Law graduates are now found in a range of areas outside the courts, writes Emmet Oliver
What is the definition of a lawyer? According to the old joke, it is a man who helps you get what's coming to him.
The astronomical fees paid to barristers and solicitors at the tribunals has probably given this old jibe some new life, but whatever about the public perception of lawyers or solicitors, third-level law courses continue to pack them in.
In 2001 2,674 students put a law degree at the top of their CAO list, but last year the figure increased to 2,776, even though the number of school leavers fell substantially.
While only a fraction of barristers and solicitors earn the large fees that dominate media coverage, the legal profession continues to have a certain aura with students and their parents. As long as this continues there is unlikely to be any drop in points.
The enduring appeal of the legal profession is not necessarily built on a desire to don a wig and gown and take up residence in the Four Courts.
Nowadays a law degree is such a broad-based qualification that there is virtually nothing a law graduate cannot try their hand at (with obvious exceptions like engineering or the various healthcare careers). We all know that completing a law degree provides students with the chance to become barristers or solicitors, but law graduates are now found in a range of areas outside the law courts: management consultancy, stockbroking, banking, insurance, human resources, politics, journalism, accountancy, lecturing, property management, taxation and information technology.
This is probably just as well, because the life of a young barrister or solicitor can be precarious. For example it is estimated that 10 per cent of barristers drop out of the legal profession within the first few years of being called to the bar. The earnings of young barristers are miserly for many years, which may have something to do with the widespread belief that in the Law Library 80 per cent of the work goes to 20 per cent of the barristers.
Whether or not this is a myth, increasing numbers of law graduates are avoiding the courts and trying to get employment as a solicitor in a big firm. The universities almost exclusively offer law courses.
There are law degrees at UCC, UCD, TCD, UL and NUI Galway. Most of them allow you to study to be a solicitor at Blackhall Place or a barrister at King's Inns.
If you cannot get into the universities you could consider a private institution like Griffith College which offers a BA in law with business (GC402).
This is a four year programme and class sizes are limited to 20 students.
Whatever course you take, increasingly law graduates are becoming solicitors. About 350 qualify via Blackhall Place each year.
While the amount of legal work is not as plentiful as it was two or three years ago, the Republic is becoming a more litigious society and most young solicitors find something.
Large firms such as A&L Goodbody, Matheson Ormsby Prentice, Arthur Cox, McCann Fitzgerald recruit solicitors every year, but they often prefer to take on people who are slightly older. The downturn in the economy could also reduce the number of people large firms can take on, but hopefully in three or four years things will be different. The Irish Legal Aid Board also recruits solicitors on a regular basis.
Most of the university law degrees are three or four years long. It is best to get involved in as many legal areas as possible while you are in college. Employers always look on work experience in a firm or time spent in the courts favourably. There are also moot court competitions and various student law societies or clubs.
Doing a language as part of your degree is also advisable. Some of the universities offer law with a language, but these usually require more points than the straight law degree. Keeping up with your studies is vital. To get a place in a big law firm you generally need a 2:1 level degree and sometimes higher. With so many people coming out of the law schools, those with better degrees are likely to have a head start.
Most of the degree courses involve the same subjects: torts, criminal law, constitutional law, contract and European law. Most universities ask students to specialise in third or fourth year only.
If you are not sure and want to study subjects apart from law, you could take a joint degree. UCD offers the highly regarded business and legal studies degree (DN 021) where students combine a business degree and law degree. This gives you flexibility if you decide later that law is not for you. But importantly it also gives you access to the Law Society and King's Inns.
NUI Galway also offers a corporate law degree (GY 250). This course is a business and law hybrid and you also have the option to study French, German or Spanish.
The good news is this course usually admits about 80 students and 480 points were sufficient for entry last year.
One of the more interesting options is the University of Limerick's Law and European Studies degree ( LM 042). It combines all the core requirements for professional recognition with a European language and a choice of other disciplines such as history, politics or sociology.
For information about the precise steps to becoming a solicitor, consult the Law Society's website at www.lawsociety.ie.
For information on becoming a barrister consult the Bar Council on www.barcouncil.ie