Hi there El
I was here to find out about sponsorship schemes, but your post caught my eye.
I've actually just qualified as a corporate lawyer from one of the biggest in the world, A and O. Having experienced what it is like, I have decided to take the pilot route, giving up a £70k salary in the process.
There are so many sides to this. And I disagree that you must have only considered aviation as a career for it to be a viable choice. I know I had the same thoughts as you, and frankly, after evaluating ALL possible careers, being a pilot ticked the most boxes in terms of what my priorites were, and that is why I'm enrolling. I just wished I'd done it before going down the law route. However, it is a great deal and Idon't regret having done the training - you get law school paid for, you can go abroad for training (Tokyo for me for 6months, swanky appartment, free taxis, cleaner, cook, etc etc amazing) and you get paid 45k as a trainee. But...
I was disillusioned with a career in the corporate side of law because of the long hours doing what is really a paper pushing/project management role. You're essentially going to be on lots of conference calls, managing teams of bankers and doing lots of due diligence juggling dozens of deals at the same time. Its is dull, and the intellectual challenge at uni disappears but stressful because of the amount you must do at the same time and the hours you will spend doing it. I just couldn't motivate myself.
However, there are many many areas depending on the firm you apply to and if you went into litigation I think it would be more cerebral and the hours better. It's about planning your career in law to make it work. My heart just wasn't in it.
And despite this crunch, I know recruitment hasn't been cut back. In a high or low, there will always be a need for lawyers - high : M and A goes up, low : litigation increases etc. And generally it's rare for firms to make cuts on the scale of ibanks or, airlines.
I reckon you should try and get as much info as poss from those actually already in law and aviation. Go to
RollOnFriday: news, views and gossip on City law firms (including what they pay). The latest legal news and salary information and everything else the slightly bored solicitor requires. for the low down on the law side and make your mind up. However, if you do what I did, and give it a go and decide it's not for you it's not so bad either, I've got the cash now saved to pay for the training and I actually had fun training in Tokyo and other places and made a ton of friends. And learnt a lot and ticked another box knowing for sure it's not for me..
Good luck!