Legal Profession OCR Sample Question
Discuss the difficulties faced by people wanting to join either the Bar or the solicitor's profession and how these difficulties may stop suitable people becoming barristers or solicitors.
Suggested level 4 answer

The first [?] for students wanting to enter the legal profession is that of [?]. Students firstly have to pay for university and expenses. Non- graduates have to pay the additional cost of the C , lasting . No funding is available for the ([?]) for barristers or the () for solicitors and the for either course can be in excess of £10,000. Students will also have to [?] themselves during this year, forcing many to seek loans. The average student could easily owe over £20,000 when qualified. Some firms may offer to pay the cost of the LPC for exceptional students. Scholarships are available from the of for student barristers, but once again, only for exceptional students.

The has finally decided that during [?] trainee barristers should have a small wage of £10,000, but even with this the training is long and expensive. Pupils may take on cases in their second months, but the for such low level work are not high, and Barristers fees do not come in until some time after the work is done.

This cost may [?] young people from families from undertaking the training, even though they have a [?] law degree and narrow the social base of the profession to the upper and classes who have support from their . Other students may take out bank loans, so that although they qualify, they begin their career with a substantial .

The second major diffculty is the - of students. Now that a greater number of institutions are offering the and , there are far more students passing than there are or and there is intense competition for places. There are over 1000 BVC students chasing around 800 places in [?] to do their pupillages each year. For those who complete their pupillage only 50% will get a [?]. Every year at least one third of those who successfully pass the LPC are unable to find . Some large city firms clearly favour students from traditional and not 'new' universities.

There is a clear danger of large numbers of students spending money on fees and costs, and wasting at least a year of their life without any prospect of starting a career in private practice.