Law @ Edinburgh, Exeter, Warwick, or Manchester?

Good day all,

I've been accepted to the thread title's law schools, but am having difficulty choosing which to go to.

I am an international student coming from Canada with a BA degree in Economics already. Although I'm still undecided on which field of law to specialise in, business law is something that does interest me.

I hope to practice in England eventually, and I understand this desire should affect my decision over Edinburgh. However, I understand I can simply take a one year CPE to convert my LLB in Scots law over to England. Unless there is a big factor, such as lower career prospects, for taking the Edinburgh-CPE-practicing in england route, I don't see this as a large enough reason to distance myself from Edinburgh.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Reply 1

jjarvis

Well, you'd have to pay a substantial sum of money to convert. Warwick and Manchester are stellar law schools, and Exeter is very good. They're all in quite different places, though, so that's something to consider--Manchester's in a big city, and Warwick is very much a campus uni.

Reply 2

mc13177

I think Warwick has quite a good reputation for Business Law.

Reply 3

Mephistes88

Original post by jjarvis

The location of the school isn't too large of a problem... I have experience living in remote locations for extended periods before (I have military experience) and such a factor has never really affected my motivation to study. The main criteria I'm looking at in differentiating the schools is future career prospects as a solicitor/barrister, perhaps further defined by business law. Of course, I'm still keeping other items (e.g. extracurricular activities, student body, etc.) in mind.

Thanks.

Reply 4

adam0311

Original post by Mephistes88

I would probably narrow it down to Manchester and Warwick. For non finance-careers, these two seem to be about equal as far as placement within law. Manchester might arguably have a better social scene bc of the city. So I would probably use costs, quality of life, etc. to narrow it down between these two.

Reply 5

hmaus

Edinburgh is an excellent university but I think it would look a little bit strange to do a Scots law degree and then the GDL. You'd have to be able to justify it really well. TBH I think some employers might assume you just didn't realise there was a difference between the systems!

Also bear in mind that the Edinburgh degree would cost you two extra years as the other unis you mentioned have three year courses, whereas Edinburgh's is four years plus a 5th to do the GDL.

The three English unis would all be decent choices. Warwick and Manchester are probably slightly more prestigious than Exeter but all are good. In your position I would probably choose based on the city/atmosphere and feeling you get if you have the chance to visit.

Reply 6

helz_91

Original post by Mephistes88

I go to Manchester to study Law, I can't express how much I love it enough! It's such a good uni and socially its brilliant!! I know little about the other unis except their reputations, all of which are good. If you have any Manchester specific questions, feel free to PM me! xx

Reply 7

yamaha777

Original post by helz_91

I have got an offer from Manchester also, but one poster from another thread mentioned that contact hours (I think she mean time for lectures) is not enough, any comment on this?

Reply 8

littlecreatures

It is correct that of the listed universities, Manchester and Warwick law faculties are more highly regarded, both nationally and internationally. Out of the two though, Warwick would require generally better grades, while Manchester from 2012 will require the LNAT. Manchester is also a more exciting city to live in, whereas Warwick is arguably more conducive for mugging (looking on the bright side lol) and has a relatively better campus life.

I would recommend considering similar law schools like Bristol and Nottingham. Both have prestigious law faculties and are substantial alternatives to Oxbridge and London schools. I would say, from the viewpoint of a Singaporean, these are the 10 most highly regarded law schools in England (in no order):

Cambridge
Oxford
LSE
UCL
KCL
Bristol
Nottingham
Warwick
Durham
Manchester

Reply 9

helz_91

Original post by yamaha777

I have got an offer from Manchester also, but one poster from another thread mentioned that contact hours (I think she mean time for lectures) is not enough, any comment on this?

I think whether or not you think the contact hours are enough, is very much a matter of personal preference. At Manchester we have 9 hours a week of contact time, which is not a lot. However, considering that law is a subject in which it is essential to do lots of extra reading, this to me, seems ideal. There is only so much that lectures can provide and Manchester fulfills this. Law is very much a subject in which you gain what you put into it, and so individual learning and reading is imperative, this cannot be done in contact hours. 9 hours, comparative to other subject and perhaps even other universities, is not a great amount of contact time. However, in my opinion, it is an ideal amount for the syllabus at Manchester. x