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Build a career in law
This career guide is designed to help University of Portsmouth students and recent graduates explore job options, key employers, and entry routes into the Law sector.
In this guide:
Potential Job Roles
Whilst the legal sector is focussed on 3 main types of lawyers: Barrister, Solicitor, and Chartered Legal Executive (CILEx Lawyer), the sector also includes roles beyond these career paths.
Prospects has a useful list of job profiles, each containing relevant information about key responsibilities, skill requirements, starting salaries, entry requirements, career prospects with links to major employers and current graduate vacancies. Some roles include:
Professional Qualifications
If you are interested in becoming a solicitor after completing your degree, you will need to take either the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
The LPC will be phased out and expected to complete by the end of 2032 as the SQE becomes the only route to qualification. However, with such a lengthy transitional period, current final year law students and law graduates have the option of taking either the LPC or the SQE at the moment.
- Legal Practice Course (LPC)
- Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
- CILEx Professional Qualification (CPQ)
To become a chartered legal executive you must complete the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) which is a progressive framework across three stages:
CPQ Foundation - completing this stage leads to accreditation as a CILEX Paralegal.
CPQ Advanced - builds on the foundation stage and includes ethics and professional responsibility module as well as a further period of professional experience. Leads to accreditation as an advanced paralegal.
CPQ Professional - leads to accreditation as a full CILEX Lawyer in a chosen specialist area of law and with full practice rights.
Gaining Experience
Work experience is invaluable and necessary if you wish to pursue a career in law, even a short period of work experience will give you an insight into the practical workings of the legal system and the day-to-day working life of individuals in your chosen profession.
Law firms or chambers expect to see real evidence of work experience on your CV. Targetjobs application timeline will help you understand when to apply for training contracts and qualifying work experience.
Types of opportunities
Placements usually last between 6-12 months and can be taken as part of your degree programme. While placements may not be in a legal setting, taking a placement will still give valuable commercial awareness which employers are looking for!
To learn more about completing a placement, you can contact the Placements team in Careers and Employability.
Insight days and open days are offered by large law firms to enable students to get a taste of life as a solicitor and may involve participation in skills-based workshops and shadowing a trainee. Some insight schemes are aimed at first year students and these can provide a direct route to vacation schemes the following year. Most insight schemes and open days are offered by firms such as:
Vacation schemes are structured placements with solicitors firms which allow students to experience the typical tasks a trainee would undertake as well as the experience and culture of a firm. Up to 80% of training contract offers can come from vacation schemes, so they are a great way to get noticed for training contracts!
You can find a list of Law firms offering vacation schemes on:
Internships within a wider range of business roles will develop useful skills for a career in law. In particular they will provide commercial awareness. You can find internships through:
Enhance your prospects with hands-on experience through volunteering. The Careers and Employability Service offers current students and graduates access to a Virtual Volunteering Bank, listing roles with organisations such as:
You could also volunteer as an advisor with the University Legal Clinic, by taking the optional ‘Law in Practice’ module, gaining you valuable pro-bono experience.
Where to find work experience opportunities
Some key online platforms include:
Other ways to gain experience
Read on to find out about the various ways you could build experience in the legal sector
Mini-pupillages offer key experience for those wishing to become barristers, as you experience life in a set of chambers, you will meet those practising at different levels of their career, and gain a grounding in chambers work. Generally students should apply directly to individual chambers, but again do your research on whether an online application is involved or whether to submit a covering letter and CV. Listings of firms offering mini-pupillages can be found on Law Careers website.
Arranging ad hoc work experience or shadowing with a set of chambers or firm of solicitors can often be a good route into gaining valuable experience. The Law Society provides listings of solicitors by postcode.
Make the most of the opportunity to participate in moots at University. Mooting gives you a chance to develop your advocacy skills, strengthen your ability to think on your feet and build your self-confidence, presentation and communication skills.
Marshalling involves shadowing a judge, and gives you the opportunity to build your understanding of court proceedings. The All About Law website offers useful information on what marshalling will involve and how to apply.
The Courts are open to the public, so it is possible for you to sit in the public gallery and observe lawyers, whilst gaining an insight into court procedures. Remember to make a note of any case you sit in on and names of lawyers/judges involved in case you want to make reference to it in future interviews or applications.
Mentoring Schemes put future generations of the legal profession in touch with practising lawyers and solicitors to provide insight into the work of the profession. Information on selected schemes is available from The Law Society, Young Legal Aid Lawyers, Aspiring Solicitors and The Society of Asian Lawyers.
SEO London runs a number of programmes that provide mentoring, support and guidance and connections with firms.
Getting the most out of work experience
Whether you already have a career path in mind or are still exploring your options, our work experience pages guide you to finding opportunities that match your interests and goals. You'll find advice on choosing an industry, broadening your search, and standing out while building valuable skills and experience.
Finding a Graduate Job
We recommend starting your search using our online jobs board, MyCareer. You can also find general online job boards and advice through our Graduate Jobs page.
Finding a job as a trainee solicitor
You will need to apply for a training contract which will comprise two years qualifying work experience in a company. If you secure a training contract before you undertake your professional training (LPC/SQE), the employer may pay for it. Many training contracts are typically offered 18 months in advance. The earliest you can apply is in the summer of your second year if you are a law graduate.
Look for training contracts at:
Finding a job as a trainee barrister
Explore Pupillages at the Lawyer Portal. Information will be available at the Pupillage Gateway, and most applications will be through this route. Applications can be made through the Pupillage Gateway, but can also be made direct to chambers. Chambers typically advertise 18 months in advance.
After completing all training components you'll be ready to apply for tenancy as a self-employed barrister in chambers or go into practice as an employed barrister.
Finding a job as a paralegal or CILEx lawyer
Trainee CILEX job opportunities may be called trainee legal executive, or, more commonly trainees will start in the role of paralegal. Paralegal job opportunities are advertised widely through general websites such as Indeed and LinkedIn. Legal recruitment agencies, such as Flex Legal, will also advertise opportunities. For those with less experience, starting as a legal assistant may be easier. Good administrative skills will be helpful for these roles.
Becoming a Chartered Secretary
Company secretaries have a broad skill set – corporate law, finance, governance, strategy and corporate secretarial practice – and they advise a company's board in these key areas, providing support to the Chair, CEO and non-executive directors. The Chartered Governance Institute provides useful information on routes into a career in corporate governance, and their professional qualifications. The University of Portsmouth offers the accredited LLM Corporate Governance and Law.
Find out more about the routes to becoming a Chartered Secretary
Sector Specific Job Boards
Alternative careers in law
For alternative careers in the sector, for example as a paralegal, legal secretary, working in HM Court Service, or as a licensed conveyancer, the following websites may also be helpful:
- Institute of Legal Secretaries – the jobs board exclusively for legal secretaries.
- Legal Week – a legal recruitment website offering a wide range of legal jobs including: graduate/trainee opportunities, paralegal, legal secretarial and support jobs, from legal recruitment consultants, companies and law firms.
Recruitment agencies
Recruitment consultants work with individuals to help them find suitable work to match their skills. Agency Central is the UK's leading recruitment agency directory. An advanced search and filter system finds the agencies which match your needs.
Are you looking for a role in Hampshire? Our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy can help!
If you're in the final year of your degree, you can register for support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy. They work with over 3,000 employers in the local area to place our students into fantastic graduate careers.
Speculative applications
Speculative applications involve sending a CV and cover letter to an employer to ask if they have any vacancies, even if the company is not currently advertising for a role. They're a great way to access "hidden jobs" that go unadvertised.
Submitting a speculative application shows your interest in a specific company and your willingness to go above and beyond to develop your skills and understanding of the industry.
Keep up-to-date
It's good to keep up-to-date on sector developments and track any vacancies coming up. Below are some great resources to help you research opportunities available. The knowledge gained through your research may help you to target your applications and will help when preparing for interviews.
- New Law Journal - Discover the latest law and legal magazine articles and view regular newsletter, reports and publications.
- The Lawyer - News, features and analysis to help keep up to date with all the latest developments in the legal sector.
- The Law Society Gazette - An Independent professional body for solicitors, providing national and international news, opinion, features, in-depth articles plus a jobs and appointments section.
- His Majesty's Government Courts and Tribunals Servicer - Latest information on developments in the sector.
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