Non-law grads make the best lawyers, claims Supreme Court judge

Supreme Court justice lord Sumption has claimed that the profession's best lawyers did not study law at university. Lord justice Sumption claimed that the majority of the current generation of lawyers cannot speak a second language and lack the cultural education and experience of their predecessors.

Eton-and-Oxford-educated Sumption, 63, was instructed by high-profile clients like Roman Abramovich before becoming a judge. As reported by Counsel magazine and the Daily Telegraph, he believes that aspiring lawyers would be better served by taking a non-law degree to broaden their horizons before specialising.

He said: "I think that it is best not to read law as an undergraduate. Most arguments which pretend to be about law are actually arguments about the correct analysis and categorisation of the facts. That's why the study of something involving the analysis of evidence, like history or classics, or the study of a subject which comes close to pure logic, like mathematics, is at least as valuable a preparation for legal practice as the study of law. Appreciating how to fit legal principles to particular facts is a real skill. Understanding the social or business background to legal problems is essential. I'm not sure current law degrees train you for that, nor really are they designed to. This is not a criticism of the course. It's simply recognition of the fact that a command of reasoning skills, an ability to understand and use evidence, and broad literary culture are all tremendously valuable to any advocate. If you don't have them you are going to find it difficult to practise. If you don't know any law that is not a problem; you can find out."