Law advice

I’m currently in year 11 and I have decided I really want to do law at uni. I would LOVE to go to Oxford even though it’s really hard to get in. I’m at a private school. I just wanted to know if there is anything I can do over the next few years to help me.

Get lots of work experience, especially at law firms and I'd definitely go on websites like Sutton Trust and apply for summer schools. The Citizenship Foundation does mock trials which are good to get involved in, and make sure you visit your local Crown Court so you have lots to write on your personal statement. Many places in London do law lectures so I'd go look for some online. I'm personally not applying to Oxford but these are some general things you should have a think about outside of exams.

That could do that. Or they could do something useful like focus on their academics.

How many law students do you think haven't visited the Crown Court? It proves absolutely nothing, other than you were free one Tuesday.

Yeah but academics are a given?
For me, work experience was encouraged at school and there is literally no harm in doing it. It shows your're dedicated and passionate in your subject, and gives you something to write about in a personal statement. Even if it is just going to the Crown Court, it's a start.

Ordering food at a restaurant is a given too. Doesn't mean you should order a new Lexus to spice things up.

I just gave my own advice, the person who made the thread can take it or leave it

Things you can do (non-exhaustive):

Marshalling (shadowing a judge), mini-pupillages (work experience at a barristers Chambers), work experience at a law firm, member of a college law society or debating club. Even just attending crown court (in a spectating capacity, preferably).

I don't really understand what you mean?

I did spend time in text books, I also did the activities I suggested and secured scholarships at LLB, LLM and BPTC level. I speak from an informed and knowledgable position on this matter.

To suggest that showing passion (through gaining experience) in the area you wish to study adds little value is clearly wrong.

You have presumed that this will be a distraction, that the individual will be anxious and that they will be frantic. They are posting on a website two years before uni starts. They seem quite able to forward think and plan their time. This individual has time as an ally and If they intend to apply to Oxford then they will need an awful lot more than grades.

Your experiences should never be listed, but should inform your reasoning and explanation of why you want to study what you are applying for.

I think you should be a little more considerate when providing people with 'advice', just incase someone mistakenly follows it.

You really do chat a load of rubbish!

Your pre-applicant lack of understanding nonsense is, frankly, nonsense. Many people without law degrees or any legal education undertake legal work experience to secure training contracts and pupillage. These would be those who intend to study the GDL and then the LPC or BPTC. They can and do secure a TC or pupillage before ever having picked up a law book.

Furthermore, the English and Welsh legal system (as well as many other common law systems) relies heavily on case law to paint the legal landscape, it is obvious to me that even an academic can draw value from marshalling and the other experiences I mentioned.

You seem to really enjoy picking those cherries. Legal work experience will strengthen undergraduate applications if used to demonstrate passion for the subject and a reason for wanting to be X professional. It is not difficult to get on an LLM programme, unless you're applying for a very good university. But then it tends to be your grades that are important. Inns of Court Scholarships will not be secured if you don't have legal work experience. Pupillage and training contracts can be applied for at the end of second year, work experience amongst other things will be essential at this point.

The personal statement is not an affidavit. Experience gained can be stretched to strengthen the personal statement, even if the applicant wants to be a lifelong academic, which I'm sure is the desire of the majority of 18 year old law students.

(If I were you, I'd stick to academic law :P)

Btw, I'm going to drop you the details of the medical student thread so you can all tell them how they don't need to gain experience in a caring environment to strengthen their applications. And when someone challenges you, you can tell them they don't want to be carers, so why bother

To be clear to the original poster, ignore any 'advice' which suggests that you shouldn't gain valuable experiences in order to strengthen your application to study Law. I was involved in student recruitment for a number of years and I can tell you that it can give you an edge, especially when applying to highly competitive universities.

No confusion, merely addressing some of the rather drifty comments you have made. I have had to go off topic to reign back your presumptions.

For example, I could ask you to highlight where I mentioned LLM or PHD students going on a weeks work experience to a law firm? I didn't. It's something you have made up, like many things in your responses. You seem to have quite the habit of presumption and misquoting.

What I did say is even an academic can gain a benefit from previously mentioned experiences. This was in response to your disingenuous point of a student only applying to law to study academic law. It is clear that most students applying to law have a grandiose idea of what they want to do (and it isn't academic law). It is clear my point was that a 16 year old wishing to study (academic) law can also benefit from the experiences mentioned.

Can you also please show me the quote where I said that you needed work experience to get on a BPTC course? I didn't. You made that up too. What I did say is that you need work experience to successful secure an Inns of Court Scholarship. Once again, your habit of lying shines through.

Do not focus on Aristotle and Mill in your personal statement! That is exactly what puts people off when reading your application. It is perfectly acceptable if you want to be a solicitor or a barrister to say as much in your PS, and to back that up with an experience you've had is fanatastic (as long as it's not over egged). It is also perfectly acceptable to draw on those experiences to demonstrate why you want to study law, without having to specify a career path.

I don't have the same time or inclination as you, to look at any of your (historic) posts. It's a little insecure to be honest. Your attempt to cast dispersions is not a good trait, it comes from a position of insecurity and weakness.

In terms of porky pies, I stated I previously worked in student recruitment, not presently (another misread/presumption/lie on your part). That means that I can currently work in a different job, like the NHS, for example. Just so you know, adults can have a list of jobs that they've done, over time, moving from one to the next . On your point of an LLM, I studied my LLB, then LLM, then BPTC. After spending some time in law, I studied my MSc with an intention to possibly studying postgraduate medicine after gaining experience in the NHS. Other than that information (to counter your points) I really don't have any need to divulge personal information to you on a thread.

A ward of caution, you should try to not make wild presumptions and cast dispersions on people because you have difficulty in reading and digesting what people are saying to you. You also shouldn't give poor advice to people looking to start their careers. I don't know if this is something which you regularly do, but it might be wiser to think before you type. If you have problems making coherent arguments then mooting (I did on my LLM) and debating might assist you in that respect. I think I might have just suggested legal experiences to an LLM student, oh the sacrilege...

On a serious note, if you have any personal questions (such as universities) then inbox me as I won't reply on a thread .

A case of sour grapes is always transparent and hilarious.

I'm sure OP will follow your exceptional advice of not doing anything to demonstrate their passion for the subject they wish to study. Who wouldn't follow good quality advice like that .