Looking to become a barrister in the UK?

Well, if you’re contemplating the potential of barrister jobs, you’ll need to be aware of the sacrifices that are often involved in order to progress with this particular career.

Below, we look at 5 things you’ll need to succeed as a barrister.

Barrister Jobs – Early Career Profile

Excellent academic achievement

The very best law degrees can be extremely competitive, so to stand any chance of securing a place on a coveted law course, you will need a minimum of AAA at A level – and in some instances, even this may not be enough. It’s best to try and gain some experience within a law environment prior to your application to demonstrate the fact you have an interest in this area.

An LLB degree

Most university law courses will secure you an accredited LLB degree once you graduate. An LLB degree is especially important for anybody looking to become a barrister or a solicitor. In some cases, you may be able to study a specialist conversion course if you are already in the process of studying another degree subject. It’s worth bearing in  mind that a 2:2 may be a minimum requirement for future legal employers, so studying a law degree requires an incredible amount of discipline and focus.

The Inns of Court

Once you have graduated from university, your next step will be to gain admittance to the Inns of Court. This step has to be taken before you can begin any vocational barrister training. Once you have secured a place at the Inns of Court, in order to become a barrister you will have to take a one-year Bar Vocational Course, which will enhance your skills of research, legal writing and negotiation.

Pupillage

The next phase for anybody eager to secure a barrister job will be pupillage.  This is the final hurdle involved in order to secure qualification to the Bar. Pupillage tends to involve a one-year apprenticeship that tends to be split into two sections. You will carry out six months of providing assistance to a direct supervisor at the same time as observing their approach to legal matters, while the latter half of the year will offer you the chance to carry out your own legal work under supervision.

Chambers

The final phase of your early barrister cateer will be Chambers. Jobs within Chambers can be complex – so if you want to learn more about these law jobs, click the link provided. Finally, whether you want to become a criminal barrister or otherwise, there is no easy route – your career path will be long and often tiring – but if you can demonstrate perseverance, life as a barrister can be extremely rewarding.

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After completing pupillage, a qualified barrister can begin to seek opportunities to practice – and many novice barristers choose to enter independent practice at a set of chambers.

To learn more about barrister jobs in chambers, read the guide below.

Barristers’ Chambers: A Brief Guide

Once a practising barrister decides to enter chambers, they become known as ‘tenants’ – and a member of chamber will have to require a ‘tenancy’ before they can continue their career progression as a barrister.

However, landing a tenancy can be extremely challenging, and only 3-4 applicants from several hundred applicants at pupillage may secure a position at chambers – with only 1 applicant securing the coveted tenancy.

In a chambers, barristers are not employed directly by a law firm but are legally considered to be ’self employed’.  As a result technically, a barrister cannot draw a salary, but income will be derived from individual fees earned.  Other costs will be shared on a fraternal basis by barristers.

Amongst the most popular and competitive of all places to work as a barrister is in central London in the heart of the capital’s legal scene, in and around the famous Inns of Court.

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If you have recently graduated university as a law graduate you might be feeling a little lost and confused about the options which are available to you. The world of the workplace can seem extremely daunting when first leaving university but you shouldn’t worry as a law graduate you will find there are lots of options open to you.

This article will outline some ideas which you could consider which are a bit different from your typical lawyer and barrister career path. Finding a law graduate job can be tricky so it is important that you keep your options open and explore everything that is available to you.

Law Graduate Jobs – Alternative Jobs in Law

• Patent Attorney – Being a patent attorney would suit anyone who is interested in advising people on issues relating to trademarks. It would be your job to work within a company’s patent department and advise the company directors about legal matters concerning patents and trademarks.
• Licensed Conveyancer – It is the job of a licensed conveyancer to carry out legal work involving property and offering advice on litigation. It would be the norm to work in a private practice and your main job responsibility would generally be to handle documentation on property sales and acquisitions.
• Legal Executive – To become a legal executive you have to have a certified law degree. You would have a number of different responsibilities as a legal executive such as advising a client on employment, financial or criminal legal proceedings and taking charge of execution of wills.

Browse law graduate jobs on Simply Law Jobs.

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Paralegal jobs are required across a number of organisations and have duties that can vary a great amount depending on where the job is held. However, generally speaking the term is used to describe legal assistant jobs where legal work is carried out without actually being a qualified lawyer. See the following legal job description if you are interested in paralegal jobs.

Paralegals can be employed in various types of organisation, including:
•    Law firms
•    Public sector organisations
•    Business
•    Industry

Although there is not a particular requirement in terms of qualifications or experience, entry to this type of work can be helped along with certain training. This can be obtained from places such as the Institute of Paralegals. This profession is growing though, and this could mean that it will become much more regulated in the future.

Legal assistant jobs like this can entail a range of work from both ends of the spectrum, including:
•    Administration
•    Arranging meetings, phone work
•    Drafting and proofreading
•    Taking notes in court
•    Letter writing
•    Managing case files
•    Legal research tasks
•    Liaising with clients
•    Taking statements from witnesses

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Barrister jobs are in place within the legal system to represent clients in a courtroom with instruction being given from a solicitor. A barrister has rights of audience in all courtrooms. See the following legal job description for more information about this particular legal role.

Barrister jobs typically focus and specialise on one particular area of the law. Examples of this include:
•    Criminal barrister work
•    Chancery law
•    Commercial
•    Family
Most people in this type of law job are self-employed from chambers. However, it is increasingly common to find barristers that have been employed by organisations that are both private and public. These are usually large corporations that face legal challenges on a daily basis for all sorts of reasons.

Barrister Law Job Duties
Generally speaking, there are a number of different responsibilities that barrister jobs entail. These can vary greatly, but include:
•    Having full understanding of the law and being able to interpret it properly
•    Researching certain legal points for particular cases
•    Advising solicitors and other professionals with regards to the representation of a client
•    Preparing court cases by holding conferences with clients and preparing arguments for court
•    Presenting these arguments in a courtroom situation
•    Examining/cross-examining witnesses in court
•    Drafting legal documents
•    Negotiating

It is fair to say that the type of work really depends on the sort of barrister law job held. For instance:
•    A criminal barrister will be involved in a great deal of advocacy in court
•    Family barrister jobs may have a certain amount of mediation in their work
•    Commercial or chancery barristers will not be in court as much as their time is spent on drafting and advising more.

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Legal assistant jobs come in a number of different forms and can require certain training depending on the role. This legal job description will outline the types of work that can be found to assist legal professionals and what the jobs involve. If you are thinking about finding paralegal jobs, see the following legal job description for more information about this sort of work.

Legal Assistant Jobs
This type of work can also be name paralegal jobs and is in place to provide support for lawyers. Those in legal assistant jobs cannot give legal advice to clients, nor can they sign legal documents or represent someone in court.

Often, legal assistants see clients before solicitors do. Their role is to interview the client and any witnesses first so that important information can be passed onto the solicitor regarding the case.

Paralegal jobs often require a variety of different duties to be carried out within a firm. Solicitors could ask assistants to draft contracts or other types of legal documents before being handed over to clients. Barristers use assistants to carry out appropriate research to support a case, as well as giving general support throughout a court case.

Legal Job Description – The Work
According to the particular field of law, paralegal jobs require different types of knowledge. More general legal knowledge is often needed, however certain firms specialise in specific fields, which means a more focussed knowledge is sought. The work can vary greatly from firm to firm, but if the candidate has legal experience or knowledge in a certain area that is more appropriate to the company, they will be chosen over someone with more general experience. For instance, a candidate with knowledge in family law will be involved in matters regarding adoption, divorce and custody.

Qualities and Skills for Legal Assistant Jobs
Anyone considering applying for legal support jobs should have the following qualities:
•    Exceptional writing and research skills
•    Attention to detail
•    Customer service skills
•    Knowledge/qualifications of the law practised
•    Computer literacy
•    Good admin and general secretarial skills/experience

Along with the legal knowledge and qualifications, paralegal jobs will require a candidate to have some secretarial and administration experience, good legal research skills and excellent writing skills.

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Halliwells executive chairman Ian Austin is set to join Heatons as the Manchester law firm’s new head of commercial litigation.

Austin, who will take up his new post at Heatons this week, has held various senior roles at Halliwells, including managing partner and litigation head.

He was named executive chairman last September after the firm overhauled its senior management structure, a move Austin said was prompted by the need for “more resources to manage a firm the size of Halliwells”. Read more »

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The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs celebrates their twentieth anniversary this year. ILSPA not only offers recognised qualifications, but also provides professional recognition for their Members and their ongoing development, together with support, advice and career guidance for trainee and experienced Legal Secretaries. Read more »

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Almost all medium to large companies will have their own legal departments and the legal counsel is tasked with ensuring that the company operates within the confines of the law at all times and should there be any issues, those with legal counsel jobs will represent the company. A legal counsel job is essentially an in-house legal team. To find out more about legal counsel jobs, read on.

Legal Counsel Job Info

• The legal counsel jobs will be split up within a company to focus on things such as employment law, commercial law etc. Large companies may be able to offer plenty of legal jobs to people with a wide range of experience levels.

• Those with legal counsel jobs will be expected to keep thoroughly up to date with any legislation or regulation changes and how these may affect the company. A legal counsel job also requires the individual to be able to advise on company policies and procedures.

• When it comes to a legal counsel job, the top of the tree would be that of senior legal counsel and these legal jobs require the individual to be aware of the goings on throughout the company. These legal jobs require to individual to identify, assess and manage any potential risk issues across the firm and prove continued preventative legal advice. A senior legal counsel will require all the relevant qualifications to be a solicitor as well as several years experience in legal practice.

• Many people choose to enter legal counsel jobs after several years practicing as a solicitor because of the comparatively easier hours and benefits. Those with legal counsel jobs need all the skills to make it as a solicitor as well as the ability to work in a commercial business environment and find resolutions to legal issues within a business context.

Senior legal counsel jobs will easily pay wages of over £100k and lower level legal jobs in this sector will still earn upwards of £60k pa. You can search for a wife range of legal counsel jobs here on Simply Law Jobs.

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In many countries, barrister jobs and solicitor jobs are essentially the same thing and an individual practices in both disciplines but in the UK, these law jobs are separate and require different qualifications. To find out more about the difference between barrister jobs and solicitor jobs, read on.

Barrister Jobs

• These law jobs are different from solicitor jobs in that barrister jobs require the individual to earn their bar and then undertake a 1 year pupillage before becoming a full barrister.

• Those with barrister jobs are able to appear in court and instead of working directly with a client, the barrister will work with the client’s solicitor who will instruct and advise them. The barrister is not considered an attorney and can therefore not act on behalf of the client without being instructed to do so by the solicitor.

• Barrister jobs require the individual to be able to thin very quickly and have excellent public speaking skills. These law jobs require the individual to be given a prepared case by a solicitor and then being able to take it into court. The time between being shown a case and then having to present it is often very short.

• Barrister jobs are often freelance based but it is for barristers to earn over £100k pa. and a QC could well earn over £1m per year. You can search for barrister jobs here on Simply Law Jobs.

Solicitor Jobs

• Solicitor jobs, unlike barrister jobs are not freelance and this law job requires the individual to work for a legal firm, therefore earning a steady wage. Solicitor jobs require a relevant degree as well as a one year LPC and a further two years paid training at a law firm.

• Solicitors work directly with clients and help prepare a case which will then be presented to the barrister to argue in court. Those with solicitor jobs will however be able to represent clients in criminal magistrate’s courts or civil courts.

• These law jobs need the individual to be methodical, organised and complex problem solving skills. Solicitor jobs can still pay lots of money and with experience, wages of £100k+ pa. are certainly available and unlike barrister jobs, solicitor jobs provide a steady wage and other bonuses such as pensions/benefits etc. You can search for solicitor jobs here on Simply Law Jobs.

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