For many aspiring solicitors, a law degree isn’t the only route into the profession. The Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) provides a pathway for career changes and graduates from non-law backgrounds to gain the legal knowledge needed to progress towards qualification. Whether you’re balancing study alongside work, returning to education after many years, or taking the first steps towards a legal career, understanding what the experience is really like can help you make an informed decision.
To explore these experiences, we spoke with current and former GDL students during a recent webinar hosted by Nicola Gordge, Student Recruitment Manager at The College of Legal Practice. Joining the discussion were Chloe Robertson, who is studying the GDL part-time alongside a full-time role in defence litigation, Bill Hawkes-Reynolds, who transitioned into law after running his own conservation business, and Jo Donnellan, who embarked on a legal career after spending 25 years working in education. Together, they shared their motivations for choosing the GDL, how they approached studying, and their advice for anyone considering a similar route into law.
Why did you decide to move into law?
Chloe: Prior to the GDL, I was a sociology and law graduate. With the LLB, it needs to be 75% or more weighting for your undergrad. So what the GDL is doing for me is giving me the extra percentage to technically be on par with people who've done an LLB. I'm working in defence litigation at the moment, and I've been offered a solicitor apprenticeship training contract, so studying the GDL was my motivation at this moment in time.
Bill: My background is vastly different to law. I was running my own business in conservation of historic objects, specialising in metal objects and I was also a jeweller. In essence, Brexit was what made me move. When Brexit happened, Britain lost a lot of funding for cultural heritage, and it hit museums and private collectors hard. They still had a lot of objects that needed conservation, but no money to pay for it. As a business owner, I've got bills to pay. A long time ago, I had studied law, but for one reason or another, I'd decided not to pursue that. So it was an option to take that up again, and to run with it.
Jo: After university, I went into education, and I stayed there for 25 years, ten of those as a head teacher. I like a lot of change, and I was in a situation where I was going into schools in a bit of a pickle, troubleshooting, putting them back on their feet, then moving on to the next challenge. I loved it. But after ten years, it became same old, same old, and I felt I couldn't do this for the next 15 to 20 years. It came down to two choices: law and accountancy. What tipped it was the job satisfaction. Imagine working with someone who's been the victim of a crime, or someone accused of something they didn't do, and working to get justice. It would give me enormous job satisfaction. I couldn't imagine a well-balanced Excel spreadsheet giving me the same.
Why did you choose the GDL rather than go straight into the SQE?
Chloe: The way the setup seems to be for most firms is you can do an SQE training contract over four years if you're a non-law graduate. If you're a law graduate, it's only 18 months to two years. So my motivation for doing the GDL was to get this done. The GDL takes around nine months, compared to an extra two years on the training contract, so I chose to go for the shorter one, in the way you would with an LLB.
Jo: I did my homework, and I realised people could go straight to the SQE if they wanted to do the solicitor route. I thought, I haven't got time to spare, and I want to do this as cost-effectively as possible. So I did consider, do I skip the GDL? You don't have to do it now. But I'm so glad I did, because I've got no background in law at all. I did an engineering degree, so I hadn't got any training or knowledge or experience of law. It was such a good foundation. Now I'm on the SQE, I couldn't do it full-time without the GDL behind me. Doing the SQE1 full-time is not the same as doing the GDL full-time. I probably could have worked one or two days a week if I'd needed to during the GDL and still given the same to my studies. No way with the SQE.
Nicola: There isn't a requirement to have a law degree to go down the SQE route to becoming a solicitor. There is, however, for the barrister route, so if you're wanting to go down that route, a law conversion course is needed if you haven't got an LLB already. But the SRA saying they don't require that law degree is a bit misleading. In reality, going straight onto SQE studies and successfully attempting such a strenuous set of exams is difficult.
How do you manage the GDL alongside work or other commitments?
Chloe: I'm doing fine. For a lot of students, if you're coming from university full-time, most do work part-time and study full-time. So for me, it's not that different; it's a case of swapping it the other way around. You still need the same amount of discipline, the same amount of care for the topic. You need to want to do it. The support from your workplace makes a big difference too. Mine has been particularly supportive, because they know in the end it's going to benefit them. If I'm being realistic, my study hours average around eight a week. Some weeks you've got more spare time. Some weeks I'm backlogged with my day job and I do a bit less. As long as you balance the books in the lead-up to exams, you can work it out.
Bill: It was well structured. All of the reading and preparatory material for any given workshop, you get well in advance. As long as you've done the reading and taken the relevant notes, you go into the workshop with no hassle. It's about being disciplined enough to do that work on your own. Anybody considering an online course has to be honest: take a long, hard look at yourself and ask, am I disciplined enough to do an online guided course? If you are, the course is the right way to go. But it's down to being honest with yourself.
What surprised you about studying the GDL at the College?
Bill: In a way, this probably shouldn't have surprised me, but it was the wide variety of people who studied on the GDL. There were people in our cohort from all over the world: all sorts of backgrounds, experiences, histories. It was diverse, and it added a lot of interest to the course. We ended up with a WhatsApp group that was active most days, busier around assessment time. I've ended up with some good friends from the course. So even though it was online, that isn't a barrier to being inclusive, or to a really enjoyable experience from the people point of view.
Jo: We were in a cohort of around 55, and for the live sessions, there'd probably be six or seven who would actually contribute. Some people never showed their face. I didn't understand it, because you're not going to get the most out of it. I don't know if it's a fear of getting something wrong in public, but you've got to let that go. There were loads of times I got it wrong, but I've learned from that. If you don't ask, nobody's going to explain. I can almost guarantee a question I would ask, at least ten other people on the video would be wondering the same thing, and might have thought, I'm not going to ask that, because I'll sound silly. I don't care if I sound silly, because it's about my learning and what I want to do.
Bill: With participation in the workshops, you have to take the attitude that no one ever learnt anything by being perfect. If you're going to get something wrong, you're going to get something wrong; who cares? In the workshops, that's where you're allowed to get things wrong. So just do it. Just ask the questions.
What would you say to someone considering a career change into law?
Bill: I think people should be more cautious of staying exactly as they are. When you're looking at career change, you've got an option; you either stay as you are and not do anything, or you change. And if you change, you've got the opportunity to do something different, to make a difference in your own life, and to improve your situation. If you don't change, well, you know what the answer's going to be. So it's a case of taking the bull by the horns. Yes, change is frightening, but it's a good thing. It's a useful thing. Take the bull by the horns and do it.
Jo: A lot of people thought I was taking a big risk doing a career change. I'm 49. When you do something like this, you hear about more people who've done the same thing as you, and it's far more common than people think to change career completely at this age. I wouldn't let anyone be put off by that. I was worried about whether I could learn again. It's been ages since I did my postgrad, but you can. And even if you have to get a loan out, you can pay it back. I don't think you should let money be a blocker.
Bill: I'm 51, so I totally back that up. If you are in any doubt about what you're doing at the moment, change. Just go ahead, do it. And looking at it from a law perspective: the mandatory retirement age for judges is 75. For barristers and solicitors, there is no mandatory retirement age. So you can keep practising.
Final thoughts
As this discussion demonstrates, there is no single route into a legal career. Whether you're changing careers, returning to study after many years, or building on a non-law degree, the GDL can provide a valuable foundation for the next stage of your journey.
While the GDL requires commitment, discipline and careful preparation, our panellists highlighted how the course helped them build confidence in their legal knowledge and prepare for future study or qualification. Their experiences also show that aspiring lawyers come from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and strengths to the profession.
For anyone considering a move into law, taking the time to research your options, understand the pathways available, and find the route that best suits your circumstances can make all the difference. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to qualification, but with the right mindset and support, a career in law may be more accessible than you think.
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