To become an aviation lawyer?
 

I am currently studying for a communications degree in Broadcast Journalism (year 2 of 3). In Cheltenham.

I am a PPL and since getting to University have decided I'd like to become an aviation lawyer. What qualifications will I need to do this? and what possible employers are there?

Something is telling me I am doing the wrong degree course :(

I guess doing a law degree would be a good start. You can't 'specialise' in aviation law at undergraduate level - I certainly haven't heard of any university in the UK education system that offers that*.

There are, however, a few universities offering aviation law as one of their postgraduate subjects (you need to have done an undergraduate law degree before you can do that*).

I think you could qualify as a solicitor through an alternative route such as ILEX but I'm not too up to date on the requirements. In any case if you want to be an aviation lawyer you need to undertake formal legal training.

*I'm talking specifically about law degrees, not talking about aviation degrees with law component.

P.S. I'm not a lawyer (far from it).

Ideally you need to qualify as a solicitor or barrister. You do not need a law degree but with a degree in any subject you can do a one year "conversion" course before either taking the solicitor's exam course or the bar course. That would be followed by two years articles (paid) or one years pupillage (poorly paid). These days you need a good degree (1st or upper 2nd) to have any prospect of getting articles or pupillage and so there is some mileage in taking a subject that you enjoy and are confident of getting a good degree in. Then you have to hope you can achieve similar in the following law exams.

Which way you go rather depends upon what you mean by aviation lawyer. If you are looking at things like regulatory work, licencing or aircraft leasing/purchase agreements then I would suggest the solicitor route and hope to get into one of the few firms doing this type of work. Alternatively there are in house jobs with airlines. It is a relatively small and specialist field.

Which part of aviation do you envisage being involved in?

ie legal dept for an airline, regulation (CAA), airfields and airports.