Law careers

Solicitor

• Salary: £28,000-£69,000 (newly qualified private practice solicitors).
• Qualifications: a qualifying law degree, followed by the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and two years of qualifying legal work experience. If your undergraduate degree isn't in law it's advisable to enrol on a conversion course. You can also qualify via an apprenticeship.

A confidential adviser who has direct contact with clients, you'll combine expertise and people skills to provide legal guidance and assistance. Once qualified, you can work in private practice, as an in-house lawyer for a commercial or industrial organisation, in local or central government or in the court service.

Learn more about the role of a solicitor, discover how to become a lawyer and take a look at how much lawyers earn.

Solicitor, Scotland

• Salary: £32,000-£43,000 (newly qualified solicitors in civil litigation) and £40,000-£65,000 (in commercial property or corporate).
• Qualifications: you’ll take the university route, which involves three stages - the LLB degree in Scots Law, the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and a two-year traineeship, which is work-based training under the supervision of a practising solicitor.

Solicitors and advocates in Scotland have similar duties to solicitors and barristers in England and Wales. However, Scotland has its own legal system, procedures and terminology. The Scottish legal profession also has different entry and training arrangements.

Find out more about being a solicitor in Scotland.

Arbitrator

• Salary: £28,000 (accredited arbitrators, with less than five years' experience).
• Qualifications: no legal/qualification requirements to becoming an arbitrator. However, where disputes involve issues of law, having a law degree is usually an advantage.

This legal job is all about alternative dispute resolution (or ADR). From a neutral viewpoint you’ll make decisions on a dispute based on evidence presented by all parties.

One of the ways legal disputes are resolved outside court, arbitration is used by individuals and businesses, on a voluntary basis, meaning both sides must agree to follow any final decision.

Learn more about the role of an arbitrator.

Barrister

• Salary: £90,000-£240,000 (barristers with five years' experience in commercial and financial law). Earnings vary depending on location, experience, reputation and area of practice.
• Qualifications: you’ll need to complete a law degree, Bar course and pupillage. Non-law graduates will need to factor in a conversion course.

Passion, dedication and hard work are just three of the qualities needed for this graduate law job.

From providing specialist legal advice to representing clients in court, tasks vary depending on your area of expertise. You'll:

• advise clients on the law
• hold conferences with clients to discuss their situation
• represent clients in court by presenting the case
• examine witnesses and give reasons why the court should support the case
• negotiate settlements with the other side.

Discover whether life as a barrister is for you.

Barristers' clerk

• Salary: £14.80 per hour, London Living Wage (junior clerks in London). With experience in excess of £35,000.
• Qualifications: no set requirements, however the Institute of Barristers' Clerks (IBC) recommends as a minimum four GCSEs, including maths and English, at grades 4/5 to 9 (A to C) or equivalent.

Also known as practice assistants or assistant practice managers, barristers' clerks are responsible for running the administration and business activities of a barrister's chambers. You need to be familiar with court procedures and etiquette and develop an expertise in the type of law undertaken by your chambers.

This isn't a route to becoming a barrister; chambers rarely offer a pupillage to someone who has been working for them as a clerk due to a conflict of interest.

Read about the responsibilities of a barristers' clerk.

Chartered legal executive

• Salary: £32,233 (CILEX students), £37,745 (advanced paralegals) and £58,317 (CILEX lawyers).
• Qualifications: you must complete the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) to become a CILEX lawyer, made up of Foundation, Advanced and Professional stages.

As a qualified lawyer you'll have your own client files and, as a fee-earner in private practice, your work is charged directly to the client. This is an important difference between chartered legal executives and other legal support staff.

Only those who have completed the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) training programme can use the title of chartered legal executive.

Take a look at what a chartered legal executive does.

Company secretary

• Salary: £20,000-£35,000 (graduate trainees), £35,000-£55,000 (company secretary assistants) £75,000-£110,000 (senior assistant secretaries) £110,000-£180,000 (deputy company secretaries) and £140,000-£250,000 (company secretaries and group company secretaries).
• Qualifications: open to all graduates, but degrees in accountancy, business management/studies, finance and law may be useful.

You'll be responsible for ensuring that an organisation complies with standard financial and legal practice and maintains high standards of corporate governance.

The capability to work with numbers, good analytical and problem-solving skills, a diplomatic approach and the confidence to provide support to high-profile staff and board members are all necessary skills for a successful company secretary.

Find out more about the role of a company secretary.

Coroner

• Salary: £102,000-£153,000.
• Qualifications: need at least five years' experience as a qualified solicitor, barrister or Chartered Legal Executive to become an assistant coroner. You then progress to the position of coroner.

You'll investigate deaths where the cause is unknown and decide a cause by looking at available information, talking with medical professionals or conducting a post-mortem. Once the cause has been identified, you'll notify the registrar and write an official report, making recommendations for future cases.

Costs lawyer

• Salary: £25,000-£32,000 (trainee or junior costs lawyer), £35,000-£50,000 (experienced costs lawyers).
• Qualifications: the Level 6 Costs Lawyer Qualification and complete two years of qualifying experience.

Specialising in law related to legal costs it's your job as a costs lawyer to ensure that the professional relationship between a lawyer and their client is efficiently established so that legal costs can be charged appropriately.

You'll advise clients on issues such as:

• litigation costs
• the price of solicitor or barrister's fees
• legal aid costs.

Discover more about the training and responsibilities of a costs lawyer.

Judge

• Salary: £101,000-£295,000.
• Qualifications: significant experience as a solicitor or barrister first, followed by part-time work supervised by an experienced judge.

It's up to you to control trials and hearings in your courtroom. You need to look at the evidence, interpret the law and make an impartial decision in favour of one of the parties. In criminal cases you'll also decide what sentence to give a defendant if they're convicted.

Lecturer of law

• Salary: £30,000-£50,000 (higher education (HE) lecturers).
• Qualifications: a good degree in a subject relevant to the area you want to lecture in as well as a PhD or equivalent Doctoral-level qualification in a related area.

You can use your law degree and experience in the field to teach law at further or higher education levels. This requires additional study to qualify as a teacher or lecturer where you'll plan lessons, research new topics, take classes explaining the complexities of the legal system, monitor and assess students' work and set and mark exams, among other duties.

As your career progresses you may move into management or research. Find out more about the roles of further education teachers and higher education lecturers and the teacher training and education sector.

Legal secretary

• Salary: £24,000 (starting).
• Qualifications: you can train via a Level 3 advanced Paralegal apprenticeship, studying for a professional qualification through CILEX or The Institute of Legal Secretaries and Pas or by working your way up from a legal administration role.

It's your job to ensure the office runs smoothly by providing administrative support to solicitors and legal executives. You'll produce wills and contracts, accompany solicitors to court or police stations and deal with clients.

The ability to type accurately and quickly, a good eye for detail and discretion are skills you'll need to succeed.

Licensed conveyancer

• Salary: £19,000-£27,000 (starting).
• Qualifications: open to graduates with any degree, but to become a licensed conveyancer in England and Wales, you must pass the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) qualification, usually taken while working.

As a property law specialist working on behalf of clients buying or selling property in England and Wales, you'll deal with legal matters, administration, finance and queries in a property transaction.

You’ll:

• advise clients on the technical content of documents and their financial implications
• arrange transfers and handle other documents that sellers must sign when purchasing property
• process and agree mortgage and lease contracts.

Read about the qualifications that a licensed conveyancer needs.

Mediator

• Salary: £17,000-£22,000 (accredited mediators with less than five years' experience).
• Qualifications: while there’s no statutory regulation of mediators, you should take a training programme accredited by a relevant professional body or council.

It's your job to establish and maintain civil relationships between conflicting parties, solving any disputes with efficiency, tact and patience.

Mediation specialists are impartial third parties who work with a range of people, such as divorcing couples, separated parents and landlords and tenants. Tasks include meeting clients, finding ways to resolve their conflicts and involving legal authorities in cases where mediation isn't working.

Learn more about the role of a mediator.

Paralegal

• Salary: £23,000-£28,000 (junior paralegals at non-graduate entry level), £28,000-£32,000 (at graduate level).
• Qualifications: there are no fixed entry requirements but getting a recognised professional qualification (National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) or CILEX (the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives)) shows your commitment to the profession.

You can offer legal services but aren't qualified as a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive.

Paralegals don't just work for solicitors, but if they do, then larger firms expect solid work experience, especially if you haven't completed a law degree. You'll also need:

• an understanding of the client and sector
• good people and networking skills
• to be a methodical problem solver
• the ability to analyse information and look at possible implications.

Find out more about the role of a paralegal.

Patent attorney

• Salary: £28,500-£42,000 (trainee), £67,000-£74,000 (newly qualified).
• Qualifications: need at least a 2:1 degree in a science, engineering, technical or mathematics‑based subject. Many patent attorneys also hold a Masters or PhD. Also need to complete Foundation and Final qualifications and either two years of supervised full‑time practice or four years of unsupervised full‑time practice.

Specially trained in drafting patents and with knowledge of intellectual property law, you'll lead inventors or companies through the process of obtaining a patent and then act to enforce inventors' rights if infringed.

You can only use the title 'patent attorney' once you're qualified and on the Register of Patent Attorneys. You'll need an understanding of scientific and technological principles and processes, and the ability to explain complex technical ideas clearly and concisely.

Take a look at the skills you need to become a patent attorney.

Trade mark attorney

• Salary: £28,500-£36,500 (trainee), £36,000-£55,000 (part-qualified), £62,000-£70,000 (newly qualified).
• Qualifications: need a degree (typically a 2:1), at least two years of on‑the‑job training, two postgraduate qualifications and to register with the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA).

A thorough knowledge of trade mark law and practice, as well as excellent communication skills and commercial awareness, are attributes you'll need to qualify as a registered trademark attorney.

As a specialist legal professional, you'll advise clients about protecting and enforcing their trademark rights. By providing legal support on the registration, use and exploitation of new and existing trademarks, you'll ensure that companies successfully protect the identity and integrity of their brands.

Discover what else a trade mark attorney does.

Usher

• Salary: £24,000-£27,000.
• Qualifications: for direct application you'll need at least two GCSEs, including English at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C). You could also complete a relevant apprenticeship such as Level 2 Intermediate Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship, Level 3 Advanced Public Service Operational Delivery Officer Apprenticeship, Level 3 Advanced Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship or Level 3 Advanced Business Administrator Apprenticeship.

In charge of preparing the courtroom, ushers check that everyone is present and call defendants and witnesses into court. There are also 'sworn ushers' who accompany the jury to and from the courtroom and pass messages between the jury and the judge.

As the first point of contact, you'll need effective communication and people skills. You'll also need to be discreet, as a lot of the information you'll hear is confidential. The ability to follow instructions and an assertive and tactful manner are also important.

Alternative law careers

If you decide that a job in law isn't for you, you could also work in:

• Civil Service Fast Stream
• investment banking
• legal publishing
• management consultancy
• pension scheme management
• the police service
• politics.

Find out more

• Find out what you can do with a law degree.