There do not seem to be many firms that both practise the areas of law I am most interested in and pay their trainees through the GDL and LPC. I am especially interested in public law, human rights, criminal and media law.
Could anyone recommend firms that specialise in any of these fields and would be willing to pay a trainee through the above qualifications?
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The easiest strategy, if your grades are good enough, is to get a training contract somewhere that pays well. That way, you can pay off any debts, go through the LPC etc easily and with enough cash, then switch on qualification to somewhere you like.
Even some decent big firms, who can hardly be described as niche as the kind of things you mention, are notoriously stingy (like Withers, who only pay a maintenance grant of £5000, for example) - there is little hope of finding somewhere smaller than this and in not profitable areas who will give you anything whatsoever!
If you are genuinely interested in criminal law, one option would be to look for a firm which offers sponsorship under the LSC legal aid programme - I don't know whether this is still running but it paid the firm to pay you to do your LPC, provided you stayed on doing publicly funded work for a certain period after qualification. You might get to do some human rights and public law stuff with a legal aid firm too, although not media law.
If you want your LPC paid you are probably going to have to train with a commercial firm, maybe also some public sector organisations. A high street firm simply will not have the resources to pay the extortionate LPC fees.
Personally I wouldn't do the LPC without sponsorship (unless I had rich parents/other generous relatives who were willing to sponsor me instead). There are other decent careers.
What about somewhere like Hammonds- they have practice areas covering criminal law and media on their rotation. You might have to just live with pro-bono work for the human rights side though if it is that important to you.
You could consider the Government Legal Service which does the type of work you describe above (although not "media" as such). You will be funded through your law school with a maintenance grant. However, two things to note. First, the salary will be much lower than your counterparts in the City but, since you want to specialise in human rights etc, I think you already know that. Secondly, you will be expected to move around in the GLS i.e. you can spend four years on company law, then four years advising on another area. But there are lots of areas/branches and you can usually end up in an area that you like either in your chosen department or by going to another department. See www.gls.gov.uk
Don't waste your time training at a firm or in specialism that does not interest you. Ultimately you will be emotionally and professionally worse off, if not financially because you'll feel as though you have sold out and will be unable to move to a different field as you'll be seen as lacking commitment (if the cost of your mortgage does not make it prohibitive to trade down to a more satisfying but less lucrative area).
If you have anything about you, just pay for the course yourself - after living as a student surely your expectations of social life and activities for one year are not too high: you could easily take on a part-time job whilst on the LPC, which would pay for your living costs (the courses are hardly demanding in terms of time or effort) and borrow the fees as a professional studies loan - it'll be paid off in no time and at least you will be on the way to a career in the area you are really keen on.
That said, i would ensure you do your research properly into the types of firms you need to apply to, and unless you are convinced you will shine amongst your peers, make sure you've nailed down a TC before you commit to paying LPC fees - there are enough LPC graduates floating around TC-less already.
Commercial law is not for everyone - even more so if your heart is not in it.
Ultimately, if you won't back yourself to make a success of life in human rights/criminal law then why should any firm be prepared to do so?
If you can bear to do this, apply to a firm that will fund you through the GDL and LPC and then once you are qualified (at no expense to you), you can find a job you are really interested in doing. There is no point saddling yourself in debts of £20,000 needlessly. Think of it as a small sacrifice of 2 years to be able to do what you really want.
If you are committed to criminal/human rights work and are prepared to take the risk of a difficult job market ('best value' tendering, fixed fees, CLACS, CLANS and illegal LSC contracts, etc), you should follow your heart. It's not a boom area and you will never earn the sort of sums available in the commercial world, but it can be done - and if you work part-time while you're studying the LPC, or do the LPC part-time and combine it with a full-time job, you should be able to survive financially. It's fairly easy to get a loan to take the course and most of them will give you a window after finishing the course before you have to start repayments. It's hard for City lawyers to understand that people might be motivated by something other than money - but you shouldn't take the negative comments on this forum too much to heart. A couple of hours a month doing pro bono work doesn't compare with the satisfaction of helping vulnerable clients. The LSC sponsorship scheme does operate at some firms (though not many) - the bigger legal aid firms (Hickman & Rose, Bindmans, Fisher Meredith, etc) are probably a good starting point. You do need to stay in legal aid for a couple of years post-qual, though, or you will have to pay it back. Good luck and I hope you don't lose your idealism.
I can see the financial sense in getting a TC with a commercial firm, in order to get funding for your studies, but think very carefully about whether you really want to do this. I did exactly that - got a TC with a City firm, who sponsored me on the CPE and LPC, but I never had any intention of doing commercial of work on qualification. The two years of the TC were very difficult indeed. These firms expect a lot of you in terms of dedication, long hours and give you little support. (Having said this, I did my TC in the early 1990s, so perhaps City firms are more enlightened in the way they treat trainees now? I would be interested to know!) This is (or was) all par for the course as a trainee, but it's even harder if your heart is not in it and you're not interested in, or motivated to do, that type of work. Only do this if you are a very strong and determined type of person, who is prepared to put up with anything and to sacrifice two years of your social life in order to qualify.
Having said this, I did manage to move into the type of law I wanted to do on qualification and have been doing it ever since - and am debt free.
Anyone who pays for the LPC themselves is a fool. At best, it's mindnumbingly boring; at worst colouring in for beginners. But at least if you're paid for, you'll enjoy the huge amount of free time. So bite the bullet, screw up your right-on attitude for a few years and get a TC with a firm that'll pay. As you won't care about your future with the firm, there'll be no pressure to work hard or show any eagerness, initiative, focus, skill or committment. And it's always possible that once you've done, say, a year of your training, you can quit, pick up your training somewhere else and your sponsoring firm will just write the fees and maintenance (I have a very good friend who did just that).
US associate is clearly talking out of his rear end. There is some good advice in this apart from his.
I paid my own GDL and LPC fees using a bank loan because I hadn't managed to secure a training contract when I started the courses. I hoped I would get a training contract with a firm that would reimburse the fees. This didn't happen. The firm which offered me a contract in the end did not offer any financial support. On the plus side: I am now training in a decent firm (albeit a stingy one). On the down side: I have to pay the bank a sizable chunk every month to pay back the debt. It was a big risk but it paid off (or at least it will when I qualify).
If you don’t fancy the bank loan option or you don’t have wealthy parents, try looking at law school scholarships. I was awarded one which reduced the fee burden by a thousand quid or so. Some are more generous.
I finished my undergraduate degree in journalism in '06 and am now about to take my GDL exams in May before starting my LPC in September. I took out a professional trainee loan with Natwest to pay for my GDL fees, and have studied for it part-time over two years so I can work full-time, as I plan to for the LPC. My wage means I can live a comfortable lifestyle whilst at law school and pay off bits of the loan as I go along as it has a good low interest rate. I’m also getting great business experience in a job where I use a lot of law. I’ve arranged to pay for my LPC in the same manner as a back up in case I secure a TC with a firm I want to work at that doesn’t cover my fees. If they do then it’s a bonus, but it’s perfectly achievable by this method. I understand it can seem a daunting prospect, particularly if you’re already saddled with student debt, but I’ve been taught that if you really want something you should stand on your own two feet and go get it yourself, rather than wait for someone else to bring it to you on a plate. If you hold off progressing with your career purely because of money your commitment will be questioned, as it may also by training with a commercial firm that will pay your way only to switch to another practicing in totally different areas once you qualify. Like you I am planning to utilise my first degree and practice media law which is one of the most competitive areas there is, so I would advise you to think hard about anything that would stop you from jumping in feet first and go getting that TC, because otherwise I might! Integrity, independence, confidence and fearlessness are all qualities any firm will love, use them and they will work for you. Good luck comrade!
The last poster appears to be dangerously deluded - do not listen to him! Just think very carefully, and act accordingly, that is all I will say, in addition to my post above, which was the first in this thread.
I actually think that previous poster made the most sense. Rather than compromising on the type of firm you want to work at soley for the purpose of getting handouts, you're covering all the bases in case you don't get your fees paid. Yes, you might have a bit more debt than some, but as long as you don't live ridiculously beyond your means (and I know plenty of lawyers that do) you will earn more than enough to afford the repayments and will ultimately have far greater job satisfaction, in turn making you a better lawyer. It's refreshing to see there are some future trainees prepared to resist sell-out in order to succeed in an area they're passionate about. I only wish I had done the same thing; whilst I love my job I practice in an area I never dreamed I would end up in, at the expense of my first love as it were, because I took the TC that gave me everything. This now includes regret over what could have been, but once I became established and started heading up the ladder my loyalty was one of the features that was praised the most, in effect rendering it almost impossible to leave. Firms want satisfied employees and can spot the ones a mile off who's hearts aren't in it. If you didn't already have strong preference areas I would advise you to go for the firm that financially assists you the most as you would have little to lose and may stumble upon work you really like during the TC. However, if you already have a dream then follow it as best you can, and don't be put off by the cynics who only wish they had done the same. Remember, no amount of money can buy your soul.
agree with the last poster: there are already too many students who believe confidence and belief will land them a TC in their area of choice, so are willing to pay for them themselves. Go to any course provider and ask them questions such as "how many of their students manage to find a TC 2 years after graduating?" and for part-time courses "what is the drop out rate". If they won't give you a straight answer, that's very telling. I did the GDL part-time and LPC full time. Paid for the first one myself, and got a firm to pay for the second. My experience is that while starting the LPC without a TC is a big enough risk, doing it part-time is even more dangerous. Only 2 of my fellow-PT GDL students are still carrying on, out of a group of 30. And trying to find a TC while on PT is difficult as you are out of sync with everybody. Also my experience is that unless you have valid reason, firms do favour full-time students, though they'll tell you otherwise......... anyway, my view is: do NOT start the LPC unless you have a TC!
I did both the GDL and LPC part-time, and am now a successful IP lawyer at a large City firm. I also paid for the GDL myself and had preparations in place for the LPC just in case, although I managed to secure a TC and the funding beforehand. Doing the qualifications part-time is only dangerous to those who lack commitment and probably decided to study law on a whim. They will lose an awful lot of money, as presumably they didn't get sponsorship or they wouldn't have been able to drop out so easily. I also worked in a related role during the time I was studying, and was offered a TC by the first four firms I was interviewed by. Their feedback notably mentioned my obvious commitment to the profession through studying part-time, and my good commercial awareness. Studying law full-time obviously has its benefits, I was 25 when I commenced my TC (choosing to do a sciences degree first to obtain a specialism) whereas some of the other trainees were only 22, but the age factor was not even noticable and I was soon set apart from my peers as someone with greater professional and people skills and more business sense. The danger with full-time students now their part-time counterparts are becoming more and more prevailent is the issue of naivety. Knowing only the law inside out will make you a good academic, but not a good lawyer. One would-be trainee I spoke to on my interview day was on course for a double-starred first from Warwick, but then proceeded to state, 'I know what the FTSE is, but what exactly does it stand for again?'. Suffice to say I didn't see him in the office on my first day.
My advice is to be prepared, but also realistic. If you're going to pay for it yourself make sure you are condfident you have something that makes you stand out from the crowd to minimise the risk. Otherwise don't gamble with the possibility of getting no return on your investment and don't sign up for the LPC before you get a TC.
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