What can you do with a law degree?

The legal profession itself offers a huge range of employment options - solicitor, barrister, paralegal - while finance, education, journalism, and media sectors also welcome prospective candidates with a background in law.

So, what other options are available to you with a law degree such as an LLM or LLB under your belt?

Career options with the  i-LLB (Hons) Law Degree

An undergraduate qualification in law, such as the i-LLB (Hons) Law Degree, gives you the best of both worlds. As a Qualifying Law Degree, an LLB is an approved qualification which provides you with training in the seven required foundations of legal knowledge as set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board. An LLB degree is one of requirements needed to practice law, but is also held in high regard by employers in all areas of business. Once you’ve completed your programme, you’ll have a myriad of career options open to you:

An LLB degree is one of requirements needed to practice law, but is also held in high regard by employers in all areas of business. Once you’ve completed your programme, you’ll have a myriad of career options open to you:

Marketing and Communications - having developed a legal professional’s powers of persuasion, you’ll find your skills in high demand in marketing, advertising, sales, and other careers where interpersonal and communication abilities are paramount.

Business and Management - Your organisational and management skills will allow you to take a leading role in a number of areas that require shrewd decision-making abilities. Your legal background will be an asset if you choose to work in operations management, corporate social responsibility, or even corporate training.

Politics - What about a career in politics? No, we don’t mean running for president (not yet at least), but the confidence and public speaking skills gained during your programme, not to mention the ability to look at sensitive issues objectively, are all great preparation for roles in political strategy, as a political advisor, or in areas of government policy making and research.

Journalism - Investigative and research abilities are essential requirements for a journalist. You’ll have these skills in abundance after completing your law degree. In fact, many successful journalists and writers have a background in law, perhaps because both areas attract those who are able to think critically and construct a strong and persuasive argument.

What can I do with an  LLM degree?

What are your career options with a Master of Laws (LLM) in Legal Practice? Online LLM programmes come with a wide variety of available specialisations, which means you can focus on a specific area of law and how it applies in the context of the wider business environment.

As well as allowing you to specialise in a specific area of the law such as conflict resolution or intellectual property (two of the most popular and worthwhile LLM specialisations available), studying an LLM degree will also help you acquire invaluable research, analytical, and communication skills.

A growing international field, conflict resolution deals with resolving conflicts between organisations and individuals which may be either financial, political, or ideological in nature. Having learned how to resolve such disputes effectively, there could be a career waiting you as an arbitrator, mediator, or in one of many up and coming professions such as a peace-builder, which involves developing communication between disputants and helping both sides reach a win-win outcome.

Commonly referred to simply as IP, intellectual property deals with the protection of creative output including trademarks, patents, design rights, as well as artistic works like music, inventions, discoveries, and literature. Even certain words and phrases can be protected as intellectual property. As a no-legal career option, you’ll find that skills and knowledge in this area of law are a valuable asset in (take a deep breath) marketing, journalism, strategic business management, science and engineering, IT and digital design, advertising, and more!

As well as the above, an LLM degree can open up a wide range of employment opportunities in business management, human resource management, marketing and communications, as well as a range of careers in the public sector such as policing, politics, and social welfare.