Is there any point applying for law with ABB?

I do Law, Psychology History and will probably end up with ABB. I don't want to work in some big city firm or anything like that- I'd much rather work in a small, local firm. Bearing this in mind, is it still worth applying with ABB? :confused:

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Reply 1

super_kawaii

If you meet the grade requirements for the unis you want to apply to, then there's no reason why you shouldn't.

Reply 2

yothi5

You can apply for rubbish unis, but I'm not sure how highly valued a Law degree will be from a rubbish uni. A small law firm might still say no.

You can always be a legal sec.

Reply 3

nerimon18

DLA Piper asks for a minimum of ABB at A-level so you could stand a chance with becoming a lawyer.

Reply 4

ArBell

I scored A*BBaa on my A Levels and still managed to get unconditionals from Nottingham, Manchester, Kent and UEA. But maybe that's because i am an international student? But you may want to check this site and see with which grades student got offers from unis :smile:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Law_Offers_2012
Good luck.

Reply 5

Myth717

@Arbell what was your Lnat score if you don't mind me asking ?

Reply 6

joannapaterson

Original post by hanz1234

Hi,
My name is Jo Paterson and I am a third year student at UEA. I think that if you want to be a lawyer, for a big or a small law firm, it is essential to have a law degree. I wouldn't rule out attempting to apply for universities because often, if your application is good enough you will still be considered. At UEA I know that the typical offer is AAB, so if you only miss by a grade it is still possible that you receive an place!
Good luck, work and study hard!
Jo :smile:

Reply 7

Origami Bullets

Original post by joannapaterson

Well that's a load of tosh - you can do any degree and then take a one year Graduate Diploma in Law conversion course, which gets you to the same point as any law graduate.

Reply 8

Clip

Original post by joannapaterson

Yes, this is nonsense. About half of solicitors are non-law graduates.

Reply 9

Sean9001

I have close connection through upbringing to many small high street firms and barristers sets in one of the smaller provinces (Norfolk). From my experience, ABB will almost certainly rule you out. Though DLA Piper set their minimum requirements at ABB, without AAA+ you'll be at an immediate disadvantage to the other Law graduates from Russel Group universities. Think of Oxford University. Their minimum requirement is AAA, but if you're realistically only going to get that you probably won't get the offer.

But, 'Law' has a reputation for being rigorous, academic subject and less elite employers are more likely to gain a perception of you based on that, than the name of your university or your A levels.

After all the waffle I would say that if you are interested in reading law, then do it. It will (I believe) put you in marginally better stead that other degrees held by people with the same A levels. However, realise that with ABB your prospects of having a career in Law (via the traditional route) are severely limited.

You may want to consider the ILEX route. It will never put you on the same par as a solicitor, but it is close. Also, you could work as a paralegal for a number of years after you have your degree, and try to impress your employers into giving you a contract.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 10

roh

Ignoring the claim you have to study law to be a lawyer, this thread might help you decide whether to do law at somewhere that accepts ABB or aim for a higher uni (RG, some 1994) for another subject:

http://www.rollonfriday.com/TrainingContracts/TrainingDiscussion/tabid/92/Id/9057874/currentPage/1/Default.aspx

Reply 11

hanz1234

Thanks for all your responses :smile:

I'll aim for AAB but even if I miss that target I think I'll till apply for law anyway seeing as how I enjoy it :smile:

Any suggestions for good ABB unis?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 12

ArBell

Why the neg?

Well anyway, @Myth717 I don't know yet, I did my LNAT in mid february so I don't think that I'll be getting the results anytime soon :frown:

but I had a time management problem and certainly didn't get more than 30 ( I literally didn't have time to read the last 3passages and ended up really skim reading it and picking whatever :frown:

)

Back to the topic:
If you are applying with your forecasted grades, try to get the best grades possible(so you can still get a conditional-in that way, you might still get a place if you miss the req by only one grade), and also put a lot of emphasis on your personal statement and get the teacher who knows you best(in a good light) to write your rec letter. I think that some unis, even from the russel group, consider your application as a whole(I know Manchester does), so put all the chance you can on your side. And if I'm not wrong... Since UK uni fees recently raised, less students are applying, so you get even more chance than you would, say, 3years ago.

Reply 13

roh

Original post by hanz1234

Thanks for all your responses :smile:

I'll aim for AAB but even if I miss that target I think I'll till apply for law anyway seeing as how I enjoy it :smile:

Any suggestions for good ABB unis?

Good ABB? Hmmm I think Keele, Hull and maybe Northumbria are probably the best I can think of asking ABB but there will be others.

If you have an interest in sociology I always thought this course was a good way to get a QLD from a top uni without needing top grades: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/depta2z/law/ml13/

Durham do a similar thing but it's not qualifying and a few unis will make AAA offers but include General Studies (Leicester and Liverpool, maybe others).

Have a look on here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Law_Degree#AAB-ABB

Good luck :smile:

Reply 14

admbeatmaker

If I had ABB, I'd look to study something related (or just something you enjoy) at a top 20 university, perhaps a Russell Group university. That way you may "look" better in the field of applicants to a law firm. If you want to work at the big firms, they'll pay for your GDL anyway.

Reply 15

TurboCretin

Original post by joannapaterson

How a third year law student can honestly believe that is beyond me.

Reply 16

TurboCretin

Original post by hanz1234

Law degree grades are generally quite inflated due to the popularity of the degree. You will have to look waaay down the rankings to find ones offering ABB. In my opinion you are better off looking at taking the non-law route, though if you're looking at working in a small local firm the university you attend is less significant.

If, by 'local', you mean high street firms, you might also want to consider the impact that the emergence of ABSs will have on firms of that type. My prediction is that many of them will disappear.

Reply 17

Aspiringlawstudent

I wouldn't, to be honest.

Reply 18

AYO

Original post by hanz1234

Thanks for all your responses :smile:

I'll aim for AAB but even if I miss that target I think I'll till apply for law anyway seeing as how I enjoy it :smile:

Any suggestions for good ABB unis?

kent, reading, hull, bournemouth, oxford brookes, surrey these are all ABB unis, not so sure how "good" they are but kent and reading are definitely top 30 in the times league tables

Reply 19

AverageExcellence

Original post by hanz1234

you could always do a degree in another subject say history or something at a decent university, and in the mean time build up work exp for law and try to get a high degree. Then you could apply for a law conversion course to a top 5 uni.