Legal education: The profession is opening its doors to mature career-switchers

According to The Law Society, almost 5 per cent of the solicitors admitted to the roll in 2014 were over 40 - Amy McLellan

Female barristers in court (Alamy)

There is no doubt that a legal career is not for the faint-hearted, with fierce competition driving relentless focus on outstanding academic results, not to mention curating a CV that shines with serious work experience and glittering extra-curricular achievements. The numbers speak for themselves: around 20,000 students a year study law at undergraduate level, but those that wish to stick with the profession quickly hit a bottleneck, with only around 5,300 traineeships for would-be solicitors and fewer than one in five aspiring barristers securing pupillage.

Competition is not deterring new blood from seeking to join the profession, however, which over the past decade has been working hard to throw off its reputation as the preserve of privilege: the 2014 annual statistics report from The Law Society shows 48 per cent of practising solicitors are women while representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic groups is now at 15 per cent, more than double the 2000 level. To help with this diversity push, the profession is keen to encourage career switchers and mature students to apply in order to access a broad mix of skills and experiences that better reflect society at large.

According to The Law Society, almost 5 per cent of the solicitors admitted to the roll in 2014 were over 40, and another 1.9 per cent were over 50. "Law firms appreciate the wealth of experience that comes with employing people who have had a previous career, so law can be a good choice for people looking to change direction,” says a Law Society spokesperson. "From negotiation to team working, there are many skills that are transferable to the legal sector t employers will be looking for."

Law firms appreciate the wealth of experience that comes with employing people who have had a previous career

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This is echoed by Peter Crisp, dean of BPP University Law School. “It's the often case that law firms like recruiting people who have done other things,” says Crisp. “It's not just their work ethic but also a question of experience, attitude and behaviour that can make them very good in client-facing roles.”

Late-to-law students come from many backgrounds: David Reed was 50 and a head chef when he quit to study the LLB at the University of Sheffield. Other mature students include ex-sales managers, personal assistants and former members of the armed forces.

Their more advanced years are no deterrent to career success. Sarah Cooper, senior lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University, says the mature students graduating from her GDL conversion programme do very well. “As with our younger students, the ones who achieve the most are not just those who work hard academically, but those who are also actively involved in mooting societies, taking on internships and roles in the Student Union societies,” she notes.

There are many challenges facing aspiring lawyers but age, it seems, is not one of them.