Is law a good career in the UK?

Asked by: Prof. Porter Gleichner V  |  Last update: February 19, 2022
Score: 5/5 (66 votes)

Law is a well respected degree but its graduate prospects are not as good as universities like to make out. Law firms and chambers have been reducing the number of training contracts and pupillages, with some firms cancelling their next trainee intake.

Is there a demand for lawyers in UK?

To meet demand, the sector will need to recruit 7,000 new lawyers every year, a demand not currently met by the 3,100 graduates and 3,300 lawyers returning to work every year. ... From two lawyers to one secretary in 1998 and five lawyers to one secretary in 2017, there are predicted to be 20 lawyers per secretary by 2027.

Which law career pays the most UK?

Partner jobs remained the roles with the highest average salary in 2019, and we saw a 10.52% increase too. The average salary was £90,414.88. The average salary for Legal Counsel roles remained in the top 10 too, averaging out at £69,784.77, a 12.83% increase from 2018.

Is it worth being a lawyer in UK?

Advantages of becoming a solicitor. Respected Occupation. The role of a solicitor is highly valued and respected in the UK, and it can also be highly rewarding by working to achieve a successful outcome for your client or community. Excellent career progression.

Is it hard to get a job as a lawyer in UK?

Competitiveness. After you graduate it can be very competitive to get a job in the legal industry. Larger firms tend to have more training contracts on offer, but they often receive many applicants. Linklaters currently offers the largest number of training contracts annually of any firm in the UK.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE CHOOSING LAW

26 related questions found

Is law a good career for the future?

Law as a profession is in great demand these days. ... Besides being financially lucrative, Law is an adventurous and exciting career option. Lawyers are held in high esteem in our society, and there remains the faith that when everything else fails, one can still take the path of legal system.

Is studying law in UK hard?

How much coursework is there involved when studying law? There is an awful lot of coursework. ... Law ranks as a prestigious degree. There isn't an easier place to study Law, all universities have the same level of difficulty for students looking to study their degree.

Do lawyers make good money UK?

Salaries for newly-qualified lawyers across the rest of the UK are in the region of £27,000 to £60,000. As a newly qualified solicitor in Scotland, you can expect to be paid around £30,000 rising to £38,000, depending on your area of private practice or whether you're working in house.

Are lawyers happy?

Satisfaction with one's pay and reward definitely increases in accordance with how many years one has been in practice. Three in four lawyers with between one and six years of PQE are happy with their remuneration, while four in five of those with more than seven years of practical experience have comparable happiness.

What area of law is most in demand UK?

  • Family law. Recent statistics show that 43% of marriages in the UK end in divorce, meaning that family lawyers are a necessity for many. ...
  • Employment law. As long as people are continuing to work, there will always be a need for employment lawyers. ...
  • Technology law. ...
  • Environmental law.

Is law well paid?

While a legal career often provides you with a generous paycheck, this field also comes with several other benefits. ... Financially rewarding: The legal industry offers some of the most lucrative careers in the job market. This means you can often expect high salaries which can afford you added luxuries in life.

What jobs pay more than a lawyer?

Who made more than lawyers? Doctors topped the list and were followed by orthodontists and dentists, chief executive officer, and petroleum engineer.

Which branch of law makes the most money?

Types Of Lawyers That Make The Most Money
  • Medical Lawyers – Average $138,431. Medical lawyers make one of the highest median wages in the legal field. ...
  • Intellectual Property Attorneys – Average $128,913. ...
  • Trial Attorneys – Average $97,158. ...
  • Tax Attorneys – Average $101,204. ...
  • Corporate Lawyers – $116,361.

Is a career in law worth it?

According to a Gallup poll of over 4,000 adults who obtained a law degree between 2000 and 2015, only 23% said obtaining a law degree was worth the cost. 1 With the average law school debt coming in around $145,500, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Is being a lawyer fun?

Being a lawyer can be very fun and very rewarding. But as the other posts have indicated it requires a lot of work, time, money, and attention to detail. As with most challenging things in life it can be well worth it.

Is being a lawyer hard?

Deadlines, billing pressures, client demands, long hours, changing laws, and other demands all combine to make the practice of law one of the most stressful jobs out there. Throw in rising business pressures, evolving legal technologies, and climbing law school debt and it's no wonder lawyers are stressed.

What is the happiest career?

The firm's data shows the happiest career sector is information technology, with a majority (73%) of workers reporting positive feelings. And surprisingly, some workers on which the pandemic took the heaviest toll were also among the happiest, such as doctors and teachers.

Are lawyers happy UK?

Out of 274 occupations surveyed by the government, 'solicitor' is in the top 50 most satisfying. An attempt by the Cabinet Office to quantify happiness among professionals has delivered a boost to solicitors, who it turns out are quite happy.

Which type of lawyers are the happiest?

The happiest attorneys, therefore, are those who experience a cultural fit. This means they work for firms where they are free to act independently, do work that matters to them and collaborate on teams with people who complement their personality and communication style.

Are solicitors rich?

Many law graduates will never see the inside of a courtroom, and barristers and solicitors are not, in general, as rich as people often think. But it is a varied profession with a lot of career paths and opportunities for those who enjoy research, analysis and problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.

What GCSE Do you need to be a lawyer?

The short answer to this question is that, in order to be a Lawyer, you will be required to have a minimum of 5 GCSEs, including passes in English, Maths and Science. These GCSEs are required for most Law-related A-Levels, as well as being basic requirements for most Law University courses.

What is the highest paying job in the UK?

Check out the top 20 highest-paying jobs according to Indeed below.
  • Tax partner (£124,000)
  • Head of sales (£116,000)
  • Chief financial officer (£112,500)
  • Consultant dermatologist (£100,000)
  • Vice president of engineering (£99,300)
  • Ophthalmologist (£98,000)
  • Vascular surgeon (£97,000.
  • Nephrologist (£96,700)

Is law a respected degree?

Career prospects

Law is a well respected degree but its graduate prospects are not as good as universities like to make out. Law firms and chambers have been reducing the number of training contracts and pupillages, with some firms cancelling their next trainee intake.

Is law a good career for a woman?

Without any doubt today, we can firmly say that there is huge potential for girls in the legal sector too. Today in the 21st century, more and more youngsters are choosing law as their ideal choice of career and with good reasons. ... Law as a career offers ample no. of choices for both women and men to choose from.

Is law harder than medicine?

And the answer seems to be a resounding yes — not only is law confusing and boring, law students are pretty rubbish as well. ... Taking on a LLB lecture — in what we are pretty sure is contract law — undercover medic Hennebry is blown away by the dryness of the subject.