BARBRI SQE student Caro Hamilton on her route to law, transferable skills and the hunt for QWE
It is not often that someone’s pathway into law is truly unconventional, but BARBRI SQE student Caro Hamilton’s story is certainly one that stands out. Despite having spent the better part of her career in the media industry, law was always in the back of her mind. “I’d always had this niggling idea of studying law. It was an itch that I still needed to scratch, so to speak,” she tells Legal Cheek Careers.
Even with that legal impulse, Hamilton chose instead to study American studies at university, attracted by the course’s substantial film element at a time when there were fewer vocational film degrees on offer. “I don’t regret anything, because I think it’s all part of life’s experience,” she says. Part of the degree took her to Milwaukee for a stint at an American university, something she still describes as “really stimulating”. Later, while working full-time in London, she completed an MA in arts policy and management at Birkbeck. “It was hard work doing a full-time job and an MA at the same time,” she recalls, “but I did that very much for, I think, an intellectual challenge.”
After university, she began working for a film agent at Ealing film studios in what she describes as “a starter role”. From there, she built a career across production companies and some of London’s leading ad agencies, eventually becoming a producer with a particular focus on post-production work spanning visual effects, animation, audio and, more recently, AI.
It is not hard to see how that background could translate into law. “The role of a producer really straddles that position between creativity and regulation,” Hamilton tells us. “A significant part of what I do is governed by compliance, IP, NDAs, contracts and negotiations.” That combination, she says, is what first nudged her towards considering a legal career.
However, a real watershed came last year when, against the backdrop of a downturn in the media sector, Hamilton was made redundant. Simultaneously, a family member’s experience of health issues and a prolonged stay in hospital, prompted her to step into an advocacy role. Navigating both experiences in parallel brought home the practical importance of legal knowledge. Careers advice from media charity NABS helped too, as did the sense that an old interest in law had never really gone away. “I landed on the fact that law was still something and it was an itch that I still needed to scratch,” she says.
What made the change feel achievable was the option of the SQE route. Having previously been dissuaded from converting to law, Hamilton says discovering the newer pathway changed things. She contacted BARBRI, began with its foundation course and soon found herself wanting more. “I thought, ‘Let’s try this first’, and I really enjoyed it,” she says. “That led me naturally to the SQE pathway, which is what I’m on at the moment.”
At the moment, media law feels like the most natural destination. It is the industry she knows best, and the one in which she believes her commercial understanding will prove to be a stronger asset. “That’s the area I’ve been working in all my working life, and it’s the area I know and love,” she says. Still, she is keeping an open mind. Employment law has emerged as an area of interest during her studies, while advocacy has appeal too.
When it comes to qualifying work experience, Hamilton is targeting roles that draw on both her new legal studies and her existing sector knowledge. In-house legal or business affairs teams within media businesses are an obvious fit, as are positions focused on IP compliance, AI regulation, artist representation and contract negotiation. “I’m hoping that I can utilise my skill set and my understanding of that world,” she says.
Naturally Hamilton’s commercial awareness has been well formed before her transition into legal study. Hamilton points out that production work demands a constant eye on budgets, time schedules, compliance and client management, all while keeping the creative side moving. “Commercial awareness is a default part of any production role,” she says. This is a point worth bearing in mind for career changers more broadly: any skills developed outside law can still carry real weight when framed properly.
This is something Hamilton has tried to lean into when making applications. She has been applying both for trainee schemes and for full-time positions that could count as QWE, largely through LinkedIn and by keeping a close eye on media law firms and in-house teams. Networking has so far been mostly online, helped by groups including Later on Lawyers and Bravestarts, as well as the contacts she has built up over years in the creative industries. The approach, she says, is about consistency. “It’s just about being consistent, really, and posting every now and again, and engaging on things like LinkedIn, because it’s really important.”
When asked how Hamilton presents her unconventional route to law, she does not hesitate to be honest. Rather than downplaying being older than the average SQE student, she prefers to frame it from the perspective of a wealth of experience. She also stresses curiosity and humility, noting that having worked her way up from the bottom in media, she is perfectly happy to do the same in law. “I’m more than happy to roll up my sleeves and start from the bottom and learn on the job,” she says. “There has to be a point where you are willing to absorb and be curious.”
Balancing study, work and applications is, unsurprisingly, a juggling act. Hamilton describes herself as goal-oriented and disciplined, qualities sharpened by years of remote working. She is careful to set aside time not just for work and study, but for friends and family too. BARBRI’s online structure has helped, as have careers meetings on CVs and QWE strategy, plus virtual events that are easier to fit around an already busy schedule. “If you are feeling overwhelmed, there’s always someone you can talk to,” she says.
As our conversation draws to a close, she gives one piece of advice to her fellow career changers. First, be targeted: work out the area you want to pursue and streamline the process around that. Second, do not underestimate the importance of fit. “The cultural fit of a company or the position is as important as the role itself, because you’re going to shine the most if you feel you belong,” she says.
How to stand out and break into the legal profession — with BARBRI is a virtual student event taking place tomorrow (19 May). Secure one of the final few spots available.
About Legal Cheek Careers posts.
