Self-fund LPC/SQE or paralegal if looking to apply for LLM

[eleven14og]

Hi guys,

I am an international student who just graduated from a London RG university with a mid-2.1 in law. I was disappointed to know that I cannot attend the LLM programme this year as I failed to meet one of the conditions. I haven't bagged a TC in this cycle so I am thinking about other things to do for the next year. I think I will also reapply to the LLM programmes in the next academic year because a PG degree is pretty much a must if I want to work back home.

I am considering whether I should join LPC/SQE or work as a paralegal (or other law related jobs) for the coming year. I have read Jessica's reply on another post on how LPC is not a good option if one's TC starts in 2024/2025, which is likely the case for me. Does this mean self-funding SQE courses are more preferable?

As for potential paralegal roles, I see many job openings require one to complete LPC and to have prior experience in the relevant field. I have had two legal internships. One is in the IPO team in my home jurisdiction, while the other one I am currently on is in Litigation in London. I think in comparison getting a paralegal job will be better considering my hope to get a TC and apply for LLM. But I am not quite sure about the prospect of getting a paralegal job without much experience and LPC. Also, I would probably prioritise applying for VS for the next cycle, so I am not sure whether I could attend VS while on a paralegal job.

So my questions are:

1. Concerning my desire to apply for TC and LLM, which of the two is better? Can I still attend VS while on a paralegal job?

2. Is it feasible to get a paralegal job w/o TC, LPC, and legal work experience? If so, should I disregard the requirements on the job posts and just apply? Or are there any means to find such positions that have fewer requirements?

3. Is it ok if I apply to paralegal jobs while on the Graduate Route Visa?

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi guys,

I am an international student who just graduated from a London RG university with a mid-2.1 in law. I was disappointed to know that I cannot attend the LLM programme this year as I failed to meet one of the conditions. I haven't bagged a TC in this cycle so I am thinking about other things to do for the next year. I think I will also reapply to the LLM programmes in the next academic year because a PG degree is pretty much a must if I want to work back home.

I am considering whether I should join LPC/SQE or work as a paralegal (or other law related jobs) for the coming year. I have read Jessica's reply on another post on how LPC is not a good option if one's TC starts in 2024/2025, which is likely the case for me. Does this mean self-funding SQE courses are more preferable?

As for potential paralegal roles, I see many job openings require one to complete LPC and to have prior experience in the relevant field. I have had two legal internships. One is in the IPO team in my home jurisdiction, while the other one I am currently on is in Litigation in London. I think in comparison getting a paralegal job will be better considering my hope to get a TC and apply for LLM. But I am not quite sure about the prospect of getting a paralegal job without much experience and LPC. Also, I would probably prioritise applying for VS for the next cycle, so I am not sure whether I could attend VS while on a paralegal job.

So my questions are:

1. Concerning my desire to apply for TC and LLM, which of the two is better? Can I still attend VS while on a paralegal job?

2. Is it feasible to get a paralegal job w/o TC, LPC, and legal work experience? If so, should I disregard the requirements on the job posts and just apply? Or are there any means to find such positions that have fewer requirements?

3. Is it ok if I apply to paralegal jobs while on the Graduate Route Visa?

Thanks!

1) There won't be a better one as such - you have to really weigh up what is better for you. However, you can apply for TCs and LLMs as they aren't mutually exclusive. Some people will find that they can attend a VS while paralegalling but for some organisations they won't consider this due to the necessary conflict checks that would need to be in place. It very much depends on your paralegal employer, your VS employer and how closely aligned they are.

2) Yes - plenty of people will secure paralegal roles with no TC and no LPC. I would say having no legal work experience is likely to make it more difficult to secure a paralegal role, although I have seen it happen when people have other work experience in industries related to their paralegal work.

3) Yes - as the visa is with you (you apply for it/pay for it) then you can work as a paralegal. You may want to focus on contract roles though rather than permanent positions, as with a permanent position they could be expecting you to work long-term and therefore not having the right to work after a period of time may not be attractive to them.

 

[eleven14og]

1) There won't be a better one as such - you have to really weigh up what is better for you. However, you can apply for TCs and LLMs as they aren't mutually exclusive. Some people will find that they can attend a VS while paralegalling but for some organisations they won't consider this due to the necessary conflict checks that would need to be in place. It very much depends on your paralegal employer, your VS employer and how closely aligned they are.

2) Yes - plenty of people will secure paralegal roles with no TC and no LPC. I would say having no legal work experience is likely to make it more difficult to secure a paralegal role, although I have seen it happen when people have other work experience in industries related to their paralegal work.

3) Yes - as the visa is with you (you apply for it/pay for it) then you can work as a paralegal. You may want to focus on contract roles though rather than permanent positions, as with a permanent position they could be expecting you to work long-term and therefore not having the right to work after a period of time may not be attractive to them.

Thank you for your reply Jessica! I will consider my options carefully.