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Your Future Career

Law graduates have always enjoyed excellent long-term career prospects. Our degrees have been carefully designed to evolve with the ever-changing legal landscape, and to equip students with the legal knowledge and skills demanded by an increasingly globalised industry.

In today’s rapidly changing employment environment an LLB Law degree remains highly valued by business and industry. For that reason graduates go on to a range of destinations.

All of our undergraduate LLB degree schemes are Qualifying Law Degrees, approved by the Law Society of England and Wales and recognised for entry onto professional vocational training required to become a Solicitor or Barrister. Our Postgraduate courses prepare students for careers with law firms, international organisations, local government, teaching and research. The academic experience offered by the School is enriched by a programme of activities designed to encourage students to accelerate their personal development and to cultivate skills that will give them an edge in the increasingly competitive job market.

 

Careers in Law

The legal profession in England and Wales is divided into two distinct and independent branches. Solicitors are professionally regulated by the Law Society, whereas the General Council of the Bar (known as the 'Bar Council') regulates entry and progression for prospective barristers.

If you intend to practice law either as a solicitor or barrister, then you will, first of all, need to complete an LLB degree with Qualifying Law Degree status. All Bangor LLB degrees have QLD status, meaning that they are recognised by the Law Society, the Bar Council of England and Wales, and the Law Society of Ireland for professional purposes in these three countries. You will then need to undertake further study and vocational training, as outlined below.

Becoming a solicitor

On completion of an LLB degree, students wishing to train as solicitors in England and Wales are required to pass a year-long Legal Practice Course (LPC) followed by a training contract. Further information about qualifying as a solicitor is available on the Prospects website.

Becoming a barrister

To become a barrister, graduates must undertake the one-year Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), followed by a training period known as a pupillage. Competition for both the BPTC and pupillages is fierce and many large firms recruit trainees directly from their placement schemes. Further information about qualifying as a barrister can be found on the Bar Standards Board website.

Practicing Law in another country

If you intend to practice Law in another country (e.g. you are an international student who intends to practice Law in your home country), please ensure that you research the requirements for entering the legal profession in that particular country, which may well be different to those of England and Wales.

Careers outside the legal profession

A wide range of avenues are open to Law graduates who wish to pursue a career outside the legal profession. By studying Law, students develop an impressive range of transferable skills including communication, problem-solving, negotiating and teamwork.

These skills are equally sought after in fields such as advice work (including welfare advice and housing); local authorities (e.g. trading standards officers); accountancy (particularly auditing, which requires both financial and legal acumen); human resources management; the Inland Revenue; the Civil Service (including the Lord Chancellor’s Department); the Police; Journalism; and Information Management.

Bangor’s LLB ‘Law with’ degrees also enable students to acquire knowledge and skills in other subject areas. These degree schemes are particularly suitable for candidates contemplating careers outside the legal profession.

Career support

In order to capitalise on their university experience, students are encouraged to make full use of Bangor University's lively and innovative Skills and Employability Service. In addition to offering careers guidance and information, it offers a work placements, a job shop, an entrepreneurship programme and a host of other resources.

The Law School also offers a range of services and activities designed to improve your career prospects - see our Skills and Employability pages for further information.

Recent graduate destinations

Bangor graduates have found employment or further study opportunities in recent times in some of the following organisations:

  • Lincoln’s Inn (Bar)
  • Middle Temple (Bar)
  • College of Law (Solicitor Training)
  • HM Revenue and Customs, Treasury Solicitor
  • New York Bar
  • University of Arizona
  • Bank of Shanghai
  • United Nations
  • Whitehall
  • Federal Capital Development Administration in Nigeria
  • Immigration Control
  • Reserve Bank of Malawi
  • Her Majesty’s Courts Service
  • Cabinet Office, London
  • Oxford Institute of Legal Practice (Legal Practice Course)
  • Wilson Browne Solicitors
  • College of Law, Chester
  • Stephensons Solicitors LLP
  • Gwynedd County Council
  • University of the West of England, Bristol (Bar Professional Training Course)
  • Old People’s Commission Wales
  • Marsden & Rawthorn
  • Edward Hughes Solicitors
  • RAF
  • Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Cordner Lewis Solicitors
  • Tudur Owen Roberts Glynne & Co
  • Howell Davies & Co
  • University of Exeter
  • Ernst & Young (Human Capital department)
  • Monbus (legal department)
  • FoxMandal Little
  • University of Portsmouth
  • Central Bank of Malawi
  • Government of Sindh