A law degree at university is not a skills training course; it’s an academic discipline in its own right, one of the best there is. Jurisprudence, Roman law, legal history
and more, as well as the 7 core subjects, it’s all really interesting, intellectually rigorous if you go to a decent university, and a great move forward from all the schooly subjects you’ve done to death since you were 11 – history, English lit, geography.

Sure, a lot of law undergraduates want to become lawyers afterwards, but it absolutely isn’t comparable with a dentistry degree or medicine. It is very useful to have an understanding of the law in all sorts of later careers or just in life.

The universities do need to make clear the stats, I agree, as well as the incredibly competitive business of getting a training contract. But to say there’s no “need” for a law degree is to focus on minimum effort. A CAMS certificate for AML is so narrow!

And it’s perfectly fine that you think that. Obviously exaggerating, but along the same lines, if you were to tell an 18 year old that they can get a car only to crash and get injured do you think they’d have preferred to be rejected by the dealership?

If many students end up regretting their degree choices, should we require parental or state approval before enrolling in university?

In your comment you’re prematurely telling students they will fail, and that it is impossible to pursue a legal career if your A-Levels are subpar. As financial investment disclosures go, past performance does not necessarily indicate future results.

The point I was making was: decrease amount of hand-holding and chatting about others (eg universities) enriching themselves, increase amount of focus on research, thinking, and striving for success for yourself. If you want it enough, you’ll realise the competitiveness and adapt accordingly.

There are sufficient sources showing the number of TCs offered, and simple calculations can identify how many graduate law each year.

The odds are never stacked in your favour. No one can guarantee anything besides death and taxes.

If you were to tell a graduate they can study law but only to fail to get a TC and graduate paralegalling for years before giving up and pursuing another career in their 30s, I think they’d have preferred to be rejected at the first hurdle.

Research the GDL process, keep in mind trainee intakes can be 50-50 law/non-law degrees and the fact that law firms can hire during your uni degree in which case they’ll also pay for the GDL.

Point is law firms don’t tend to discriminate based on your degree. They want to see your interest in a legal career and will hire based on it and your competency. If you can show this without a legal degree, and you see value in an economics degree make the switch. Its all about what works for you given the above.

Let people study what they want, this isn’t a country where legal studies are only allowed for the best and brightest.

The better informed will figure out the odds of joining law firms. Competition and strive will then naturally come about to create the result of the natural selection phenomenon.

A lot of people undertaking a business degree wish they’ll be CEOs and executives too – doesn’t mean there has to be space for them to actually become ones to study this.

Too many paternalistic leftists out here

I currently have a place for law at RG uni (mid tier) but I also meet the requirements for Economics degree at the same uni – do you guys think is better to do the economics degree and then switch to law?

You are the exception to the rule. For your one success case, how many people in your class didn’t make it? It does not negate the fact there are still too many places to study law.

This is a lie – i have a TC and i went to a uni a ranked 123 and my firm is a top firm. You dont have to go to a top uni just needs to apply yourself many firms are removing the grade criteria

But most of them will enroll on an LLB with the intention of becoming a lawyer, yet the only ones with a real chance will be those at top institutions.

No, let’s be more honest with ourselves here. The majority of law students, especially at top unis, want to become lawyers. If you want to work in an adjacent field, there is no need for a law degree and there are various certifications for them e.g CIPP/E for privacy, CAMS for AML. Law is a professional degree. You wouldn’t say ‘It’s ok if a dentistry graduate doesn’t become a dentist as there are plenty of other fields their skills are useful for.’ The only thing the oversupply of LLBs really accomplishes is graduate disappointment and broken dreams while enriching the universities

Other than academic jurisprudence, I’m genuinely curious. Government?

“Not all law students end up becoming lawyers.” – are prospective students getting a realistic idea of how many graduates from each uni are able to do so?

It would be good to see the SRA, BSB, CILEX etc publish some data on this as part of their reporting on new entrants to the professions.

Not all law students end up becoming lawyers. A three year LLB is extremely valuable in other fields.