Professional Legal Practice (Diploma)

Careers and Mentoring

Our Services to Students

Following completion of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice students must complete a traineeship within a legal firm as a pre-requisite for legal practice.

We strive to increase our students’ employability in various ways. Through our links with the legal profession, and working with colleagues in the School of Law and the University's Career Service, our aim is support and guide our students to help them to make the correct career choices.

When planning future career choices, Glasgow Law students can access:

• The Glasgow Legal 40 mentoring network: exclusive to Glasgow Diploma Students
• Professional Legal Practice events including Glasgow Legal 40 networking events and "Life in Law" autobiographical talks from distinguished members of the profession
• Expert advice from the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice team
• An Annual Law Fair to network with Scottish Law Firms and other employers
• Career Skills Events
• Employability website
• School of Law Careers Clinic
• Individual appointments from Careers Service staff
• Regular updates with information about traineeships and other jobs
• Invitations to events to improve employability after completion of the Programme

Legal 40 Mentoring Network

The 'Glasgow Legal 40' is an initiative designed for University of Glasgow School of Law Diploma students. The Legal 40 group  act as a mentoring network which allows Diploma in Professional Legal Practice students to engage with distinguished members of the legal profession.

Launched in September 2010, our programme aims to bridge the gap between academia and professional legal practice; the Glasgow Legal 40 is a key initiative to allow us to achieve our goal. Eileen Paterson, Acting Director of Professional Legal Practice explains; "The 'Glasgow Legal 40' initiative has already been of enormous benefit to our students. We are extremely grateful to our alumni who have supported our students in numerous ways and have been enthusiastic in their commitment to this initiative."

The group itself comprises 40 successful University of Glasgow law alumni, drawn from all sectors of the legal profession. The main activities of the group include a mentoring programme and a series of social and educational events which will benefit the next generation of lawyers to emerge from the School of Law.

Some of the benefits of the group to our Diploma in Legal Practice students are:

• Ease students' transition from university to practice
• Allow students to draw on the experience of expert mentors
• Increase student networking skills
• Provide role models for students pursuing careers in legal practice
• Increase student links with the legal profession

 A comment from one of our diploma students demonstrates the benefits of such a scheme:

"I feel that the Glasgow Legal 40 has been of great benefit to me in gaining confidence .... I particularly valued the mentor scheme which was made available to my peer group. I was paired up with an extremely knowledgable and helpful mentor.... I think that having the opportunity to network with a working solicitor, provides an invaluable insight into the process of  trainee selection and the qualities favoured by today's legal profession. I personally feel that the mentoring scheme is an outstanding addition to the diploma course, and should be available in every university law school."