"The Challenges of Becoming a Solicitor Are Deterring Many Able Candidates from Entering the Profession». Discuss the Extent to Which This Is True.

687 Words3 Pages
«The challenges of becoming a solicitor are deterring many able candidates from entering the profession». Discuss the extent to which this is true. Several criticisms can be made on how the challenges of becoming a solicitor deter many able candidates from becoming solicitors. The main challenge that put candidates off becoming solicitors are the cost, the increasing university fees does not help. Since 2012 the cost for one year, at university (fees), has been as high as £9,000. A law degree takes at least three years, so that will be £18,000 and on top of that the students need a place to live in, food and what not at university. There is also the legal practice course (LPC) at £12,000 and if the solicitor- to- be have gone the graduate route they will need to pay for the conversion course (the common professional examination) at £10,000. Put all together you have a minimum cost at £30,000. The expenses scare a lot of able candidates away from the profession, able candidates from poorer families either take up a loan or they choose another profession. If they choose to take up a loan, they will find themselves in debt even before they have begun working as solicitors. The danger here is that the profession will be dominated by (some argue it already is) elitists, people from wealthy families that can pay everything for them. This tendency is dangerous because the profession will not reflect diversity if all the would-be solicitors are elitists (middle-class/rich, exclusive and so on). However some small measures have been taken, the LPC can be taken over two years, and then the would-be solicitors would be able to take a job and do the course at the same time. Since there are lots of people becoming solicitors, there has been a negative development, over-supply. Too many candidates pass their LPC compared to how many training contracts there is available for

More about "The Challenges of Becoming a Solicitor Are Deterring Many Able Candidates from Entering the Profession». Discuss the Extent to Which This Is True.

Open Document