied for a job after the call.

Mr. Incognito

4ensic15 wrote: »

I know a man who got the BL years ago. He never practiced but he said it was very useful to him in business.
1. He knew a lot of barristers personally and was able to get good advice when he needed it.
2. He knew when he should get advice and could understand the advice he was given.
3. The CV had nothing to do with it as he never applied for a job after the call.

They seem like brilliant reasons to waste a year studying and burn thousands of euro.

By the way, good advice is understandable. Thats what lawyers are supposed to do.

4ensic15

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

They seem like brilliant reasons to waste a year studying and burn thousands of euro.

By the way, good advice is understandable. Thats what lawyers are supposed to do.

He did it part time. No year wasted. He is now multi millionaire. A few thousand euro is no big deal.

By the way, how many people in business get into situations not realising that there may be legal complications? How much does it cost to get out of the problem afterwards. It costs a lot less to phone a former classmate who is a leading senior Counsel and get a steer. There are many solicitors and barristers of limited expertise. Choosing the right one is important to ensuring the best outcome. Having an inside track is helpful.