How to Become a Lawyer in England
To becoming a lawyer in England is different from the one in the United States. If you are a qualified lawyer from another country, you will have to pass certain legal requirements and processes in England in order to start practicing as a lawyer.
There are many advantages of becoming a lawyer. The most important of all, you make decent money out of this profession. According a recent survey, lawyers displaced investment bankers in terms of starting salaries in the United Kingdom. Other than this, chances of getting a job after you graduate are very high as compared to other professions. To top it off, there are many fringe benefits along with your job as well.
There are many approaches to becoming a lawyer in England. You may have studied somewhere else and might want to study law in England. You might have a law degree from another country and want to practice in England or may not have a degree at all. Whatever your case is, you will have to go through the same processes which other students in England go through. This shows your commitment to learning the law and doing the hard work needed to become a lawyer. The process usually takes 6-8 years to complete.
We will now tell how you can become a lawyer in the United Kingdom.
Instructions
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1
Certificate of Academic Standing
The Solicitors Regulation Authority provides this certificate. This certificate allows you to take law classes in England and ensures that you have studied in a competitive environment. If you do not have this certificate, you will not be able to proceed. -
2
Obtain law degree
After obtaining the CAS, you will have to complete your education in a law school in England and obtain your degree. -
3
Common Professional Exam
This is similar to the State Bar Examination in the United States. The only difference is, the students cannot start practicing immediately after passing the Common Professional Exam and have to complete other requirements as well. -
4
Legal Practice Course
After clearance of the Common Professional Exam, law students in England have to go through this penultimate hurdle to begin their law career. The Legal Practice Course ensures they have studied all the relevant courses and have completed all requirements in order to start practicing. -
5
Training Contract and Professional Skills Course
These courses send out the law students in the field to do practical work. They research and do their work as a normal lawyer, usually with an established law firm. After they pass these two courses along with their practical work, they are granted with the permission to be termed as a qualified lawyer in England.
