Applying to study law: what your students need to know

Students often forget that, if you study law, you don’t have to become a lawyer. Law is a highly transferable degree and is sought after in many other careers. To illustrate this to students, I often refer them to this article on what you can do with a law degree, where they can see some of the possible career pathways available to law graduates.

What does a law degree involve?

It is useful when initially discussing law as a degree choice with students that they understand what it involves. Check that they are not just influenced by the glamour of legal TV dramas, such as Suits. Encourage them to watch some law taster lectures or virtual presentations, such as UniTasterDays, or arrange to shadow a lawyer to find out more about the course and the career.

So what does a law degree actually involve? And what skills will students need to be successful?

Communication

Being able to communicate eloquently in writing is very important for the study of law because much of the course will be assessed by written examinations and coursework.

Being keen to participate in group discussions and presentations is also relevant. Whether communicating verbally or in writing, students will need to present arguments and ideas in a clear, logical and persuasive way.

Reading, summarising and analysing

The ability to read and summarise, to identify the key points in an argument and to understand different perspectives and viewpoints is paramount.

Law students need to be prepared to read a lot of cases, legislation and official reports – and academic opinion about all of those. To work effectively, students need to find relevant information quickly, pick out important points and recall them. It is also necessary to analyse facts and put them into context, and to present a reasoned argument about what the law is on a specific matter.

Research and initiative

Law students are expected to know how to find the information they need. Legal research is therefore hugely important. And, as many of the resources are now online, good computer skills are very useful.

Curiosity about the world

Law is a very varied subject that influences every aspect of our lives. Students should cultivate a breadth of interests in order to gain an understanding of what is happening in the world around them.

Independence and organisation

The study of law requires commitment and organisational skills, so students need to build their ability to motivate themselves. They need to take the initiative to plan their time efficiently and meet deadlines punctually.

Teamwork

Students also need demonstrate that they can perform effectively in a team. During the course they will sometimes be required to work in small or large groups with other students, so they need to be able to make constructive contributions to their groups and to achieve the goals set.

How to build the skills you need for a law degree

Extracurricular activities

Students should consider activities such as:

• Attending Model United Nations sessions or getting involved in the European Youth Parliament
• Volunteering for an organisation that fights for a cause, such as a consumer rights group, a charity that protects animals or fights for human rights, or a local legal advice clinic
• Becoming a student representative or committee member in an organisation where they have to present ideas or solve problems between people with different points of view
• Setting up a mooting club at school and asking a local judge to preside
• Joining a debating society or current affairs discussion club
• Visiting a local court and observing court cases in action.

Work experience

Students should consider the following:

• Arrange to shadow different lawyers to see the range and variety of legal work
• Think of another job that will provide relevant skills. For example, the student could work for a customer service department, where they will see the law in practice and solve problems by communicating effectively with the public.

Stand out

Students should begin to research the different areas of law and find what really excites them so they can show this in their personal statements or letters of motivation. They could read up on new developments in law, such as AI, or about the laws around advancing technology, such as self-drive vehicles. It is good for students to gain an awareness of the breadth of topics in law and then focus on developing their interest in a few of these areas.

Useful resources

• The Lawyer Portal – this is a really useful resource with a lot of helpful information. There are even quizzes to test your knowledge on a variety of topics, as well as a section on hot topics
• Students should read the law section of a quality paper, such as the Law section of The Guardian
• Students applying for law in the UK at specific universities will need to take the LNAT. The LNAT website offers advice on how to best prepare for the test. For example it suggests that students:
  • Read a daily quality newspaper
  • Think about the issues being raised
  • Ask themselves what assumptions are being made
  • Consider what information is being relied upon to draw a conclusion
  • Consider how they would frame a counter-argument.
• Law in Action: This BBC Radio 4 programme is very interesting and covers a range of topics. Many universities recommend this as a resource for prospective students
• Taster lectures: Gresham College has an excellent selection of online talks by professors and experts in their fields
• FutureLearn has a broad range of short, free online courses covering different aspects of law.