so my mum was talking to one of her contacts in HR at Trowers and Hamlins, they said queen marys would be looked at by them over sussex any day but they didnt rule sussex out but they did mention that the inclusion of queen mary into the russell group would influence them.. whether thats down to them actually knowing it was going to happen or he said that only hearing about it now i don't know.
one thing he did say when my mum mentioned i was still waiting for bristols response was that bristol in their eyes is better than QM. He didnt even stutter, i kinda gave up on bristol but now i'm hoping for them especially as their offer is meant to be AAA
just some food for thought, it seems some law firms especially top ones do have an eye on the russell group uni's and whether or not it makes them a better institute has no bearings, the level of prestige usually means you've done alot to get there and some firms like this. Worth mulling it over. All in all Bristol trumps QM, QM trumps Sussex, but only in looking at your application
They would consider sussex last out of the 3 for example, but he made it clear that in no way was going to sussex lessoning your chance, he even stressed consideration of where you will enjoy your time and where you would like to live.
Moral of the story: go out there, where ever you want to study, enjoy yourself, get the best grades possible.