PSC: the different routes

Dec 10, 2021

Written By Shermaine Williams

Once you decide that you want to become a qualified solicitor, you must opt for the Professional Skills Course (PSC) following completion of your LPC. However, within the PSC, there are several routes to choose from to guide you in your chosen career.

Corporate route

Taking the corporate route is ideal for those who intend to pursue a career within the type of large law firm that handles legal matters on behalf of companies. In this role, you will mostly be dealing with commercial matters, so naturally, the focus of this branch of the course is commercial.

The elective modules—Non-contentious Skills—are especially relevant when it comes to the corporate route, as these are the skills that you will put to the most use.

Commercial and Private Route

A career within a law firm that offers legal services to both private individuals and commercial entities will be aided by pursuing the commercial and private route. Though you may specialise in a particular class of law within this role, you are still likely to enjoy a varied workload due to the potential to be engaged by a wide range of different clients. Pursuing this route would enable you to work as a fee earner in a range of law firms. This means that each of the elective modules could prove useful, so you should consider your potential speciality when making a choice.

In-house lawyers route

Working as a lawyer for a single company will create a situation where the range and extent of work that you undertake will vary according to the size and business of that company. The workload can be varied because you will be required to consider all of the legal issues that could arise within the organisation.

Accordingly, you could benefit from a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious options, such as employment law and contract law respectively.

It is important to be aware of what path you want to take before considering the different routes available, which will ensure that you gain the skills that are most relevant to your requirements. By reviewing the competencies that you can learn within each of the electives before booking the PSC, you can be fully prepared for what is to come.

PSC