What is a Law Degree?
A law degree is an academic qualification that provides a comprehensive understanding of legal principles, systems, and processes. It equips students with critical thinking, analytical, and argumentation skills, preparing them to interpret and apply the law in various contexts. This degree can lead to diverse career paths including traditional roles such as solicitor, barrister, judge, or lawyer, where one practices law in courts or legal firms.
What Can You Specialise In With a Law Degree
The options for specialization are almost endless with a law degree. Most graduates will specialise depending on their interests and career goals.
Most graduates will first decide whether they want to specialise in persecution or defense:
- Prosecution:
Typically the role of persecution is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused committed a crime. They’re responsible for gathering evidence, presenting witnesses and making a legal case to convict by proving guilt. They typically initiate the case and present first in court.
- Defense:
The role of a defense lawyer is to defend a client against criminal charges – against the prosecution. They will typically present reasonable doubt about the prosecution’s case by gathering evidence and witnesses to challenge evidence and ensure that their client’s constitution rights are protected throughout the legal proceedings.
Within both of these, Graduates can choose to specialise in a wide range of fields. Everything from animal law to cybersecurity law to sports law.
Some of the more common specializations include:
- Criminal Law
- Corporate Law
- Family Law
- Environmental Law
- Labor and Employment Law
- Health Law
- International Law
- Education Law
- Taxation Law
- Litigation and Trials
What Type of Work Experience Does a Law Graduate Need?
A law graduate with typically need around 2 years of legal work experience. This can be done in various roles and settings (including paid and unpaid) such as a paralegal position, internships at law clinics, and even voluntary work with legal charities. The most important thing about this work experience is that graduates develop skills that will help them understand the ethics, professionalism, technical practices, and teamwork within law.
It’s especially helpful if graduates can gain experience working within the field that they’re wishing to specialize in. This type of practical experience improves the changes of being employed for roles within that field.
Examples of graduate work experience includes:
- Working as a paralegal in a law firm or in-house legal department
- Volunteering at legal clinics or citizens advice centers
- Internship placements during law school or summer internships at law firms
- Volunteering or working with charitable organizations offering legal services
- Participating in law school legal advice centers or clinics
- Short-term placements or mini-pupillages in various legal settings
- In-house legal roles in corporations like banks or telecom companies
- Government legal departments or local councils
Skills for your CV
After finishing your law degree, you will have a variety of skills that you can list on your CV. Depending on your specialty, this can include:
- Legal Research: Ability to gather, analyze, and interpret legal information and case law.
- Attention to Detail: Precision in reviewing legal documents, contracts, and evidence.
- Critical Thinking: Evaluating facts from multiple perspectives to form strong legal arguments.
- Commercial Awareness: Understanding the business context affecting clients and legal matters.
- Problem–Solving: Developing effective solutions to complex legal issues.
- Legal Writing: Drafting clear and persuasive legal documents and correspondence.
- Communication: Strong written and verbal skills for interacting with clients, colleagues, and courts.
- Time Management: Managing multiple cases and deadlines efficiently.
- Negotiation: Skilled in reaching agreements favorable to clients.
- Teamwork: Collaborating well with others in legal environments.
Careers for Law Graduates
As mentioned before, a degree in law can lead to all kinds of specializations in a variety of fields. Though some of the more common careers that law graduates work toward include:
Lawyer / Attorney
Job Description: Provides legal advice, represents clients in court proceedings, drafts legal documents, and negotiates settlements. Can work in private practice, corporations, or government.
- Average salary: Median annual salary is about $151,160, with ranges from $98,030 (lowest 25%) to $217,360 (highest 25%).
Corporate Counsel / Legal Counsel
Offers legal guidance to corporations on compliance, contracts, mergers, and other business matters. May specialize in corporate law, intellectual property, or employment law.
- Average salary: Around $140,000 to $171,000 annually, depending on experience and company size.
Paralegal
Supports lawyers by conducting legal research, organizing case files, drafting documents, and assisting in trial preparation. Often an entry-level position.
- Average salary: Approximately $50,000 to $60,000 annually, depending on location and experience.
Law Clerk
Job Description: Assists judges or lawyers by researching case law, drafting opinions, and managing documents. Typically a temporary role for recent law graduates.
- Average salary: Commonly ranges from $50,000 to $70,000 annually.
Compliance Officer
Job Description: Ensures that organizations comply with legal regulations and internal policies, conducting audits and risk assessments.
- Average salary: Typically around $70,000 to $90,000 or more depending on sector.
