There are 2 sorts of lawyers in the UK - solicitors and barristers. There are several different routes to each profession. To become a solicitor: Route 1: 1. A levels - the subjects are not important. 2. Law degree. 3. Legal Practice Course (LPC). This takes 1 year if studied full time and is college based. You may be able to do it at the same university you took your law degree. 4. Training Contract. This is working for a solicitor s firm as a trainee. There are some formal training courses, but much of it is doing basic legal donkey work. This takes 2 years. Provided you pass the exams you are now a qualified solicitor. Route 2: 1. A-Levels. 2. Any non-law degree. 3. Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). This takes 1 year if studied full time and is college based. It is basically a quot;conversionquot; course to give you the academic legal knowledge you need. 4. LPC - as above. 5. Training contract - as above. Route 3: No formal qualifications. Work as a legal secretary or similar and work through legal training with the Institute of Legal Executives. Eventually you become a legal executive and then a Fellow of the Institute. At this stage you can do the LPC and you then qualify as a solicitor without the need for a training contract. This route can take many years, however you are gaining legal experience all the time, and legal executives are respected professionals in their own right. To become a Barrister: There are two routes similar to routes 1 and 2 above. Once you have your law degree or GDL you then take: 1. Bar Vocational Course (BVC). This is the barrister s equivalent of the LPC. It takes 1 year if studied full time and is college based. 2. Pupillage. This is basically working as a dogsbody for a senior barrister. It takes 1 year then you are qualified. In all cases there is tough competition for places, so your academic results for A-Levels, Degree, GDL, LPC/BVC need to be excellent.
In the US, the qualifications vary from state-to-state. Working backwards: - At the end of the day all states require you to pass some written bar examination and set qualifications for who can take the bar exam. - The qualifications generally (but not always) require graduation from an ABA accredited law school (California has California accredited law schools for example) - Attending an ABA accredited law school generally requires a bachelor s degree from a four year college So summarizing, graduate college, graduate an ABA law school and then pass your state s bar exam.
In the UK we have Solicitors or Barristers not attorneys. You will need excellent A levels and a Law degree. When you join a firm it could be another 5 years before you qualify, so you are in for a lot of hard work.
You must not have a father and a stranger to morality.
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