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There is no doubt about the countless reasons to want to change jobs or even careers but to some it is a daunting task with worries about money, time and the payoff.  Switching to a Law Job could mean that your previous experience is no longer adequate so you might assume you need to go back to university.

Its actually relatively simple to embark on a career in Law if you have a degree, it is possible to convert that qualification to law by undertaking a one year Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). Around 30% of trainee solicitors do not have a law degree and have followed alternative paths to a career in Law.

A GDL is a qualification based in England and Wales that has been developed to allow a greater diversity of applicants into the legal profession. A GDL can be taken over one year full time or two year part time and is also frequently referred to as the ‘law conversion course’. Tuition fees range 2000 between 8000 for the one year course.

A conversion course usually takes up 36 weeks of an academic year and includes a 4 week assessment period. Guidelines from the Central Application Board suggest a weekly period of 45 hours of lectures, tutorials, private study and research for a CPE/GDL.

Although a CPE/GDL does not offer the full range of subjects of a law degree, it is an intensive one-year foundation course which offers the skills and methodologies needed for further learning. A minimum 2.2 degree is usually required to apply for a CPE/GDL but existing experience may be considered.

Once you have converted a qualification you can then undertake a one year Legal Practice Course which is the final step before becoming a legal professional. On becoming a solicitor/ barrister you will be required to take a two year ‘training contract’ which involves work based learning and is similar to the apprenticeship scheme. Overall it will take four years to become a lawyer without a legal degree, two of which are paid and the other two can be extended to study part time.

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