Pursuing a career as a personal injury solicitor in England and Wales can be an incredibly rewarding decision. Personal injury solicitors help to maintain an equality, whereby anyone can seek legal aid when they have been the victim of an accident. It is one role of a personal injury solicitor to help people obtain compensation, so they can maintain a good quality of living.

The path to becoming a qualified personal injury solicitor is very difficult, more so than the majority of professions. Obtaining the required qualifications to become a personal injury solicitor takes years of hard work, a strong passion for the profession, and a dedication to the subject.

Law is ever-changing and developing, making it a diverse and unique sector to work in, giving qualified personal injury solicitors the opportunity to specialise in various areas of personal injury law.

Thankfully, there are a number of routes that you can follow in order to become a fully qualified personal injury solicitor, with a license to operate in England and Wales. Justice.Gov.UK provides various resources for legal professionals and would be an ideal place to start.

Degree Route

One of the main ways to start on the path to becoming a personal injury solicitor is to attend university. This process starts with obtaining the required qualifications to be accepted at the university of your choice.

Qualifications

Primarily, universities look at A-level qualifications, or the equivalent, to determine which candidates to accept into their degree courses. However, some universities also require candidates to have achieved certain results at G.C.S.E level, and high results across the board are always favourable.

Choosing to take a law degree at university is the quickest path to becoming a personal injury solicitor. However, other full-time degrees also provide a stepping stone to becoming a solicitor. Law degree graduates will be able to immediately move onto the next step, while other degree holders will be required to take an intensive year-long legal course, either the graduate diploma in law or the common professional examination.

Legal Practice Course

The next step is to take the legal practice course, which is undertaken in two stages; core practice areas of litigation and vocational electives. The vocational electives stage of the course is where specialist legal areas can be studied. Those wishing to pursue personal injury law, can select to do so at this stage.

Personal injury solicitors cover virtually every aspect of daily life where negligence has been the cause of injury, but specialising in just one area and not just the whole spectrum provides the opportunity to excel as a specialist. For instance a solicitor might choose to specialise in no win, no fee claims like Legal Expert No Win No Fee compensation. This provides the opportunity to excel in this area, and in turn provides a specialist service catered to no win, no fee claimants.

Professional Skills Course and Training

After the legal practice course has been completed, the period of recognised training can begin. This is where trainee solicitors are able to gain experience in a professional environment, starting to put their knowledge to the test. Recognised training can last for two years, with possible exceptions if you have already had experience.

During the training period, the professional skills course can also be taken. This involves additional study of the law for a period of 48 hours, and a further 24 hours spent gaining additional tuition in the elective area. For personal injury, this again would be personal injury law.

Admission

Once all stages of training are complete, the final step is to apply to become a solicitor. This is submitted to the roll of solicitors in England and Wales (SDA). If your application is accepted, you will be entitled to work as a fully qualified solicitor.

Many trainees choose to pursue a career as a medical negligence solicitor and specialise in that area. Many times it is because they want to help those that have been affected in a negative way due to negligence in the medical profession and try to make sure medical practices are corrected and improved. Specialising as a medical negligence solicitor such as JCP Medical Negligence Solicitors and only working in this area of personal injury law provides the opportunity to excel.

A Guide To How To Become a Personal Injury Solicitor?

CILEx Route

The alternative option to going to university and obtaining a degree in law, or another subject, is to go down the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) route. This holds some similarities to the degree route in terms of later qualifications, but normally takes much longer.

There are two slightly different routes to becoming a personal injury solicitor through CILEx; the membership route and the fellowship route. The main difference is that members of the CILEx must undergo the same recognised training period as those that follow the degree route. The fellowship route starts the process by gaining two years of experience after becoming a member.

Qualifications

Like the degree route, the first step is to obtain the right qualifications in order to proceed. Unlike the degree route, to become a personal injury solicitor through CILEx, it is only required to have qualifications at G.C.S.E level. Four pass grades at G.C.S.E are required, with the additional requirement that one of the G.C.S.E subjects be either English literature or English language.

Professional Diploma in Law and Higher Law

The next step is to take the level 3 professional diploma in law. If you are working within the legal sector at the time, this can be taken immediately. If you are yet to start a legal job, it can be taken before. Once the first examination has been taken, the level 6 professional diploma in higher law must then be completed.

There are numerous opportunities for training places within the legal sector. A quick search for personal injury solicitors brings up a myriad of results. Not all will offer “on the job” training but if you contact enough personal injury related websites such as The Accident Claims Guide you should see some positive replies.

Further Courses

The professional diplomas allow individuals to reach such a point where they are on a similar level to those graduates who have finished their degrees. Due to this, the next steps fall in line with what non-law graduates would have to do.

The common professional examination or graduate diploma in law needs to be taken, followed by the legal practice course, recognised training (with fellows being exempt), and the professional skills course. During this time, the same vocational subjects will also be available, so those wishing to specialise in personal injury can do so.

Once all qualifications have been achieved, individuals who followed the CILEx route can then apply to the SDA to become fully qualified.

Health and Safety at work is also an area of personal injury law that interests many trainee solicitors aim to work in. With ever stricter legislation in place covering the health and safety of employees it can be a minefield that some employers don’t want to cross leading to cutting corners and employees facing injury from unsafe working practices. Specialising as a work accident solicitor who only takes on claims from those injured at work like Macks Solicitors can be very rewarding and help to improve employer health and safety practices in general.

Transfer Route

For trained and fully qualified barristers, or international solicitors, the route to becoming a fully qualified solicitor in England and Wales is much simpler. All applicants must follow the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS). Normally this involves taking two examinations from the QLTS, with some exceptions made in certain circumstances.

The path to becoming a personal injury solicitor can be very long and difficult, but it is an exceptionally worthwhile career to pursue. Qualifying as a personal injury solicitor can be done at any age, and many of the courses are available part-time to make the process more accessible. The lucrative career, for many, is well worth the years of training, which are there to ensure that every solicitor has the experience and knowledge to provide the highest quality of advice and legal support.

Going to university is equally as exciting as it is terrifying. Moving on from compulsory education to study a subject that you are passionate about is a big adjustment. University culture is a world away from college or sixth form, and it is very understandable to be nervous or worried at first.

Adjusting to the changes can take some time, but as many past university students will be quick to say, your time at university can be the most enjoyable and rewarding of your life. To help you adjust quickly, and get over those initial nerves, our top 10 tips for students going to university is on hand to help.

Learn Your Way Around

Number one on our list is the one of the first challenges you’ll face at university. Universities are not known for being compact, and the likelihood is, the buildings you’ll need on a regular basis are going to be a fair distance away from each other. Spending time exploring the campus before you start, or when you arrive, can make the experience less terrifying when you need to find your lectures first thing in the morning.

Plan a Budget and Stick to It

For many students, the first time that they will really have to manage a budget is when they attend university. Student finance is notorious for not stretching as far as most students would like, which means a carefully planned budget is essential. Running out of money a few weeks after your student loan gets paid is certainly not ideal!

Only Look for a Job If You Can Manage It

It can be very tempting to apply for a job as soon as you start university, especially if your first attempt at budgeting hasn’t gone to plan. However, with the workload that university piles on, it can really be worth waiting until after the first semester. That way, you can get a feel for whether you’re going to have time for a full or part time job, and not stretch yourself too thin trying to do everything at once.

Learn How to Cook

Essential for saving money and eating well, learning to cook at university is a must. Learning some basic recipes that you can change and adapt to fit your budget can help you to decrease the cost of living. Not only does learning to cook save money, but it ensures that you get those essential nutrients required to stay focused on your studies.

Start Looking for Accommodation Early

Where you’re going to live after the first year at university is a topic that needs considering a lot earlier than many students expect. Just a few months into the first year, many students will already be organising where they are going to live and who they are going to live with.

In the long run, it pays to be a little selective about which property you pick, but with so many students looking, time is going to be of the essence. When viewing houses, consider the state of the property, location in relation to amenities and the university, and whether your potential house-mates will be a good fit.

Sign up to University Clubs and Societies

Making friends at university really enhances the experience and gives you a support system of other students who are going through the same thing as you are. Clubs and societies are the best way to meet people that share similar interests to you, and even head-hunt future house-mates. With some universities having tens of thousands of students, you should have no trouble meeting like-minded people.

Make Full Use of the University Facilities

Depending on which university you attend, there will be a wealth of facilities open to students. During your time at the university you will have free access to the majority of facilities, so it is definitely worth making full use of them. If in doubt, the library is always the best place to start!

Focus on Your Career Path

It can be easy to get swept up in the university experience and forget why you’re there in the first place. Along with the course you’re studying, there is likely to be additional support available to help you with your chosen career and job prospects.

Stay on Top of Your Workload

A common mistake that many university students make is thinking that they have plenty of free time. However, when assignments start becoming harder, and deadlines stricter, that extra night out or lazy day can quickly catch up on you. Staying on top of your workload can prevent all-nighters from being a regular occurrence.

Don’t Let the Experience Go to Waste

At the end of the day, university is a unique experience that should be enjoyed. While there may be lots of work and a strict budget to follow, you shouldn’t let the experience go to waste. With so many opportunities open to university students, making the most of your time will ensure you create lasting memories.