Why study a law degree?

Feb 09, 2018

Written By Coventry University Careers Centre

Why study law?

Deciding what course to take at university is no easy task. This article explores why you might want to study law, what you might get out of a law degree and the entry requirements for law.

If you're keen to find out about undergraduate courses options straight away though, head over to our LLB courses section.

Just like choosing your A-levels, there are always going to be at least three main factors that you’ll need to consider when thinking about your degree options.

What is going to motivate you for the next three or four years of your life and what are you going to enjoy studying? If you get this part wrong, there is a good chance that you will not make it through your course.
What do you think will build on your strengths and abilities and what do you think you will do well in? Will you be suited to the intellectual demands of this course?
How does your degree subject fit in with your career aims?

If law ticks all these boxes, then you have already made a great start.

What are my career options with a law degree?

Most students will choose law because they are interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession. Law is a demanding course and training places for solicitors and barristers are highly competitive and limited.

However, for those with the right aptitudes and motivation, the rewards of legal career can be great, both in terms of salary levels and personal development.

Unfortunately, getting into the legal profession is very challenging; so many students do need to consider other options.

Happily, not only will a law degree provide you with access to a variety of legal careers, it will also give you an excellent springboard into a wide range of other professions.

More than half of all the graduate jobs do not require any particular degree background and a good Law degree will allow you to present plenty of important skills to future employers.

What kind of skills will I develop through a law degree?

Through your analysis of case studies and other work on your course, you will become highly skilled in researching and assimilating large amounts of information and complex data.

These are important skills in a vast range of professions in commerce and industry.

You will develop very strong oral and written communications skills, which are needed by all employers these days.

You will learn to approach tasks in a clear, reasoned and logical way.

You will become an effective problem solver and develop an understanding of the needs of your clients. A law degree can also help you improve your commercial awareness.

What are the entry requirements for a law degree?

Law might have tough entry requirements (you’ll most likely need three good A-levels to have a chance of getting on a good course), but it is widely available at a large number of universities and can be studied in combination with a number of other subjects.

You can take a look at some of the many combinations that are available on the UCAS website. How about law and management or languages, ICT or politics, journalism or social anthropology?

All in all, a law degree is a very highly regarded and respected undergraduate qualification.

The subject matter covers an essential part of everyday life and it will provide a great stimulus for those who are keen to know more about the legal framework in which we all live.

Ever considered studying law online?

There are so many study mode options available to aspiring lawyers now. But which one is right for you? Find out with Arden University's handy decision-making tool.

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Law Degree