Law Students - Chat Thread

OP

G8D

Oh hello.

Take it you're studying? (given Ape's quoting)

Reply 82

OP

Guvnor

Oh I see, well if I was you I would try to get a lot of experience under your belt if I were you, as securing a pupillage is not an easy task. I have heard many that have done so earning less then 10k for the first two/three years but its gets better as you go along.

KCL is a top uni for starters, you have to be good and come from a well educated background to get in. So instantly you'll meet most firms 'Ucas' requirements I take. However the reason why I said KCL has an advantage is simply that the amount of networking you can do, through law fairs/presentations etc.

Good luck :yy:

The new minimum earning is 16-18k per year, but I see your point, it can be low earning for a while. Equally, it depends on the chambers you manage to get to. It's something I'll need to evaluate based on the experience I pick up and the grades I obtain.

What did you have for legal experience (i.e vacation schemes etc) when you'd finished your third year of the degree?

Reply 83

OP

G8D

Yep, or I will be come the 20th.
Scots Law at Glasgow :h:

Celtic_Anthony

x

You've got yourself a new friend. :sexface:

Reply 84

OP

becbec :)

Starting first year at Cambridge in three weeks :bigsmile:

So excited! :nutcase:

Great idea for a society btw!

Congrats on Cambridge. :yy:

Looking forward to it?

Reply 85

thejonsmith

Congrats on Cambridge. :yy:

Looking forward to it?

Thanks!
I'm very very excited. Slightly nervous about keeping up with the workload, but hopefully it'll be rewarding as well.

Reply 86

OP

becbec :)

Thanks!
I'm very very excited. Slightly nervous about keeping up with the workload, but hopefully it'll be rewarding as well.

Am I right in thinking they do exams the term earlier than everyone else at Cambridge? Mate doing Law at Oxford is in that situation.

I'm sure you'll be fine :yep:

what modules do you take in your first year?

Reply 87

LawBore

15

I'm a second-year at Brunel doing a straight LLB.

Reply 88

thejonsmith

Am I right in thinking they do exams the term earlier than everyone else at Cambridge? Mate doing Law at Oxford is in that situation.

I'm sure you'll be fine :yep:

what modules do you take in your first year?

I must say I have absolutely no idea about exams! I'm doing everything to avoid finding out about them...

But my modules I do know - I take Criminal, Tort, Constitutional and Roman in my first year :yep:

Particularly looking forward to Constitutional for some reason!

Reply 89

OP

becbec :)

I must say I have absolutely no idea about exams! I'm doing everything to avoid finding out about them...

But my modules I do know - I take Criminal, Tort, Constitutional and Roman in my first year :yep:

Particularly looking forward to Constitutional for some reason!

Quite different to ours then. We don't do Roman at all ( :emo:

) and in first year we did Criminal and Constitutional, but Tort was last year. Which are you most looking forward to? Or have you not really thought about any of them yet?

Reply 90

thejonsmith

Quite different to ours then. We don't do Roman at all ( :emo:

) and in first year we did Criminal and Constitutional, but Tort was last year. Which are you most looking forward to? Or have you not really thought about any of them yet?

Well I thought Roman law sounded quite interesting - with the aspects of history and the challenge of appreciating a whole new social context. But I also enjoy Politics and the idea of looking at power, so I'm guessing Constitutional will be interesting. I've looked at Tort quite a bit myself and can't say I'm a massive fan.

Reply 91

OP

becbec :)

Well I thought Roman law sounded quite interesting - with the aspects of history and the challenge of appreciating a whole new social context. But I also enjoy Politics and the idea of looking at power, so I'm guessing Constitutional will be interesting. I've looked at Tort quite a bit myself and can't say I'm a massive fan.

Tort's quite a heavy subject for first year, but I think it does make sense to study it alongside Criminal, given the similarities. Constitutional (& Administrative) is fairly straightforward, and the balance of power/separation of powers are important themese within it you may enjoy.

Is Roman vastly different to Jurisprudence, or are they similar?

Reply 92

thejonsmith

Is Roman vastly different to Jurisprudence, or are they similar?

I'm pretty certain they're quite different. As far as I know Jurisprudence is about the nature of law and philosophical debate about morality and justice in the context of the law, whereas Roman law is literally that - the law of property, person, obligation and succession within Roman life, mainly the classical period. I think :rolleyes:

Reply 93

OP

becbec :)

I'm pretty certain they're quite different. As far as I know Jurisprudence is about the nature of law and philosophical debate about morality and justice in the context of the law, whereas Roman law is literally that - the law of property, person, obligation and succession within Roman life, mainly the classical period. I think :rolleyes:

I always thought Roman law was more relevant in Scots Law.

Celtic_Anthony

x

Am I right in saying there is no offence of 'stealing a car' in Scots Law; it's still based on the Roman law theft of a horse? :holmes:

Anyway, Roman law does actually sound quite interesting - if only because I did Latin ( :colondollar:

) and ancient history, especially Roman, appeals.

Looking forward to freshers and Cambridge itself?

Reply 94

thejonsmith

Looking forward to freshers and Cambridge itself?

Cambridge yes. Slightly worried about Freshers. Can't say I'm the kind of person to go out every night and still make it to 9am lectures...

Reply 95

OP

becbec :)

Cambridge yes. Slightly worried about Freshers. Can't say I'm the kind of person to go out every night and still make it to 9am lectures...

You don't have lectures during freshers, do you? They're more understanding during freshers, as most don't make the 9am/10am ones after going out.

Staying in halls?

Reply 96

OP

Celtic_Anthony

Scots law is based on Roman Law and Roman Law principles are still visited to decide Scottish Cases. You also still need it on your transcript to be an Advocate (read: Barrister). It is especially important in Scots Property law (see McDyer v Celtic Football and Athletic Club Ltd ( :biggrin:

) 2000 SC 379, for example, where Lord MacFadyen gives a full account of the principles of occupiers' liability in Roman Law).

Crim isn't my strong point, but there's no specific offences of theft. It's just theft. That said, when the law was first formed, there was no such thing as a car.

My mates did it and enjoyed it, I would like to take it, but can't the way things have worked out.

EDIT to say my mate at Cambridge studied it and couldn't see the point, of little or no value to him.

I realised Scots Law was based fairly heavily on Roman law, more so than English, but not that it was still used.

No burglary or robbery then?

It's a similar situation with me and Evidence - I'd like to have taken it, but it wouldn't really have fit in with the others I wanted to take. It's also similar as most that look towards the Bar here do Evidence. It's not a requirement though. Unfortunately, I've started looking towards the Bar too - so there lies something else that might disadvantage you.

P.S there's a Glasgow Law fresher you can take under your wing. :moon:

Reply 97

OP

Celtic_Anthony

Aye, occasionally. When I went on work experience the new associate was giving it big licks because his Roman Law esto won him a case.

IIRC, burglary= theft from a locked space, robbery= theft with violence. I meant there was no theft of crimes, such as the American Grand Theft Auto charge.

Now I remember what I was thinking of - the Scots Law offence of theft is based on the Roman Law crime of 'theft of a horse'. Not the same as. :facepalm2:

Burglary, in English law anyway, is entering a building as a trespasser with the intent to steal, wherein he steals/attempts to steal or inflicts/attempts to inflict GBH. Robbery is force used to facilitate the theft, yeah.

Yeah, I took French in 1st year, didn't get to give it enough attention and dropped it, meaning (apart from when I'm pished and on holiday :ninja:

) I have a pretty useless module where Roman could be sitting.

French? As a legal module? :holmes:

I'm taking Employment rather than Evidence, essentially for no real reason. Could do Evidence instead, but for reasons I can't remember, I decided Employment would be useful (and several fit mates are doing it - making my decisions for the right reasons, ofc).

And yeah, although a lot of aspiring advocates go back to Uni to do their Roman and other modules. They also have to work for free for 9 months (devilling) before they qualify. Feck that, it's bad enough being a wage-slave without going the whole hog.

Ours is 6 months unpaid while shadowing, though there's large grants and bursaries for that, and 6 months earning for yourself before you secure the spot in the chambers at the end of the pupillage (as 90% do).

Agreed on the low wages, but being (essentially) self-employed and working as Counsel has its appeals in comparison to the work of a solicitor.

Wrong gender :ninja:

Nah ko, I'm not going to be swanning into any level 1 classes this year, so it's just the 2nd year posters that have to be worried :biggrin:

This place (and kds) is hoaching with Glasgow law freshers though iirc, either they've doubled their intake or they give out links in the course doc...

Sure?

Maybe they do have a larger intake... well, they must have, unless there really is that many people posing as Glasgow freshers. Could just be an increased number of them on TSR.

Reply 98

trollman

12

you guys want to be solicitors or barristers? When do you think the best time to decide is? i.e will i need to know in the first year to get into pupillages/vac schemes? I spose it's depends on grades aswell i.e need a 1st to get into top law firms/sets

Anyway hello! :biggrin:

Reply 99

OP