[RAMAZAN]

hey guys, ive got in to study law at city university, i recived grades A B B D and got in through clearing. one of the B was an AS.. im starting to worry about the workload/ reading everyone keeps complaning about, for those of you that already study law.. how much do you guys study outside of uni and is it really hard as people make it out to be? also do you guys need to do presentations and role plays in the first year of uni?

many thanks

[zaliack]

(Original post by RAMAZAN)
hey guys, ive got in to study law at city university, i recived grades A B B D and got in through clearing. one of the B was an AS.. im starting to worry about the workload/ reading everyone keeps complaning about, for those of you that already study law.. how much do you guys study outside of uni and is it really hard as people make it out to be? also do you guys need to do presentations and role plays in the first year of uni?

many thanks

Well, the workload is different depending on what grades you want to get.

For a 3rd, you just need to go to a lectures, look over slides for revision and then plop all you know onto the exam paper.

For a 2:2, you need to do the exact same, maybe read a revision guide, and then make your answers more relevant to the question.

For a 2:1, you need to read your textbooks thoroughly. I usually read at a pace of about 10 pages an hour, to get a good amount of notes. You'll be reading around 200 pages each week. Then, when answering your questions, you need to make your answers relevant , get under the skin of the question and analyse it properly.

For a 1st, you need to include a lot of articles in your reading - know your modules inside out and get to grips with all the contentious aspects of it by fully reading the relevant parts of key cases. Answer your questions impeccably, and don't just settle for a "this person is guilty because A, B, C" include reasons why he wouldn't be guilty as well, and then weigh them up at the end.

tl:dr -

3rd - lecture slides
2:2 - lecture slides, revision guide and basic exam technique
2:1 - 20 hours independent textbook reading and advanced exam technique
1st - 30-40 hours independent reading, including textbook + articles, fully read the relevant parts of important cases and impeccable exam technique... And luck.

Regarding the second part of your question, it totally depends on your University/Lecturers. We didn't need to prepare "presentations", but we did have to do mandatory mooting.

[RAMAZAN]

(Original post by zaliack)
Well, the workload is different depending on what grades you want to get.

For a 3rd, you just need to go to a lectures, look over slides for revision and then plop all you know onto the exam paper.

For a 2:2, you need to do the exact same, maybe read a revision guide, and then make your answers more relevant to the question.

For a 2:1, you need to read your textbooks thoroughly. I usually read at a pace of about 10 pages an hour, to get a good amount of notes. You'll be reading around 200 pages each week. Then, when answering your questions, you need to make your answers relevant , get under the skin of the question and analyse it properly.

For a 1st, you need to include a lot of articles in your reading - know your modules inside out and get to grips with all the contentious aspects of it by fully reading the relevant parts of key cases. Answer your questions impeccably, and don't just settle for a "this person is guilty because A, B, C" include reasons why he wouldn't be guilty as well, and then weigh them up at the end.

tl:dr -

3rd - lecture slides
2:2 - lecture slides, revision guide and basic exam technique
2:1 - 20 hours independent textbook reading and advanced exam technique
1st - 30-40 hours independent reading, including textbook + articles, fully read the relevant parts of important cases and impeccable exam technique... And luck.

thanks a lot, that really helped.. are you in your second year or third? also how many presentations or role plays did you do on average during your first year aswell as debates and so on.. lastly ive heard that some of the language in law is really diffiuclt to understand so how do you cope with this, any tips other then reading a dictontary?

much appericated

[RAMAZAN]

(Original post by zaliack)
Well, the workload is different depending on what grades you want to get.

For a 3rd, you just need to go to a lectures, look over slides for revision and then plop all you know onto the exam paper.

For a 2:2, you need to do the exact same, maybe read a revision guide, and then make your answers more relevant to the question.

For a 2:1, you need to read your textbooks thoroughly. I usually read at a pace of about 10 pages an hour, to get a good amount of notes. You'll be reading around 200 pages each week. Then, when answering your questions, you need to make your answers relevant , get under the skin of the question and analyse it properly.

For a 1st, you need to include a lot of articles in your reading - know your modules inside out and get to grips with all the contentious aspects of it by fully reading the relevant parts of key cases. Answer your questions impeccably, and don't just settle for a "this person is guilty because A, B, C" include reasons why he wouldn't be guilty as well, and then weigh them up at the end.

tl:dr -

3rd - lecture slides
2:2 - lecture slides, revision guide and basic exam technique
2:1 - 20 hours independent textbook reading and advanced exam technique
1st - 30-40 hours independent reading, including textbook + articles, fully read the relevant parts of important cases and impeccable exam technique... And luck.

Regarding the second part of your question, it totally depends on your University/Lecturers. We didn't need to prepare "presentations", but we did have to do mandatory mooting.

sorry just read your part on the presentations, so how did u find mooting

[RAMAZAN]

also any one else .. us first years would benfit a lot if you guys could post any tips or relevent info . thanks

[zaliack]

(Original post by RAMAZAN)
thanks a lot, that really helped.. are you in your second year or third? also how many presentations or role plays did you do on average during your first year aswell as debates and so on.. lastly ive heard that some of the language in law is really diffiuclt to understand so how do you cope with this, any tips other then reading a dictontary?

much appericated

I'm just going into my second year. Overall, I done 3 moots (would've won the competition, if it weren't for stupid human rights! ) Mooting is one of my favourite parts of the degree, it's nerve racking the first time, but once your done, you can't help but feel amazing

Nah, the language is actually quite bearable. I managed to get a decent 2:1 in my first year, and I have one of the worst vocabularies imaginable . If you find words easy to understand in sentences, it should be fine, otherwise buy a legal dictionary.

[RAMAZAN]

(Original post by zaliack)
I'm just going into my second year. Overall, I done 3 moots (would've won the competition, if it weren't for stupid human rights! ) Mooting is one of my favourite parts of the degree, it's nerve racking the first time, but once your done, you can't help but feel amazing

Nah, the language is actually quite bearable. I managed to get a decent 2:1 in my first year, and I have one of the worst vocabularies imaginable . If you find words easy to understand in sentences, it should be fine, otherwise buy a legal dictionary.

thanks a lot for the help would you recommend any books or tips?

[Norton1]

(Original post by zaliack)
I'm just going into my second year. Overall, I done 3 moots (would've won the competition, if it weren't for stupid human rights! ) Mooting is one of my favourite parts of the degree, it's nerve racking the first time, but once your done, you can't help but feel amazing

So many more of my schemes would have been effective if it weren't for human rights.

[Ape Gone Insane]

(Original post by RAMAZAN)
hey guys, ive got in to study law at city university, i recived grades A B B D and got in through clearing. one of the B was an AS.. im starting to worry about the workload/ reading everyone keeps complaning about, for those of you that already study law.. how much do you guys study outside of uni and is it really hard as people make it out to be? also do you guys need to do presentations and role plays in the first year of uni?

many thanks

Zaliack has covered most of it. I think everyone has pre-course fears about the workload and reading. But you'll settle into it eventually and find a study technique that suits you.

Presentations and role-plays depend on the university and structure of the course. At my university, mooting was assessed in first year, as well as being an extra-circular with an internal and external competition. I had one team presentation and the rest of the assessed coursework was mainly essays.

I have a group essay in one of my modules this year but I'm not entirely surprised. Our course is structured so the first 2 years are teaching through one hour lectures with lecture slides, some degree of independent research and tutorials (small groups of students) and the other 2 years are two hour seminars where all of your learning on subjects comes from your research and the lecturer is more there to initiate debate and discussion on your research. The emphasis in the latter part of the course is definitely on group work and independent research. I think that's the same at a lot of, if not most, universities.

thanks a lot for the help would you recommend any books or tips?

Strong's How to Write Law Essays & Exams.

[gunit123]

How was your 2nd year different for you than the first?

[zaliack]

You know what, the law is such an ass. When we apply to university, we get told that there are two legal practitioners - barrister, and solicitors. Once we start to know about the horrible TC/pupillage offer rates, we learn about paralegals. Once we start our course, we learn about Legal Execs... Now, I've just learnt about "Notaries". Seriously, what other kind of practitioners are out there!?!

[Clip]

(Original post by Norton1)
So many more of my schemes would have been effective if it weren't for human rights.

I had no idea you were a tinpot dictator in your spare time.

[Clip]

(Original post by zaliack)
You know what, the law is such an ass. When we apply to university, we get told that there are two legal practitioners - barrister, and solicitors. Once we start to know about the horrible TC/pupillage offer rates, we learn about paralegals. Once we start our course, we learn about Legal Execs... Now, I've just learnt about "Notaries". Seriously, what other kind of practitioners are out there!?!

Patent Attorneys?

[roh]

(Original post by gunit123)
How was your 2nd year different for you than the first?

Hangovers were a lot worse, nights out less frequent.

On the work front I was more into the swing of how to actually go about studying Law in terms of note taking and so on, but there's more pressure from staff I found (though due to the need for decent first year results for jobs it's no more than you will have put on yourself last year). At my uni we didn't have some *******sy research skill style module which meant a bit more work and you have to try get VS apps in too if you're going for solicitor.

Generally it's harder work, but you'll likely go out less than last year so the time kind of finds itself.

[Clip]

(Original post by gunit123)
How was your 2nd year different for you than the first?

I didn't make the same old mistakes. I made all new ones.

[zaliack]

(Original post by Clip)
Patent Attorneys?

Sadly, I can't go down that path since I'm an LLB student, not a science/math student! The bar is funner anyway

[Norton1]

(Original post by Clip)
I had no idea you were a tinpot dictator in your spare time.

Pays well, better hours than the law and better weather than one can expect even within the magic circle. Frankly anyone that hasn't considered the dictator route is being a little foolish.

[Clip]

(Original post by Norton1)
Pays well, better hours than the law and better weather than one can expect even within the magic circle. Frankly anyone that hasn't considered the dictator route is being a little foolish.

Easy to say, not so easy to do.

I've applied for Vacation Schemes with Honduras, Turkmenistan, Guineau-Bissau and the Central African Republic and they all PFO'd me.

[zaliack]

(Original post by Norton1)
Pays well, better hours than the law and better weather than one can expect even within the magic circle. Frankly anyone that hasn't considered the dictator route is being a little foolish.

You've got to remember the downside though - America will invade your country to spread "democracy" by killing you.

[HK786]

I may be applying for Law at Coventry University but at the London Campus. Is it a good University for Law (I know it's not as good as Oxbridge,UCL or LSE but i mean is it a reasonably good uni) and is the London Campus equally as good?

and is it better than westminster?