Law

The table provides the top UK law firms by region indicating where they have offices and whether they have an overseas presence. They are listed in order of size of practice.

Steps to becoming a Barrister: whats involved?

• You need to complete an undergraduate LLB law course or a non law course at university.
• If you have a non-law degree you can then take a conversion course – the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) for 1 year (2 years part time) and convert your non-law degree to a qualifying law degree.
• You then need to take the Bar Professional Training course (BPTC). This course is designed to prepare you for your pupillage and will focus on advocacy, mock trials and negotiations. This takes one year of full time study or 2 years of part time study.
• Next you need to secure a pupillage. Obtaining a pupillage is very competitive. In 2011, only 444 students got a pupillage. This was only 16-20% of those that took the BPTC. It will be to your advantage to secure mini pupillages in your holidays (usually one week in length). The pupilage can be with a barristers’ chambers or other organisation like the CPS or Government organisation.
• The pupilage training is split into 2 sections – non-practising and practising both of which last for 6 months. The first 6 months involve shadowing, filling in general paper work and research. The second 6 months the pupil will act in more of a practical role, often carrying out instructions and being responsible for a caseload.
• After successful and satisfactory completion of the year you will be a fully qualified barrister.
• The last stage is to obtain tenancy in a set of barrister’s chambers as a self-employed barrister or to go into practice as an employed barrister. This can be competitive.

The GDL

The GDL replaces the law degree. Its content focuses on the seven foundations of legal knowledge that represent the basic knowledge requirements for the LPC. These are:

• contract;
• tort;
• criminal;
• equity and trusts;
• EU;
• property; and
• public

The GDL is set internally by the individual institution. For full-time students, the final examination will normally comprise a three-hour paper in each of the seven core areas.

Finance and Funding

It is not cheap training to become a barrister. For 2011 admission, the course fees for the BPTC typically ranged between £10,000 to £16,000, depending on provider and location. GDL fees typically range from £4,000 to £10,000. You  may find that you can get some of your fees funded.

Critical Thinking Tests for Lawyers

Many law firms use the Watson-Glaser Test as part of their recruitment process. It measures critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills. The Bar Aptitude Test (BCAT), compulsory for gaining entry onto the Bar professional Training programme is also based on this test. The process of critical thinking involves thorough and careful interpretation of information as well as its subsequent application to reach justifiable conclusions. These skills are necessary in many professions, particularly law, where a lawyer must evaluate different pieces of evidence.

You are tested across five different areas:

• Drawing inferences – this is the ability to draw conclusions from facts. In this test each question contains a statement to be regarded as true, followed by some inferences. You have five options with which to answer – True, Probably True, Inadequate Data, False and Probably False.

• Recognising assumptions – the ability to assess whether a statement is justifiable based on an assumption given. You will be given two statements and must decide if the second statement can be justified based on the assumptions of the first statement.

• Deductive reasoning – the ability to weigh information and to decide whether conclusions are warranted. You must decide whether a follow on statement is necessarily true based on the first statement (not your general knowledge). Answers are yes or no.

• Logical interpretation – measures your ability to understand the weighting of different arguments given a particular question or issue. You are given a short paragraph to be assumed as true. You will then be given a suggested conclusion and must decide whether this conclusion follows on from the information beyond reasonable doubt (although not necessarily absolutely). Questions are in yes or no format.

• Argument evaluation – the ability to distinguish between strong and weak arguments, where a strong argument is one which is important and directly related to the question. This section measures your ability to determine whether certain conclusions necessarily follow from information in given statements or premises. You will be given a question statement followed by an answer statement and must decide whether the answer statement is strong or weak.

Practice the Watson-Glaser tests HERE

Practice the BCAT tests HERE

Watch this short video which gives you an insight into how to secure a training contract with a solicitors practice. It covers all facets of the application and interview process giving you a heads up on what you can expect and the sort of questions you will be asked.

The video outlines the steps required in order to become either a solicitor or barrister