6 Getting ready

Working through the formal stages to becoming a barrister may seem a while off. However, there are things you can start to do right now to prepare.

Best grades

Work hard to get the best academic grades you can.

Develop your skills

Join a club or society that will help you develop relevant skills. For example, your school or college may have a debating society. If so, it’s a great way to get practice in public speaking.

Go to a court

Visit your local court. If you are 14 or over you can sit in the public gallery and listen to cases. Not only is this really interesting, it also gives you the opportunity to observe barristers at work.

Current affairs

Take an interest in current affairs. Read broadsheet newspapers or read news stories online (from reliable sources) to keep up-to-date with the world.

Legal press

It is recommended that you hold down the Crtl button on your keyboard and click on the links below to open them in a new window.

Keep an eye on the legal press. Most of the biggest legal websites, including Legal Cheek [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , have resources aimed at students. In addition, there are sites dedicated to legal careers, including lawcareers.net.

Hobbies

Keep up with your hobbies. Universities and Chambers will want to see that you are a well-rounded individual. Having hobbies and interests demonstrates this.

Volunteering

Check for volunteer opportunities locally. These will often help you develop really useful skills for your future career.

It is recommended that you hold down the Crtl button on your keyboard and click on the links below to open them in a new window.

These two websites showcase volunteering opportunities: V-Inspired and Volunteering Matters for Young People.

Presentation and public speaking skills

Take every opportunity to practise your presentation and public speaking skills.

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Barrister briefing! Sometimes people think that to do a law degree they need to have studied law at GCSE or A level. That is not the case! Although law is a really interesting subject in its own right, universities do not assume that new students have any legal knowledge. You will need to study A levels, but you should think about doing subjects which develop relevant skills (e.g. English for communication skills). If you have a particular university in mind, it is worth contacting their admissions team to ask if there are any particular A level subjects they prefer.

5 Becoming a barrister

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