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Routes into a Legal Career

You want to start your legal career, but which route should you choose?

three lawyers talking

Success starts here

There are several paths you could take to start and grow your legal career, and each has its advantages.

Most people assume that you need a degree to become a lawyer – it’s true that many people come into law with a degree but many people also choose the CILEx route. CILEx leads to a more specialised career and does not require a degree. You can also start work as an apprentice.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can earn and learn at the same time – there are several different routes to becoming a lawyer and while you will have to study further whichever route you take, we can help you both to get the experience you need and support you in your studies. We also offer apprenticeships.

You can either choose the CILEx route, which leads you into a more specialised career, or you can study for a law degree part-time. That takes longer, but is broader.

Most second year students will tell you that vacation schemes are really useful, and we’re pleased with ours. It gives you a real taste of the profession and some ideas about the areas you might specialise in. You can also get to know the firm a bit so that you’re well-placed to come back to us when your course is over and talk about training contracts.

We are proud of our open approach to people – we want talented, hardworking individuals, whatever their background, to know that they can develop their career here. We know that life is not all about work and that our people have lives beyond the office, so we are flexible – it’s one of the reasons that people stay here until they reach partner level.

Plenty – all those lawyers need great service teams behind them, from marketing and IT to HR, accounts and as wide a range of admin roles as you will find anywhere. We have ten offices, and we’re growing all the time, so there’s likely to be a role for you if you’re ready for something different every day.

We offer apprenticeships and we’re keen to support you to develop your career, with training and professional study, so do come and talk to us.

Start your journey

Contact us today if you have an enquiry about early careers at HCR

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