She adds: “What appealed to me was that I could actually get into a firm, work alongside people who were already doing the job and learn through real experience. I didn’t have to wait several more years before discovering what working in that profession was actually like.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise has been discovering an area she genuinely loves: “I wasn’t aware of the scope within the many different areas within law. Tax, estate planning and wealth management were completely new to me, but that’s been part of what has made it so interesting. I’ve really enjoyed building my knowledge and discovering an area of private client law that I find fascinating.”
Her experience is a useful reminder on Results Day that the subjects someone chooses at 16 or 17 don’t have to determine their entire career.
She concludes: “Changing direction doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Sometimes you have to experience something to realise it isn’t right for you. My route wasn’t the one I planned, but I’ve ended up in a career I genuinely thrive in.”
From Theatre Studies to law
Liberty’s route into law was different again. She studied English Literature, Theatre Studies and History at A-Level and had secured a place at the University of Exeter.
Having completed her A-Levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, Liberty decided that it wasn’t the right time for her to head off to university. After taking a gap year and learning about working full time, she chose instead to explore other ways of building her career that didn’t depend on the traditional university route.
Keen to start progressing professionally while continuing her education, Liberty discovered the solicitor apprenticeship at Goughs through the firm’s website. And while it might not seem like the most obvious preparation for a career in law, theatre studies has proved to be one of the most valuable subjects she studied.
“People probably don’t hear ‘Theatre Studies’ and immediately think ‘future solicitor’, but I use those skills all the time,” says Liberty.
“Standing up and presenting, having the confidence to speak to different people, reading a situation and thinking on your feet, they are incredibly relevant.”
Her experience has also changed her perception of what makes someone good at law.
She adds: “Obviously you need the legal knowledge, but so much of being a good lawyer comes down to life skills. Can you listen? Can you explain something complicated so somebody understands it? Can you make someone feel comfortable enough to tell you what’s really worrying them? Can you adapt the way you communicate depending on the person in front of you?”
Liberty now particularly enjoys working with vulnerable clients, including matters involving Deputyships and Lasting Powers of Attorney. It is an area with personal significance because her grandmother is in a care home.
Her advice to anyone weighing up their own next steps on A-Level Results Day is not to feel pressured into following a particular path.
She says: “At 18, it can feel as though you have to have everything figured out and make the ‘right’ decision about your future. But you don’t. Choose something you’re passionate about, think about what will make you happy and remember that life at 18 isn’t ending – it’s really only just beginning.”
Earning while learning
Millie studied Fine Art, English and Biology at A-Level, and felt that a degree apprenticeship would play to her strengths and suit both her skills and personality.
She says: “I think we need to move away from the idea that if you’re ambitious, you go to university, and if you’re practical, you do an apprenticeship. I was ambitious about building a professional career, but I also wanted to learn through real experience. A degree apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to do both.”
Millie is now working in residential property, and has been surprised by how quickly she has been able to get involved in real caseloads and put what she is learning into practice.
Millie adds: “You get stuck in surprisingly quickly. You’re dealing with real work and real caseloads, and that makes you learn fast because what you’re doing actually matters. You’re working and studying at the same time, so it’s definitely not a walk in the park. But when I learn something, I can see where it fits. And if I don’t understand something, I’ve got experienced lawyers around me who I can learn from.”
For Millie, that has meant achieving a degree of financial independence at a young age. At just 21, she has already bought her own home with her partner.
She notes: “Buying my own house at 21 is something I’m really proud of and is one of my biggest achievements. I was able to buy my house at 21 due to starting my degree apprenticeship at a young age and I am forever grateful for this opportunity.”
Different routes into law
A solicitor apprenticeship typically takes six years. During that time, apprentices are embedded within a law firm, working with experienced lawyers and developing the practical skills needed in the profession.
That means that by the time they reach the later stages of their training and qualification, they can already have years of workplace experience behind them.
Daisy believes that is one of the route’s most valuable and sometimes overlooked advantages: “When graduates first come into a firm, they may have fantastic academic knowledge, but we’ve already had years of experience of how a law firm actually works. Speaking to clients, managing work, working with different teams and seeing how legal problems play out in real life. In that sense, you can feel much further ahead in terms of practical workplace experience.”
It doesn’t mean apprentices are “better” lawyers than graduates. Nor does it diminish the knowledge, independence and broader experiences that university can provide.
Instead, the two routes develop people differently. For many aspiring lawyers, a degree will remain exactly the right choice. Goughs recruits and encourages graduates too, and those graduates do not have to have studied law. A history, science, languages, arts or other degree can develop perspectives and skills that prove enormously valuable within the profession.
What Daisy, Liberty and Millie’s experiences demonstrate is that there is no predetermined formula for what comes after A-Levels. University remains one route into the profession, but it is no longer the only way to combine academic study with the beginnings of a legal career.
