Professional
What can you do with a Law degree?
Quick answer
A Law degree commonly leads to roles such as paralegal, legal assistant and compliance assistant. Five years after graduating, Law graduates had median earnings of £33,300 (middle half: £25,300–£45,400), and 87.5% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Law graduates is professional, scientific and technical services (44% of those in work).
A UK law degree is academic study of legal systems. Qualifying as a solicitor or barrister needs further training.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £23,800
- Median pay after 5 years
- £33,300
- In work or study after 5 years
- 87.5%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 79 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 14,295
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Law degree?
Graduates commonly start as paralegal, legal assistant, compliance assistant or contract administrator. Law also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Paralegal
Prepares bundles, chases disclosure, and drafts under a qualified lawyer’s supervision.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- file management
- legal research
- client care
Legal assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- diaries
- correspondence
- billing support
Compliance assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- policy logs
- KYC support
- issue tracking
Contract administrator
Skills these adverts often ask for
- version control of contracts
- deadlines
- stakeholder notes
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Law graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Law graduates in UK employment were professional, scientific and technical services (44%), public administration and defence (11.7%) and finance and insurance (6.4%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was professional, scientific and technical services (31.8%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 44% | £34,800 |
| Public administration and defence | 11.7% | £34,400 |
| Finance and insurance | 6.4% | £39,200 |
| Administrative and support services | 6.2% | £30,400 |
| Education | 6.1% | £30,400 |
| Health and social work | 5.1% | £28,200 |
| Information and communication | 4.3% | £39,500 |
| Wholesale and retail | 3.8% | £27,800 |
Most common specific industries
- Legal activities — 37.5% of graduates in work, median £34,100
- Provision of services to the community as a whole — 6.4% of graduates in work, median £34,400
- Administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the community — 4.6% of graduates in work, median £35,900
- Not known — 2.9% of graduates in work, median £14,400
- Primary education — 2.7% of graduates in work, median £30,000
- Computer programming; consultancy and related activities — 2.2% of graduates in work, median £46,800
How much do Law graduates earn?
Official dataLaw graduates had median earnings of £23,800 one year after graduating and £33,300 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £23,800DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £19,800–£28,900 | 90.9% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £27,800DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £22,700–£34,800 | 89% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £33,300DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £25,300–£45,400 | 87.5% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £43,900DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £29,600–£66,600 | 85.8% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Law graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Law graduates measured, University of Cambridge had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£77,000), followed by London School of Economics (£68,800) and University of Oxford (£62,900).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge | £77,000 | 110 |
| London School of Economics | £68,800 | 65 |
| University of Oxford | £62,900 | 140 |
| University College London | £62,600 | 65 |
| King's College London | £59,800 | 75 |
| Durham University | £58,400 | 105 |
| University of Bristol | £51,100 | 220 |
| University of Nottingham | £48,300 | 150 |
| University of Edinburgh | £46,800 | 150 |
| University of Warwick | £46,500 | 145 |
Is Law the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You like close reading of statutes and cases.
- You can write a structured argument under time pressure.
- You are interested in procedure as much as the headline issue.
It may not suit you if
- You assumed the LLB alone lets you practise.
- You dislike dense, technical writing.
- You want a course with little independent reading.
Interview questions for Law graduate roles
EditorialParalegal and legal-assistant interviews usually test accuracy, confidentiality, and whether you can follow an instruction, not whether you can give legal advice. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
You are asked to summarise a 20-page contract into half a page. How do you decide what stays in?
What it tests. Judgement about material terms versus colour, and that you check with the supervising solicitor.
A client asks you, in passing, whether they will win. What do you say?
What it tests. You do not give reserved legal advice from an unadmitted seat.
You spot a date in a bundle that does not match the index. What do you do?
What it tests. Attention to detail and raising errors early rather than hoping nobody notices.
How would you keep client papers confidential in an open-plan office?
What it tests. Practical data-protection habits, not a memorised statute number.
Walk us through how you would track several filing deadlines in one week.
What it tests. Organisation under time pressure, which paralegal seats live on.
Most Law courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Law graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to law. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Paralegal…
Prepare your application with paralegal cv examples, legal secretary cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Law?
EditorialSolicitor apprenticeships combine paid legal work with qualification training. They are not the same as an LLB. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
Explore the programme finder · Compare programme details · Research international scholarships
Make your next move
Planning to study Law in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for Law in our index
128 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Law in the full university explorer.
Show all 128 universities
Name, city, or a CourseToJob subject. Nothing is stored.
Nation
No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
Law degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Law degree?
Common starting roles include paralegal, legal assistant, compliance assistant and contract administrator. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Law graduates in work were professional, scientific and technical services (44%), public administration and defence (11.7%) and finance and insurance (6.4%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Law graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Law graduates of £23,800 one year after graduating, £27,800 three years after graduating, £33,300 five years after graduating and £43,900 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Law degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 87.5% of Law graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £33,300. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Law 79 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Law graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Law were at University of Cambridge (£77,000), London School of Economics (£68,800) and University of Oxford (£62,900). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Law in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.