3 Types of Law Degrees

Practising law in the United Kingdom typically requires a qualifying law degree (LLB) from one of many universities that offer this programme. However, that’s not the only path you can take when you’re interested in studying law.

Review the types of law degrees you can earn and the jobs you can pursue after graduation. 

Note: Each jurisdiction in the UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland) has its own courts, law school procedures, professional titles, and regulatory bodies. This article focuses on the court systems and educational requirements of England and Wales specifically.

What is a law degree?

In the UK, law degrees fit within the category of bachelor’s degrees. In England and Wales, you can get a bachelor of laws (LLB) and prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) or the Bar Practice Course (the course you must pass to become a barrister). Or, you can get a BA law (a bachelor of arts degree with an emphasis in law) if you’d like to apply your knowledge of law to a career in another field, like politics, journalism, or business.

Law degree coursework

The specific classes you take will depend on the type of law degree you pursue and the university you attend. For example, as a first-year LLB student, you may participate in courses covering broader topics like contract law and public law. Later, you may take courses that concentrate on narrower topics, such as international commercial law or civil dispute resolution.

Law degree skills

If you’re seeking to practise law as a career, you’ll have an opportunity to hone valuable transferable skills whilst getting your degree, such as:

• Critical thinking

• Logical reasoning

• Public speaking

• Problem-solving

• Communication

• Persuasion

• Teamwork 

Steps for becoming a solicitor or barrister

Although you have a few options for becoming a lawyer, knowing about the typical steps can help with planning. Consider these seven steps towards becoming a solicitor or barrister. 

1. Get the right qualifications for a law degree programme. 

To qualify for a law degree programme, you’ll typically need to complete a minimum of three A levels with A or A* grades. Although not required, good A level subjects for a future law career might include economics, government and politics, or history. 

2. Consider whether you want to become a solicitor or barrister. 

Solicitors and barristers both practise law in England and Wales. Whilst solicitors conduct most of their work from an office (like preparing wills or working on property issues), barristers represent clients in court dressed in traditional wig and gown attire. Solicitors usually work for a law firm, company, or government agency, whilst barristers often work for themselves.

3. Get a law degree (or complete an apprenticeship). 

Decide if you want to pursue an LLB or go on to earn a master of laws (LLM). You can also become a solicitor by completing a Solicitor Apprenticeship, a Level 7 programme spanning six years.

4. Take the solicitor’s qualifying exam (SQE) to become a solicitor. 

The SQE encompasses two stages that test your legal knowledge and your practical legal skills. Typically, you will take the first assessment after obtaining your law degree.

5. Get two years of qualifying work experience (training contract) to become a solicitor.

This step involves getting two years of qualifying work experience at a law firm. After this step, you’ll take the practical skills portion (stage two) of the SQE.

6. Pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) and Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) to become a barrister.

To become a barrister, you’ll need to pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) and join one of the four Inns of Court (Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln’s Inn, or Middle Temple), where you’ll take the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) instead of completing a training contract. This course lasts one to two years, after which you’ll become an unregistered barrister. 

7. Complete a pupillage to become a registered barrister.

Once you’ve completed the BPTC, you’ll engage in a one-year period of work experience called pupillage, whereupon you can apply for authorisation to practise as a registered barrister.

3 types of law degrees

Depending on your career goals, you can pursue one of these law degrees:

1. Bachelor of laws (LLB)

LLB stands for the Latin term, Legum Baccalaureus, which translates to bachelor of laws. A Level 6 undergraduate degree, the LLB can take three years to complete with full-time study. Seven required subjects of study for an LLB include:

• Constitutional/administrative law

• Contract law

• Criminal law

• Equity and Trusts

• EU law

• Land law

• Tort law

You will also have a variety of elective subject options, and the final year of coursework ends with a dissertation.

2. Master of laws (LLM)

The master of laws (LLM) is a great option if you’ve already earned your LLB and want to build expertise in general law or a specific area of law, such as employment law or criminal litigation. Lawyers from outside England and Wales may also wish to pursue this degree to gain knowledge of the English legal system. It’s a customisable programme that typically takes one year to complete with full-time study or two years with part-time study.

3. Bachelor of arts (BA) in law

The BA law equates to a bachelor of arts degree with an emphasis in law. This degree might benefit you if you’re interested in a field other than law, like politics or business, or if you’d like to explore the academic side of law. Or, you can pair this degree with the PGDL (post-graduate diploma in law) conversion course if you choose to pursue a law career. A bachelor of arts degree usually takes three years to complete, and the PGDL typically adds one more year.

What can you do with a law degree?

As mentioned, you can pursue a career as a solicitor or a barrister with a law degree.

Additional legal jobs you might get with a law degree include:

• Chartered legal executive

• Conveyancer

• Judicial assistant

• Law Commission researcher

• Legal secretary

• Paralegal

• Usher

If you prefer working in a nonlegal field, you can apply your law education to many areas. The fields below allow you to use skills you developed at university in many different situations:

• Advertising and marketing

• Business

• Charity, nonprofit, and NGO

• Education

• Government

• Human resources (HR)

• Media

• Politics

Next steps for a law degree

Knowing about various law degrees and what you can do with them can help you decide if law makes a good career path for you. You will find several paths you can take, giving you the freedom to choose whether you’d like to become a solicitor, a barrister, or use your law background to seek an entirely different role.

To learn even more about law as a possible career, consider taking an introductory-level course in law. Introduction to English Common Law offered by the University of London on Coursera has six modules that cover constitutional principles of the English legal system, the court system, statutes, case law, and more. This course takes about 23 hours to complete, and you can learn and study at your own pace.