Hi!
(Sorry this is so long but I've poured out all my advice and knowledge to help lol). I'm a current Year 13 who has applied for Law.
When struggling to choose a course, I recommend choosing the one you think you will enjoy the most but if this still causes some trouble I have some tips. I recommend looking at the different modules and the type of assessments the courses have and if you are interested in them. If you do not enjoy the sound of dissertations, there are a few courses out there that do not require them, and if you prefer the practical over the theoretial side of the law then you should also take that into consideration. I've also heard from my teacher that philosophy as a degree can be extremely challenging but that's just one person's opinion, I advise you to look at others and what's challenging for one, may not be challenging for another so don't let that sway your opinion.
In the case of politics, I am a politics student and chose it as a last resort with very little background knowledge or passion for the subject, however, it was easy to pick up at first and I am now predicted an A. Bear in mind however, at both a level and degree level there are a ton of examples you need to know like the back of your hand e.g., the results of general elections, the % of voters and their demographic etc. It doesn't go without saying but a Law degree is FULL of cases etc, however, I personally find legal cases far easier to remember than random facts and statistics which constantly need updating. Also, sometimes politics isn't for everyone, it can at times be quite boring, especially learning about the structure of parliament like the Cabinet, House of Commons, House of Lords etc. There can be some overlap with law but it is quite minimal.
Regarding a successful Oxbridge application, they strongly emphasised the LNAT in my personal experience (I was rejected from Cambridge with A*A*A predictions but a mid LNAT score - the reason for the rejection). They also value some work experience which I can help with bearing in mind what you said above. Within your personal statement, I've heard they like to see your ability to debate and elaborate which can be useful when applying for either subject. In addition to this, they like to see your passion for a certain area of the law and I focussed on Human Rights law in my personal statement. It shows dedication and true interest in law, while also displaying decent knowledge that you are willing to explore further in your degree.
https://www.theforage.com - This is a link to online work experience, they have a large selection for law with many courses from Magic Circle law firms. I completed the Linklaters legal foundations course and found it very interesting and also mentioned it in my personal statement. They also have ones from Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer but all of them can be completed within your own time as there is no deadline for them to be finished. I did mine over the course of a month or two as I was in the middle of mock exams and still learnt a great deal from them.
Regarding books, this largely depends on the area of law you are interested in and if you let me know I'd be happy to give some personalised recommendations. There is a list of books that Cambridge has outlined on their course page and these include:
What About Law? by C Bernard, J O'Sullivan & G Virgo;
Letters to a Law Student by Nicholas J. McBride;
Learning the Law by Glanville Williams;
The Law Machine by Berlins & Dryer;
Law and Modern Society by P. S. Atiyah;
How to Do Things with Rules by William Twining and David Miers;
Eve was Framed: Women and British Justice by Helena Kennedy;
Law: A Very Short Introduction by Raymond Wacks.
I strongly recommend The Law Machine as it is a very detailed description of the legal structure of the UK including the different courts etc but it's important to note it is outdated so some of the material is not relevant or has changed. I have also read a book called Lawless by Kimberley Motley who is an American Human Rights lawyer and it's a detailed account of some of the life-changing work she has done including some of the troubles she has encountered. Another book that isn't on the list that I've been recommended a few times is The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham however I am yet to read it.
I know that this is a lot of books and it may seem quite daunting but you don't have to read them all, and I understand some are expensive or it may be a bit pricey to buy them however there are some resources out there that allow you to download PDFs of the books and there is also a great website that sells second-hand books which is where I purchased The Law Machine and Lawless:
https://www.wob.com/en-gb. I will work on looking for a link to the PDF books and if I find it I will come back to comment on it.
In terms of the LNAT, preparation is purely down to practice (which I didn't do enough of) so I highly emphasise starting early. You can do this by practising essays and timing, you have about 35-40 minutes in the actual exam which seems like plenty of time, turns out, it's not. It's important that you have a clear structure in your essays but since you are unaware of the topics that may come up, it's important to stay updated with the news and I recommend reading some articles once in a while on things like human rights, politics, legal matters, philosophy etc while also highlighting and making notes. The LNAT is definitely a tough exam but also remember there are other top unis that do not require it such as Exeter, Leeds, Manchester, QMW, York, Warwick and Nottingham - there are more. I have just firmed Law at Uni of Nottingham and I'm so glad I chose it, the course is great, the facilities and everything so just in case you're looking for other recommendations. Also, note that the LNAT costs £75 (you can get this covered if needed) and many applicants will have tutoring so if you can afford it, is great, if not, not so great. Other than that, you can find practice exams online and luckily there is no such thing as failing the test but Oxbridge tends to look for scores in the very high 20s+.
I hope this provided some answers to your questions and once again I apologise for it being so long, but I wish I had this knowledge prior to starting the process of applying so it is important to me that you know this
. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask, I'm more than happy to help! Goodluck!
Edit: I've found some websites that have pdf books:
https://www.pdfdrive.comhttps://openlibrary.orghttps://www.free-ebooks.netI have not checked if each individual book is available on them but if not then I think your best bet is to purchase second-hand if your interested