Hi ELSupremo,
My apologies for my very cynical reply, but I feel my 2 pence is valid, so hear goes…
I agree with akindofmagic. I am also in your position but have a different take on it. I only did a Law degree as a back up if things went south as a pilot for example loss of medical, and as a fail safe in case I cannot get the money first off for an integrated route, so that I may eventually have enough money to go modular and most certainly not because I want to be a lawyer.
However, be aware that firstly not many firms offer training contracts straight after your LPC, you are most likely to be stuck in a very, very low paid job in a legal firm before they will even consider giving you a training contract (most firms now wont touch you until 2010). Moreover, and I see this time and time again the money in most circumstances is not what people imagine, I believed this at one point and its only now knowing many who have entered into the profession that I am a little more sceptical. It takes years and years to get the kind of money most people think you will earn.
Moreover, getting into a city firm is very hard and particularly so if you didn’t go to the right uni’s or have the right classification. Moreover if your heart is not in it like me, in an interview they will sniff it out in an instant. Yes they do pay well but the amount of work they expect you to put in is outrageous (I know one guy a commercial lawyer who works at a prestigious firm, earns mega bucks but practically sleeps on his desk when he has a deal on). Don’t be so sure that the job is so secure either; you’ll be sacked in the blink of an eye if you’re not up to their expectations, particularly city firms.
I know this is a very negative post and it is in no way intended to knock your ability as a solicitor, however everything in the legal garden is not as rosy as it seems and it is a cut throat business in some respects. However, it is your choice at the end of the day and only you can be sure what the right career is, either way I wish you the best of luck.
Docash1983