Legal professionals n.e.c.

You could study for a law degree then complete:

• a CILEx Graduate Qualification (CGQ)
• 3 years' qualifying employment

The CGQ is a fast-track programme, which leads to qualification as a legal executive practitioner. A practitioner is a qualified lawyer who carries out legal tasks.

If you have a non-law degree, you can complete a master's in law or Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) before applying for the fast-track programme.

You could take a course in law before looking for a job, or moving on to an apprenticeship or university study.

Courses include:

• law
• access to law
• T Level in Legal Services

You could also apply to do the CILEx Professional Qualification (CPQ) Foundation stage, either at college or if you're working in a legal setting.

You could apply to do an apprenticeship like a Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

You could then move onto a Chartered Legal Executive Level 6 Apprenticeship or Chartered Legal Executive Litigator and Advocate Level 7 Apprenticeship.

The level 6 and level 7 apprenticeships take between 5 and 6 years to complete.

You can work for a legal practice, a legal section of a company or in a government legal department, and study for a CILEx Professional Qualification (CPQ), part time or by distance learning.

There are 3 stages to the CPQ:

• Foundation
• Advanced
• Professional

You will need to meet the work experience requirements to complete the Advanced and Professional stages.

You can apply to start as a trainee legal adviser. To do this, you need to have passed the academic stages of solicitor training or barrister training.

As a trainee, you'll complete a legal adviser training programme that takes around 2 years.

You can find out how to become a trainee legal adviser from HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

You can apply directly for jobs if you're a fully qualified solicitor.

You'll be expected to have good customer service, communication and administration skills.

You could study for a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in law, legal studies or paralegal practice.

It's competitive to get a place on a law degree, so you'll need to have good grades when you apply.

You could do a college course before you look for paralegal work.

Courses include:

• legal studies
• law and practice
• paralegal practice
• T Level in Legal Services

You could apply to do a Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, or Advanced Paralegal Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship.

These usually take around 2 years to complete and combine workplace training with study.

You could also do a Legal Technician (conveyancing or probate) Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, if you wanted to specialise in either of these 2 areas.

You might be able to find work with a legal practice as an admin assistant and do training on the job to qualify.

You can do training through the Institute of Paralegals or the National Association of Licensed Paralegals.

You'll be expected to have GCSEs or A levels and a good standard of English.

You could apply to do a Legal Technician - Conveyancing Technician or Probate Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship. This would qualify you to work as conveyancing or probate technician.

Afterwards, you might move onto a Licensed Conveyancer or Licensed Probate Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

These apprenticeships can take between 2 and 5 years to complete and combine on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.

You could start in a conveyancing, probate or private client office office and work your way up by training to become a registered conveyancing or probate technician.

To become a registered conveyancing or probate technician, you'll need:

• 6 months' practical experience in a probate or conveyancing practice, in a legal firm or in an organisation offering probate services to the public
• to apply for registration with the Council for Licensed Conveyancers

You could then take the Level 6 Diploma in Conveyancing Law and Practice to qualify as a qualified licensed conveyancer.

You can take the following qualifications through the Council for Licensed Conveyancers:

• Level 4 Diploma in Conveyancing Law and Practice
• Level 4 Diploma in Probate Law and Practice
• Level 6 Diploma in Conveyancing Law and Practice
• Level 6 Diploma in Probate Law and Practice

You can start studying even if you're not working in the legal profession. Each diploma takes around 18 to 24 months to complete, including practical experience.

You may be able to complete these more quickly if you already have a legal qualification, for example:

• law degree
• legal practice course
• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
• Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) Level 6 Diploma

The Level 4 Diploma would qualify you as a conveyancing technician or a probate technician, depending on which qualification you take.

The Level 6 Diploma would qualify you as a licensed conveyancer or a probate practitioner.

You'll usually need a degree in a technical subject, for example:

• science
• engineering
• mathematics
• computing

Once you finish your course, you can apply to work as a trainee in a patent office and study for professional exams while you work. It usually takes at least 2 years to qualify.

You may be able to take a postgraduate award in law or intellectual property law, which can count towards qualification as a patent attorney. Some patent attorney trainees are sent on one of these courses by their employers.

If you do a course that covers intellectual property or patent law, it may exempt you from part of the professional training.

You could start your career by finding work as a technical assistant or trainee patent attorney. This may be in a firm of attorneys, or in a larger company's intellectual property department. Once working, you would take further training to qualify. This route can take between 4 and 6 years.

You may be able to find work without a scientific or engineering degree, if you have a very high level of technical experience gained in industry.

This may also apply if you're a qualified solicitor with experience of working in intellectual property rights.

In both cases, you would still be required to study and pass professional exams.

You'll usually need a first class or upper second class degree, or postgraduate qualification, to apply for a training place with a company.

Most subjects are acceptable, though you may have an advantage with:

• law
• science
• engineering
• languages

After university, you would start as a trainee with a private practice of trade mark attorneys, or a large company with an in-house intellectual property department. You would study for professional exams. You'll also need 2 years' work experience to qualify.

You may be able to work your way up from a trade mark administrator, researcher or paralegal role.

To do this, you'll need a good level of general education, such as GCSEs, including English and maths, and A levels or equivalent qualifications.

You'll also need around 5 years' experience before you can apply for professional training to begin the route to qualifying as a trade mark attorney.

You can apply for professional training with a firm to become a trade mark attorney, if you're a qualified solicitor or barrister.