Legal Career Advice

Working in the legal sector can involve working in different specialties such as financial law, personal or property law. Legal careers include many types of roles, including legal secretaries, lawyers, or barristers. If you want to start working in a law career, you can choose to work in local or central government or specialise in commercial or private practice.

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How to Work in the Legal sector

Choosing your career path and learning how to become the person you aspire to be is not always straight forward; getting a job in your chosen industry will take dedication, focus and the right qualifications.

When you have chosen the career path you wish to follow, you will need to learn how to get a job in Legal

Should you wish to work in Legal you will need to evaluate what courses are required, their cost and what qualifications you need. It is important that you also assess whether you have the right credentials from a personality point of view, what the demands of the job are and whether they complement the lifestyle that you desire.

Another factor to consider, should you wish to fulfil your career aspirations, is the number of jobs you will need to have to reach your ultimate job, and the length of time it will take to reach this goal.

Common Qualifications for a Legal Job

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs including English and maths (legal secretary)
  • Level 2 Diploma in Legal Studies (paralegal)
  • Level 3 Legal Secretaries Diploma (paralegal)
  • CILEx Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice (paralegal)
  • 3 A levels (solicitor)
  • Law degree (solicitor)
  • 1-year Bar Professional Training Course (barrister)

Core Legal Skills

You should have a high level of intellect with great people skills and legal knowledge. You will need to bring a methodical approach to your work and have problem-solving, IT, numerical, and written skills.

If you are up for the challenge, a career in legal services could give you the fulfilment you are searching for.

Key Responsibilities for a Legal Job

  • Offering secretarial support to the lawyers in the firm
  • Editing legal documents
  • Proofreading documents
  • Maintaining calendar
  • Welcoming clients to initial meetings
  • Attending court proceedings and keeping minutes
  • Organising legal documents
  • Conducting initial screening of new clients
  • Answering email correspondence
  • Preparing appeal documents

What to expect in a Legal Job

A legal career can open up opportunities to work in various sectors. You will need a university degree in your area of interest, and you can start in a junior position within a law firm. Roles in the legal sector require superb attention to detail and are perfect for you if you like to work hard and have an excellent work ethic. You may have to work for periods on your own as you research, and you will also work with others as part of a legal team.

Recommended Legal Jobs

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How to get Legal Jobs

Our advice on how to get a Legal job is to focus on preparation and personalisation.

Preparation

This occurs before you write a CV cover letter or complete a Legal application. If you have not held a Legal position before, it will help to research the industry and review what a typical career path might look like. If you have held a Legal role, focus your research on the company where you are seeking employment.

Valuable resources that will help you learn about the employer include the company’s career page, social media page, blog, job ad, and job description. Helpful information will consist of the company’s mission statement, values, and vision. You could also use an employer review site to gain insights on average salaries, what current employees say about the company culture, and what it is like to work for the organisation.

Personalisation

You are now in a position to use what you have learned in your Legal CV, cover letter, and application. You should personalise each Legal application, cover letter, and CV; prioritising job skills and relevant experience and providing examples that show you have similar values and goals.

This pre-application stage is a crucial step in how to become a Legal in the UK. It puts you in a superbly informed state, ready for forthcoming telephone, video, or in-person interviews.

Students: How to Become a Legal 

As with all professions, choose your study topics carefully. Review the qualifications needed to be a Legal and the subjects you will need to enrol in certification courses, higher education, or online courses. 

Aligning your study subjects

The more closely you align your study subjects with your career path, the more likely you will be to have projects and modules that you can refer to and show a prospective employer that you have practical or theoretical Legal experience.

How to get Legal Experience

What does it take to be a Legal? The best way to find out is to get work experience, which will be invaluable when applying for Legal jobs. You can learn how to be a successful Legal through internships, apprenticeships, or volunteering for a local business.

How to be a Legal Part-Time 

If you are wondering how to get into Legal part-time, there are several possibilities. You might find a new employer looking for a part-time Legal or find your existing employer is amenable. Often companies recognise the value of flexible hours and having more staff at work during busy times of the day. 

Legal freelance work

If you have impressive Legal qualifications and experience, you could take on the challenges of working freelance with control over your schedule.

Making a Career Change

How to start a career in this profession if you work in another industry may require studying for qualifications online and focusing on transferable skills when writing your CV and attending job interviews.