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Pathways corner

Law Pathway

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Do you dream of studying law at university?

Our unique Law Pathway is specially designed to help you achieve that goal and secure your place on a law-related degree such as Law LLB, Law and Sociology, Law with French, Law with Criminology, Criminology, Criminology and Psychology and many more.

Each pathway provides bespoke, tailored guidance, high-quality teaching and a structured framework for progression towards higher education destinations and higher apprenticeships. Our goal is to ensure students are prepared to an exceptional standard for their next steps into university, higher apprenticeships and their future careers. 

Each ED6 pathway is supported by an array of academic, extracurricular and work experience opportunities to develop both subject-specific expertise and valuable transferable skills.

It all starts with building your Pathway - use the guide on this page to start building yours!

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Build your unique pathway

MANDATORY A LEVELS

If you’re thinking about studying Law at university, you’ll start your pathway by taking BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING MANDATORY A LEVELS:
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Law
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Politics

CHOOSE ONE EXTRA A LEVEL

You'll then choose ONE A LEVEL from the following selection:
English Language
English Literature
History
Psychology
Sociology

Weekly Academic Support Tutorials

The Law Pathway includes sessions each week with your pathway progression coach to support your academic progress and pastoral care during your time with ED6.

Subject Specialists

Students have access to expert teaching from subject specialists in a broad range of career-centric subjects, ensuring they meet the rigorous standards required for competitive university admissions. 

Our A Level provision emphasises the development of crucial skills such as critical thinking, independence, and interdisciplinary learning, empowering students to excel under the pressure of formal examinations and in the wider world beyond college.

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Career Options

The Law Pathway is specifically tailored for students aspiring to careers in areas such as:

Legal Practice (Traditional Careers)

  • Solicitor – Provides legal advice, drafts contracts, and represents clients in legal matters.
  • Barrister – Specializes in courtroom advocacy, presenting cases in court.
  • Judge – Presides over court proceedings and ensures justice is served.
  • Paralegal – Assists lawyers with research, document drafting, and case management.
  • Legal Secretary – Provides administrative support in a law firm or legal department.

Corporate & Commercial Law

  • In-House Counsel – Works as a lawyer within a company, handling contracts, compliance, and disputes.
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer – Specializes in business takeovers and corporate restructuring.
  • Intellectual Property Lawyer – Protects trademarks, patents, and copyrights.

Criminal Law & Justice

  • Criminal Defense Lawyer – Defends individuals accused of crimes.
  • Prosecutor – Represents the government in criminal cases.
  • Public Defender – Provides legal representation to individuals who cannot afford a lawyer.

Human Rights & Public Interest Law

  • Human Rights Lawyer – Advocates for human rights on a national or international level.
  • Environmental Lawyer – Focuses on laws related to environmental protection.
  • Immigration Lawyer – Assists clients with visas, asylum, and citizenship issues.

Specialized Legal Fields

  • Sports Lawyer – Handles contracts and legal issues for athletes and sports organizations.
  • Entertainment Lawyer – Works with media, film, and music industry clients.
  • Technology & Cybersecurity Lawyer – Specializes in digital privacy, cybersecurity, and tech regulations.
  • Family Lawyer – Deals with divorce, child custody, and domestic issues.

Government & Policy

  • Legislative Advisor – Works in government, helping draft and review laws.
  • Diplomatic Lawyer – Works in international relations and treaty negotiations.
  • Regulatory Lawyer – Ensures businesses comply with government regulations.

Alternative Careers in Law

  • Legal Consultant – Provides legal advice without practicing as a lawyer.
  • Compliance Officer – Ensures businesses follow legal and ethical guidelines.
  • Mediator/Arbitrator – Resolves disputes outside of court.
  • Legal Journalist – Writes about legal news and developments.
  • Academia & Legal Research – Teaches law at universities or conducts legal research.
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STRIVE Programme

To support our Pathways model, our elite STRIVE programme provides you with access to industry experts and Higher Education partners. 

Throughout this programme, you can access support in writing your UCAS personal statement, CV, completing application forms and rehearsing job and university interview skills. 

It’s all about developing valuable life skills, including resilience, self-confidence, responsibility and leadership. It’s also a great opportunity to make new friendships with like-minded students.

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Application Support For Competitive Degree Programmes

For those students wishing to apply to competitive degrees, you’ll be given scheduled sessions with our sixth form leaders to guide and prepare you through the whole process, including interviews and help applying for Summer Schools.

For those wishing to pursue courses with admissions aptitude tests, bespoke sessions will be made available to prepare you and support your application.

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Skills Development

No matter which ED6 Pathway option you chose, our skills development programmes are designed to give you highly authentic, highly beneficial, industry recognised skills development opportunities. 

These will enhance both your UCAS application and future sandwich degree placement and employment opportunities.

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Enrichment

Here at ED6, we believe in nurturing well-rounded individuals, and our ambition is to create extracurricular and super-curricular offers reflecting this commitment.

Extracurricular Activities

Supporting the development of softer transferable skills which make a student a more well-rounded individual:

  • Debates
  • Mock trials
  • Mooting
  • EDC Sports Academies
  • Volunteering Opportunities
  • College Societies

Super-Curricular Activities

Subject and career-focused activities demonstrate dedication, genuine commitment and interest in your future field of study.

  • Guest Lectures
  • University lectures
  • Parliament visit
  • Supreme court visit
  • Open university certificates
  • Guest speakers including magistrates and district judge
  • Partnership with universities

Super-curricular activities play a crucial role in strengthening a law university application by demonstrating a candidate’s passion, commitment, and understanding of the subject beyond the classroom. 

Engaging in activities such as debating, mooting, essay competitions, and attending law lectures or workshops can showcase analytical thinking, debate skills, and a genuine interest in legal issues. 

Reading legal books, following current affairs, or completing online courses in law-related topics can further highlight intellectual curiosity and independent learning. 

Work experience at law firms, shadowing solicitors or barristers, or volunteering for legal charities can provide valuable insight into the profession while developing key skills such as research, communication, and problem-solving. 

These experiences help applicants stand out by showing initiative and a proactive approach to exploring the field of law.

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Links with Employers

Our goal is to build strong relationships with local, regional, and national employers to provide students with unparalleled opportunities to gain insights into the professional world.

We are aiming to schedule regular career talks, industry visits, and mentorship schemes which allow students to network with professionals and learn about the demands of their chosen field. We are hoping that these links will yield valuable opportunities for internships and external work placements which will bridge the gap between academic study and practical application.

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Links with University

An additional goal of the ED6 Pathway Programme is to generate and maintain robust connections with leading universities across the UK; but primarily in the North-East of England. 

The intent is for students to benefit from tailored guidance on UCAS applications, personal statement workshops and mock interviews with university representatives. Students will also be able to take advantage of subject-specific taster days 

We are also looking for these partnerships to collaborate with us to tailor the development of our existing pathways to make them as robust as possible – including assistance with producing an academic calendar with events and lectures.

These experiences give students a clear understanding of university life and expectations, ensuring they are fully prepared for their transition to higher education.