Junior lawyers division. The majority of students face debts on completion of an undergraduate degree.
However, junior lawyers must also complete 1-2 years' additional training on top with no guarantee of finding work immediately afterwards. Trainees and students often have to pay a lot of money at the beginning of their careers simply to get them off the ground. Typically this is done with the expectation that salaries at a later stage will be far in excess of the debts incurred. Although often true, you should be aware that this outcome is not guaranteed. Before you agree to take on any debt, you should understand the costs involved, and research alternatives where possible.
Estimated cost of becoming a solicitor The following is an illustration only and based upon the undergraduate degree (/GDL) /LPC full-time route. The Undergraduate Degree For the average student embarking on a three-year undergraduate degree, tuition fees may be around £9,000 -£12,000, and potentially more for some universities. Graduation. Junior lawyers division. The total cost of qualifying as a solicitor or barrister is quite considerable, and prospective entrants to either profession are advised to investigate potential sources of funding available at each stage of qualification.
Costs Since 1998 full-time students starting higher education have had to contribute towards their tuition fees. The average student will emerge from a three-year degree course with a debt of at least £20,000. This figure is expected to rise. Students who have not obtained a qualifying law degree will need to complete a CPE / GDL. The Legal Practice Course also falls into the category for discretionary awards. Finding funding There are many ways to gain the financial backing necessary to fund your way through the GDL / CPE and LPC.
Charities and grant-making trusts Your Local Authority Awards Officer will also have information about local charities and any grant-making trusts for which you may qualify. Law Society schemes Sponsorship Further information. Junior lawyers division. At present, the government's Student Loan Scheme is not available for post-graduate study but a number of other funding options are available, including the Professional Studies Loan and a range of scholarships and trust funds which may be able to assist you.
Warning: The SRA has issued a warning to students about emails offering LPC funding.Find out more Page contents Law Society Diversity Access SchemeGrants and loansAwards and scholarshipsOther funds and references Law Society Diversity Access Scheme The Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme (DAS) is a scholarship for students who would otherwise be unable to fund the cost of their LPC fees. Finance: funding for up to the full cost of your LPC feesprofessional contacts: a professional mentor to help with queries relating to a future career in lawopportunities to gain work experience: work experience placements, brokered through the Law Society.
Up to 10 DAS awards will be available in 2015. Postgraduate funding options. This page gives details of a wide range of funding options available to postgraduate law students – as well as useful contacts and links to relevant external websites.
Please read our policy on external websites. Professional and Career Development Loans for LPC/LLM LPC and BPTC studentsGraduate loans for GDLLocal authority grantsUS federal loansCharities and grant-making trustsFunding for trainee solicitorsFunding for trainee barristersStudy bursaries for LLM students Professional and Career Development Loans for LPC/LLM LPC and BPTC students Professional and Career Development Loans are commercial bank loans that you can use to help pay for work-related learning. You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year’s relevant unpaid practical work).
Our learning provider identification number is: 21079. LPC and GDL sponsorship from law firms. The vocational training to qualify as a solicitor is expensive, so it's worth knowing what financial support is available from law firms, bursary schemes, loans and elsewhere.
The promise of a generous salary is a tempting reason to become a trainee solicitor but the flipside is that qualifying is an expensive business. Non-law graduates need to cover conversion course (usually known as the CPE or GDL) fees, which range from £3,000 to £10,200 full time, and all graduates who want to become a trainee solicitor need to fund the legal practice course or LPC, which costs from £7,500 to £14,750 full time, depending on course provider and location. It’s wise to start thinking about how you’re going to finance this while still on your undergraduate degree. Financial support from commercial law firms The following law firms supplied the information below for our publication TARGETjobs Law 2015, which is available free from your careers service.