In this blog post, contributor Max writes about his decision to convert to law – and how he came to make it.
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My interest in law came about during a difficult family dispute involving a will. I was intrigued by the complexity of the subject. I didn’t have the option of studying law during my years at secondary school, so history was my go-to subject. I enjoyed the argumentative elements that the subject presented but law was always on my mind.
Having been advised that I could study law after completing an undergraduate degree in another subject, I decided to do just that. This was perfect for me as it allowed me to study history, a subject that I knew I definitely enjoyed during school, whilst gaining more time to see if I wished to study law afterwards.
During my undergraduate degree, I had various experiences of working in legal environments. I completed an internship in a high street law firm. I volunteered for the Citizens Advice Bureau. I completed an internship in a barrister’s chambers and after completing my undergraduate degree I worked as a transcriber for a disabled law student.
All of these experiences provided me with valuable exposure to the legal world and cemented my views from my school years that I wanted to study law.
Having failed to secure a training contract, which would have paid for my postgraduate legal studies, I was still determined to go to law school and so I self-funded the law conversion course known as the Graduate Diploma in Law.
By completing this course, I felt I would have more of a chance of securing a training contract because it would demonstrate my interest in pursuing a career in law to potential employers, and would allow me to apply for paralegal jobs as well.
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Going to law school enabled me to gain a thorough grounding in the law and provided me with further work experience opportunities.
During law school I volunteered at several law clinics and completed more internships. I would not have been able to gain such experiences without first going to law school, as this was a prerequisite.
Alongside this, law school allowed me to get involved with many extra-curricular activities, like blogging and writing about legal issues, participating in student journalism, attending optional lectures, seminars, events and workshops, observing cases in court, completing language and research courses and completing research for legal charities.
These experiences have fuelled my interest in the law further and have enhanced my CV, which makes me far more attractive to potential legal employers than before I went to law school.
Working in legal environments confirmed my interest in law, and studying at university has enabled me to develop strong analytical, research, communication and teamwork skills.
I have no regrets in deciding to study law and I know that it will be prove to be an invaluable experience that will make me attractive to various potential employers and enable me to pursue a successful career path.
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Author: Max Pickup
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