You could do a law degree, or a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) if your degree is not in law. You would then do:

• the Graduate Fast-Track Diploma
• 3 years' qualifying employment

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

You could take the following college courses to qualify:

• CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice
• CILEx Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice

After completing a college qualification, you would do a 3-year period of qualifying employment. This means you'll carry out legal work under the supervision of a solicitor, senior chartered legal executive, barrister or licensed conveyancer.

You could do this in a legal practice, a legal department of a private company or in a government department.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
• 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course

You could take start by taking a Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

You could then move on to a:

• Chartered Legal Executive Level 6 Non-Degree Apprenticeship
• Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate Level 7 Non-Degree Apprenticeship

As part of an apprenticeship you will study to gain the following professional qualifications:

• CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice
• CILEx Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

A lot of people work for a law firm and study for qualifications part time.

You could study for CILEx qualifications even if you're not working in a legal environment, as long as you meet their entry requirements. Qualifications may be studied full-time, part-time or by distance learning.

You'll still need some work experience to give you a chance of finding a job once you're qualified.

You'll need:

• excellent verbal communication skills
• excellent written communication skills
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
• the ability to use your initiative
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Your day-to-day duties will depend on your specialism. You could:

• advise clients and explain legal matters
• contact mortgage lenders, planning officers or other professionals on behalf of clients
• research and summarise legal information
• prepare legal documents
• write to clients
• draw up wills
• prepare contracts
• represent clients in court
• prepare bills for clients

You could work at a police station, in a court or in an office.