What is the salary of a lawyer in the UK?

Lawyers are notoriously high earners, with some earning well over £100,000 per year! But what can you be expecting to earn as a trainee solicitor in the UK?

Lawyer Love

If the chat up lines didn't work for you and left you feeling a bit lonely, then this should cheer you up! 

And here's the transcript of the email ... Subject: Offer of love! Dearest Ms Heartbroken, 1. That I am very happy to inform you that I have fallen in Love with you since the 7th of August (Wednesday). 2. That with reference to the meeting held between us on the 11th of Aug. at 15:00hrs, I would like to present myself as a prospective lover. 3. That our love affair would be on probation for a period of three months and depending on compatibility, would be made permanent. 4. That needless to say and of course, upon completion of probation, I propose that there will be a continuous 'on the job training' and performance appraisal schemes leading up to promotion from lover to spouse. 5. That I propose that the expenses incurred for coffee and entertainment would initially be shared equally between us. 6. That I further propose that later, based on our mutual performance, I might take up a larger share of the expenses. 7. That however I am broad-minded enough to be taken care of, on your expense account. 8. That I humbly request you to kindly respond within 30 days of receiving this letter, failing which, this offer would be cancelled without further notice and I shall be considering someone else. 9. That I wish to add here that I would be happy, if you could forward this letter to your sister, if you do not wish to take up this offer. Wish you all the best! Thanking you in anticipation. Please reply if you desire so... Yours sincerely, Mr Lonely N.B this was not an actual email and the joke is taken from Santa Banta

More of the most cheesiest lawyer pickup lines (Part 2)

Yesterday we gave you 10 of the most cheesiest lawyer pickup lines, and we enjoyed it so much that today we've managed to find 8 more!  Well done to those brave enough to give them a go yesterday, but lets see how brave you are today as these are considerably more rude!

1. I'd have to plead insanity if I ever left you
2. When I think of you, I become fully vested
3. I've got a precedent that's long and deep
4. Is your estate subject to open?
5. I don't know if I have standing, but I'd love to court you
6. How about coming back to my place for a little actus reus?
7. When I bring an ejectment actiom, there'll be nothing quiet about your enjoyment
8. Let me show you my mens rea

Found via Pickup lines galore. Again, if you were brave enough to try these, let us know how it worked out for you in the comments!

If loving you is a crime, then I'm looking at a life sentence! (The 10 worst lawyer pickup lines)

As a future lawyer, working all hours can leave very little time for romance. But what's the point in studying for a impressive sounding degree if you can't use it to your advantage? We've found 10 of the worst, most cheesiest law-related pickup lines which are just begging you to give them a try. So while you're on taking a break from revision, why not try out a few of them out?!

1. There is no burden of proof for how fine you are
2. I think I'd be liable for negligence, if I neglected to come over and talk to you
3. Your body is ultra-vires, its beyond my power to control myself around you
4. I love you beyond a reasonable doubt
5. I'll teach you about jurisdiction, if we change the venue to my place
6. Why don't you take a look at my briefs?
7. If loving you is a crime, then I'm looking at a life sentence
8. Res ipsa loquitur, honey, your hot body speaks for itself!
9. I believe its in our best interest to comply with Section 69 of the Act
10. Excuse me, are you into reverse bifurcation?

If you liked these, watch out for part 2 tomorrow. Via Pick up lines galore. Let us know how it worked out in the comments below. 

So what is a MOOT?

A moot is basically a mock court room trial. Here's a definition from Wikipedia...

"A moot  court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, which usually involves drafting briefs and participating in oral argument."

You will more than likely do a moot in your first semester. But, don't worry, you should be given all the information you need when the time arrives. Most universities also have moot societies that allow you to practice and its a valuable asset for your c.v. 

Why do we have moots? As court proceedings are very rarely televised, a moot is good practice for forming your argument and presenting the case. You could go through university without participating in a moot until you're in the court room for real! 

In the mean time, why not watch a couple of mock moot trials on YouTube? 

University of Wolverhampton have a good introductory video.

Here you can see some finalists mooting in a European Human Rights Moot court competition

And here the University of Oxford gives a mooting master class.

Is it too late to become a lawyer?

Hi, 

I have decided after much internal debate that I really want to pursue a career in law. I'm a second year studying Philosophy & Economics at LSE, and got decent marks in my first year (67% = 2:1). Problem is that I have no legal work experience to speak of. I'm looking for some advice as to where to start on the road to becoming a lawyer, as every work experience thing I look at wants prior experience/ knowledge. What things can I do to prove that I'm serious about this?                                 By Hockey Joe

Dear Hockey Joe, 

First it's never too late to become a lawyer. Have you heard of the GDL? It's a year long conversion course that converts your non law degree into a law degree, so don't quit the degree you are already studying for as it may prove valuable in the future. You are already receiving good grades which will help you apply to the GDL and bigger law firms further down the line. 

After GDL conversion course you can then study for either the LPC in order to become a solicitor (which, if you get a training contract the company usually pays for this and also sometimes the GDL) or the BPTC followed by a pupilage to become a barrister. Some really useful websites are lawcareers and also Grad diaries to see what type of grades firms are looking for. This blog post may help you  to understand what is expected of you during a law degree.

Possible routes into the legal profession

Secondly, work experience is an extremely valuable thing to have on your c.v. It shows employers you are committed and interested in this career path. I wrote a previous post on the best types of work experience, which you can find here. But many extra-curricular activities provide similar skills to what are being sought, however this shouldn't replace relevant legal experience. Volunteering in a solicitors office or The Citizen's Advice Bureau is said to be some of the best places to gain relevant experience in multiple areas of law. However even open days, vacation schemes and mini-pupilages count towards experience, the best time to start apply is early January, but most  run throughout the year, Grad diaries is a great place to find this information.                              Lawyerano