Most of the students studying our law courses aspire to qualify as a solicitor or barrister, although it is always important to remember that the LLB and CPE qualifications open the door to many more, equally rewarding, alternative careers. Our law graduates have also pursued careers, for example, in business and consultancy roles, the civil service, trading standards departments, housing associations, welfare and legal advice organisations, legal publishing and teaching.
At Brighton, we realise that careful career planning by students is crucial from the outset of their course, especially for those that wish to practise as a lawyer, where competition can be very fierce. Consequently, all first year LLB and CPE students are given the opportunity to attend workshops, delivered by the university's Careers Service on qualifying as a lawyer, which are designed to kick start the career planning process. In particular, all students who aspire to qualify as a lawyer, are encouraged to undertake short law-related work shadowing placements during vacation periods, such as placements with solicitors firms, mini-pupillages (with Barristers chambers), the Crown Prosecution Service and internships with judges.
All students also have access to a range of other useful general services offered by the Careers Service, including individual counselling sessions, CV checking, and mock interviews, and the Business School’s dedicated placement office is available to help those LLB (sandwich) students who will undertake a work placement between the second and final year of their degree.
Every two years, the Careers Service, in conjunction with the Business School's law staff, stages a university-wide Law Careers Forum. The Forum offers students the opportunity to listen to law professionals speak about routes into the law sector and what it is really like to work within it. Students have the chance to ask questions during a special Q&A session.
For further information on qualifying as a solicitor please visit the Law Society website, and for more information on qualifying as a barrister please visit the Bar Standards Board website
