FAQ on legal education

UKCLE is unable to respond to individual queries from students but this FAQ is aimed at giving some pointers to further information on learning the law.

How do I become a lawyer?
How do I find out what courses are available?
Are there any rankings of law courses?
How can I get some work experience?
I’m not from the UK, but I want to study law. How do I apply?

1. How do I become a lawyer?

A selection of the many guides to the process:

• our directory of legal education gives overviews of qualifying as a lawyer in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and links to law schools
• both AllAboutLaw’s Pre-university section and LawCareers.net’s guide to first steps into law give full details of the qualification process and range of career choices (England and Wales only)
• the Law Society of England and Wales’ Junior Lawyers Division has comprehensive information on a career in law
• the education and training sections of the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates cover the process in Scotland
• for information on practising in Northern Ireland see the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s guidance for intending students and information from the General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland

2. How do I find out what courses are available?

• LawCareers.net includes a database of courses searchable by region, city or college as well as access to course prospectuses
• UCAS has a database of undergraduate courses and information on fees, bursaries and financial support
• Prospects includes details of postgraduate courses and research, with information on funding further study
• the LLM Guide gives details of masters level studies in law

3. Are there any rankings of law courses?

• Unistats presents the results of the National Student Survey and other official information in one handy table
• the Complete University Guide’s University league table includes a law subject table
• the Guardian guide to law ranks undergraduate courses by teaching score
• the Times Good University Guide includes a law school league table
• QED Law publishes an LLB league table (UK wide) showing the percentage of students who graduated with a first or upper second at each law school, as well as average marks for core subjects (currently England and Wales only)
• see the Guardian’s guide to the Research Assessment Exercise 2008 law results for research rankings

4. How can I get some work experience?

• LawCareers.net has a database of training contracts and vacation work

5. I’m not from the UK, but I want to study law. How do I apply?

• see Education UK’s Law and legal studies page

Last Modified: 4 June 2010