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Law at Manchester or Exeter???

Hi, I've been accepted to the thread title's law schools, but am having difficulty choosing which to go to. As Exeter does appear higher in the leading league tables, however I am aware that Manchester is a law faculty highly regarded, both nationally and internationally.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Reply 1

The Bright Beast

I go to Exeter (and study Law - first year) so I can answer from this perspective. Unless it changes, which I doubt, you'll study 5 modules in the first year:

Legal Foundations (Term 1): Basically, an introduction to the foundations and operations of the legal system, and substantive issues such as legal aid, police powers, role of judges/magistrates etc. You'll be assessed (35%) through a group project and (65%) by written exam. To be honest, the lectures on this are not very interesting - a lot of reading straight off powerpoints for the first half of the first semester - but it's easy marks as you just have to learn the handouts pretty much. It picks up a bit for the rest of the term, we had lots of guest speakers such as magistrates and a district judge which were pretty interesting.

Criminal Law (T1+2): Everyone's favourite topic. Until you realise how harshly it is marked. The lecturers for Criminal are all really, really good and the content is interesting, albeit quite grim. You cover the laws of homicide, offences against the person, property offences, inchoate offences, accessorial liability and defences. The criminal lecturers are all very knowledgeable, and workshops provide adequate guidance on how to address scenarios. We also had a coroner come in to speak to us about her role in the justice system.

Contract Law (T1+2): I'm not a fan. I'll try to be non-biased. There are LOTS of cases for contracts. It's definitely the biggest topic in terms of content, there's no way around it. Fortunately, our exam this year is open book. I personally don't find it all that interesting, but you may. One thing is for certain though, it's necessary to score well in this if you are looking for a commercial law job in one of the top firms. The lecturers are quite good, although often too fast, and accents may be difficult to understand sometimes. The head of the law school teaches part of this module and is very enthusiastic and an enjoyable lecturer to listen to.

Constitutional & Administrative Law (T1+2): This subject is fairly dry, but is interesting if you are into human rights. It covers aspects of the British constitution such as the rule of law, separation of powers and parliamentary sovereignty, before taking an in depth look at the review of decisions public bodies by the courts in term 2. Again, lots of it is taught from powerpoints which is boring at the time (but they make revision much simpler). This is probably the most theoretical topic of the first year, and has strong links to politics. You'll explore developments such as the human rights act, especially in context with anti-terror legislation. You'll either think it's interesting, or you'll REALLY hate it.

Optional Module:Negotiation OR Advocacy OR Work Experience: (T2) These are optional modules for the second term, and are about developing your legal skills and reflecting on your learning. They're quite practical and contain good transferable skills.

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Links to industry at Exeter are very good - IF you are interested in commercial law. I cannot refute that if you are interested in it, then it is definitely a very good place to be, with links to many leading law firms and campus ambassadors for each 'brand.' Unfortunately, there is very little non-commercial visibility, at least this year.

Pro-Bono opportunities are available, groups such as Innocence Project and Lawyers Without Borders are active and it is a great experience to be part of at least one of the many opportunities.

Exeter is also a really nice place to live, in terms of location. Although it IS very hilly, and you DO have to walk past the sixth form college to get into town, making it busy at the end of the day, it's a scenic city and quite unlike what you might expect. Nightlife is definitely not as good as it will be at Manchester, although there is a good choice of venues.