Solicitor training routes

Kate448

I am interested in becoming a Solicitor. I am in my mid 20s and have been working as a legal secretary for the past 2 years. Unfortunately I do not have any degree. I previously dropped out of a science undergraduate course due to a mixture of disliking the course and personal reasons. I subsequently completed a legal administration FET course. I believe I have the following options and would love to hear any insights:

1. Apply to University as mature student for a full time Law course and try and get some of the FE1s done while I’m studying. I am hesitant to do this due to the costs (I don’t qualify for SUSI as I received it for the course I dropped out of and would have to take out a loan) and having to give up working full time.
2. Do a part time law degree, UL offers a night law course that’s a few evenings a week. I have looked into Griffith college as they offer online lectures but I am unsure as I have seen discourse online about the quality of their education/ how their degree is perceived by firms. I would probably need to take out a loan for the upfront fees but this would allow me to continue working.
3. The non degree route, go for the law society preliminary exam. I would enroll in a prep course for this and would have to do a lot of self directed study but I don’t think passing would be unattainable for me. My issue with this is the next steps, passing the FE1s without formally studying law seems to be incredibly difficult and I imagine I wouldn’t be a strong candidate for a training contract without any degree.
4. Continue working in legal admin for a few more years but upskill as a Legal Executive and apply for the preliminary exam exemption afterwards. At that stage I would hopefully be more knowledgeable and be better off financially. Although I’d have more experience once again I’d have to get through the FE1s and find a training contract.

I’d really appreciate any opinions or advice! Thanks in advance :)

Claw Hammer

Where are you based?

Kate448

I’m based in Cork

SupaCat95

I knew a guy at home who was a bit of an oddball and dropped out of university and didnt hear of him for years. Suddenly he is home and working for Customer Service (death knell job, soul destroying). He quietly starts studying law and passes his law society exams. he is now a proper solicitor with his own practice in a near by city. He had no father or mother with law degrees. He did it all by himself. In saying that he was a very , no highly intelligent and driven individual.

Kate448

Fair play to him! I’ve also considered getting a more mind numbing job where I’m not busy and doing the same, but I’m worried it would be a waste of time if I can’t get anyone to take me on for a traineeship.

SupaCat95

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123742128#Comment_123742128

This guy was fairly well politically connect and may have a solicitor to advise him. I would suggest seeking a mentor. I would not know where to start outside your own firm, so you would have to develop your own contacts. IT IS POSSIBLE but you would have to be very motivated. Money doesn't go far in a city once you step outside your front door every morning. You would need some outside funding.

Traineeship will look after itself if there is a qualification. You have to go out there and mix with society, join a political party is the cheapest or somewhere were solicitors and accountants meet.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058422391/solicitor-training-routes

Don't bother with a law degree at this stage. It's not needed. Any degree is sufficient, so pick something that (a) you'd be actually interested in and/ or (b) might give you options outside of law. But really, any degree will do - most of what you cover in a law degree gets re-studied/ re-taught for the FE1s and in PPC1/2.

Stick at the legal secretary job. Some of the most proficient and valuable people in the legal sector are legal secretaries - so make it your challenge to be the best at the job you can be while you're on route to getting a degree. Competence gets rewarded and good work does not go unnoticed (if it does - change employers).

Don't be afraid to explore options around job changes while you're still working as a legal secretary - keep an eye on the market, make contact with a recruiter, and go for a few interviews. Even if you don't want to change jobs, you never know what's out there until you look, and the experience of just doing interviews is invaluable. You're honing your skills before you actually need to put them to use.

Don't see your current job as just a stepping stone. Even if it is, be hungry and be proud of what you do and what you're working towards. How you carry yourself goes a long way. Don't look at solicitors around your own age as people to look up to or kowtow to - look them in the eye and use them as a way to discover more about the job. See yourself as an equal and don't be afraid to strike up personal friendships there. They can be a great source of knowledge and information.

Someone else said mix with where solicitors hang out - newsflash… you're already in the door and doing it. Just leverage that position to get as much out of it as possible.

And all the while, don't be afraid to reach a point where you decide the career is not for you. There are plenty of legal secretaries with law degrees who decided that being a solicitor just wasn't for them. And a huge number of law graduates - even those who qualify as solicitors/ barristers - leave the profession for something else after a short time. The worst thing you could do is persevere for the sake of persevering, hence my suggestion that you study for a degree in something that interests you aside from law (such as an arts degree).

TL;DR - congrats on dropping out of a college course that didn't interest you, a lot of people don't have the courage to admit that to themselves. And you're already doing all the right things without giving yourself credit - so make the most of the position you're in and don't be afraid to leverage it to your advantage.

EDIT: if your heart is set on studying for a law degree, by all means go for it and I'm certainly not saying its worthless. But given that you'll then need to study for the FE1s which will likely entail enrolling on prep courses that cover much of the same ground, and that you'll be going over a lot of the same ground again in Blackhall, a less taxing and more enjoyable degree course might be the best way to get a 1st or high 2nd class honours degree while you're still working as a Legal Sec.

Good luck either way!

Kate448

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123742309#Comment_123742309

Thank you for such a comprehensive reply, a lot to consider! I have been casually looking for a new job as I definitely feel under appreciated and I’m in desperate need of a salary bump but this really highlighted how I need to move on and go somewhere with the opportunity to excel and make those valuable connections.