Studying law at postgraduate level and law conversion couses

Why study law at postgraduate level?

All graduates wishing to practise law must do a vocational postgraduate course. The most important initial decision facing graduates is whether to practise as a solicitor or a barrister. This demands serious consideration: find out more about the different career areas at www.targetjobs.co.uk/law.

Studying law If your degree is not law-specific you'll first have to take the Common Professional Examination (CPE), sometimes referred to as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). This is a conversion course which allows you to catch up on the knowledge provided in an undergraduate law degree before progressing to a postgraduate vocational course.

Those with a degree in law will be able to start vocational courses straight away, choosing either an LPC (Legal Practice Course, for solicitors) or a BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course, for barristers). Once you've completed the theory you'll need to put it all into practice via a training contract at a law firm or a pupillage at a barristers' chambers.

Additional postgraduate study

Further postgraduate study is not a requirement, but many students follow their compulsory training courses with an LLM, MA/MSc or PhD in a specialist area of law. Doing so can boost your employability, particularly if you're keen to specialise at an early stage or to pursue an academic career. Some choose to take the two-year LLM route straight after their LLB or GDL, thus exempting them from a vocational course (LPC/BPTC).