Law

Considering a Postgraduate Law Degree? Here’s What you Need to Know

By Anne Sexton - Last update


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There are a number of great reasons to do a postgraduate law degree. As a postgraduate subject, law will provide you with a rich landscape of prospective jobs as a potential career. Alongside general business studies, law opens up access to a wider range of jobs than any other subject.

Additionally, there are many specialisations with the legal field, offering plenty of scope for further focus once you have your postgraduate degree.

Skills Learned Through Postgraduate Courses in Law

Depending on the curriculum an institution has to offer, a postgraduate in law will teach you a wide range of skills, such as:

  • Contract law – how legally binding contracts are drafted and contested.
  • Constitutional and administrative law – pertaining to the rights of the general population.
  • Criminal law – all facets of law that pertain to criminal acts.
  • Equity and trusts – a specialised facet of financial law.
  • property law – covering both residential and commercial properties.

Specialisations in Postgraduate Courses in Law

Again, depending on where you are taking your law course, and what the institution offers, you will have access to specialisations such as:

  • Directors’ duties – commercial law pertaining the responsibilities and fiduciary duties of company directors.
  • Immigration law – law regarding both incoming and outgoing immigrants, included work-related law and rights.
  • Patent law – specialising in law related to patents, copyright and intellectual property.

These are just a few of the potential specialisations that your curriculum may offer, there are many more.

Studying Postgraduate Courses in Law for Professional Reasons

Law as a study subject offers a wide diversification of potential career choices. Firstly, there are the purely legal jobs, such as a solicitor or barrister. Secondly, there are many jobs for which law is a useful prerequisite, such as a financial advisor or court usher.

Job Roles Which Completing Postgraduate Courses in Law Will Open Up

All of the jobs below require a professional qualification in law:

  • Solicitor – the first line of legal advice and representation for both individuals and companies.
  • Barrister – providing legal representation in court, for individuals and companies.
  • Barristers’ clerk – assisting barristers in preparing and presenting their case.
  • Paralegal – offering legal advice in an unregulated form.
  • Tax adviser – an understanding of financial and tax law is crucial in this job role.
  • Licensed conveyancer – dealing with the legal transfer of ownership for both residential and commercial properties.
  • Legal secretary – creating legal documents, for which an understanding of law and legal terms is required.
  • Company secretary – responsible for ensuring that a company is operating within its legal requirements.
  • Judge – making the final decision in complex legal cases where a case has been presented by both parties.
  • Usher – handling the operational aspects of a courtroom, to keep legal proceedings running smoothly.

This is just a short list of the actual legal careers that will be available if you complete a postgraduate in law. There are many more, as well as a huge range of jobs for which law is a useful prerequisite.

In Conclusion

Law is a fascinating and complex subject. This complexity means that if you are studying a postgraduate degree in law, you probably intend to specialise. However, regardless of the specialisation you choose, you must have a solid grounding the basics of law. A postgraduate in law provides such a grounding.

 


Anne Sexton

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