From law enforcer to law practitioner

Caroline Purser, Admissions Manager at BPP Law School, gives tips to police officers considering the legal profession. Routes into the legal profession are numerous and varied, but one well travelled is that of police officer to lawyer. It seems logical.

After all, a police officer's first-hand experience of dealing with the law, the court system and preparing cases are all relevant skills. Despite this, police officers often feel that their age will count against them for a career in the legal profession. True, competition in the legal profession is strong, but to say that a mature student's application is going to be weaker than someone of 21 is wrong.

A police officer should not think that they are starting at a disadvantage. In fact the opposite is often true. At BPP we urge mature students to consider two things above all when entering the legal profession: make the most of your previous work and life experiences and gain the maximum amount of practical legal experience. On the first point, police officers are clearly at an advantage.

As well as their direct experience of the legal system, officers will have gained many transferable skills which will appeal to most law firms, such as team work, written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, problem solving and handling pressure. On the second point, gaining practical legal experience, working with the legal profession is different to working in it.

Gaining hands on experience need not involve a three month summer internship, simply shadowing a local solicitor when time permits shows potential employers a clear commitment to their new career.

Many law firms run open days and evenings to give mature students an insight into the profession. This will also help a mature student learn more about the different cultures of firms and enable them to link their own experience with the requirements of the firm.

There is one final point we at BPP always stress upon mature students and it is this: commercial law is a meritocracy. The industry wants and needs the best people, regardless of their background. The challenge for a mature student is to articulate why they are the best person for the role, why they have chosen law, and why their background has prepared them so well. Police officers are among the best qualified to answer all of the questions.