Law Degree or Work Experience

InDemand

So I've been accepted on a number of different law degrees to study full time as a mature student. Not quite sure how I managed that as I have no relevent work experience.

The thing is, I wasn't expecting to get accepted this year and had planned on working in a solicitors office, going so far as to spend alot of money on training for skills that would be attractive to employers.

The offers from the Universities are very tempting but I'm wondering if working for a year or so will be a benefit to me once I graduate, the money would be a big help aswell. (although I wouldn't let that dictate my decision)

So what do you guys think? Can anyone offer some advice as to what they think I should do, defer for a year and get some experience or take my place in September?

I appreciate any input. Thanks guys!

NoQuarter

have you actually got a place in a solicitors office lined up because if not youd be doing very well to get a place there without any law background considering the amount of law students looking for work experience during the summer months etc....

Either ways, id say get the degree done asap

dats_right

OP, congrats on being accepted to the law courses. By any chance are you already a graduate (of any discipline)? If so, then I probably wouldn't bother with a law degree at all and would definitely start in a law firm, and work towards the professional exams. If however, you don't have a degree then I would agree with King Stew and you should get cracking at the academic qualification asap.

MysticalSoul

What colleges have you got accepted onto? Do any of them have evening courses you could do part-time, and in that way get hands on experience whilst studying? Isn't it Griffith COllege that have both fulltime and parttime courses?

InDemand

No I dont already have a degree, this would be my first time at University. I've been accepted on the BCL at UCD and UCC. As far as the part time degrees go I'm not interested, I did consider it but I want the wider experience that comes with studying full-time (societies, study abroad etc).

I have a Diploma in Professional Legal Studies and the Pitman Legal Secretarial Diploma which I've been told is enough to get my foot in the door of a legal office.

I'd always intended to apply to the Universities to study full time but I didnt think I'd get accepted without relevant work experience and some further education relevant to law. Judging by the admission criteria this is a major factor in the offering of places.

So thats why I completed the above courses. With my work history (no office based experience) I was told I needed the Pitman Diploma to get an entry level position and relevant experience.

I'm well aware of the level of competition there is for post FE1 apprenticeships so I'm wondering if defering for a year to get some experience will be of any benefit to me once I graduate??

johnfás

I'd do the degree and try to get yourself some work in the summers. Your degree is going to take you three years anyway and if you take a year out that will be four years.

That said it is good to build up experience. I will be sitting my FE-1's for the first time this autumn and have been searching for experience in different places. I did my degree in History and Politics and am now in the DIT Diploma Course. Thankfully a medium sized firm took me in for 6 weeks last summer paid, which was invaluable experience. This summer I have not been so successful, I applied for two internships with big firms. Got rejected outright from one and got an interview but turned down in the other. The interview was an achievement I guess as only 60 from 400 applicants got them. I have managed to secure 2 weeks unpaid in a small firm for this summer, which although not ideal, will at least fill in the CV a bit come November sort of time when I start throwing my CV left right and centre.