Hi Jess.
You could start as a legal secretary and work your way up to be a solicitor… but it will take a decade probably.
The easiest way to be a solicitor is to do your A-levels then take a degree (law or non-law it doesn’t matter). Once you have finished the degree you willl need to go to law school.
If you did a non-law degree you will need to spend teo years at law school and do two courses (GDL & LPC). If you have a law degree by then you will only need to spend one year at law school.
Then after that you will need to spend two years working at a firm doing a training contract (you will have to apply for many of these in your second year!). Then after those two years you will be a solicitor.
So
A-levels - 2 years
Degree - 3 years
Law School - 1/2 years
Training Contract - 2 years
TOTAL = 8 or 9 years.
The other routes where you start in a firm will probably add on another 5 years… as you will need to become a legal executive and progress up the levels and each level requires a certain amount of experience. Once you get to the top you can (at the discretion of the Solicitors regulatory authority) transfer and become a solicitor.
I mean I don’t know how you perform academically… you will need 5 GCSE’s to begin the legal executive route but you will need probably 8 good gsce’s mostly A’s or B’s for A-Levels. Then you will need good A-levels too as it is very important to go to a good university…
So it depends on your academic achievments and how much time you have… but the good news is that you can become a lawyer but which route is best for you is difficult to know…
