LPC exam resits and TC prospects

Hey everyone!

Currently, I'm going through a madness of LLM Legal Practice (BPP's fancy way of calling their LLM + LPC) exams at the moment. Apparently, I have miserably failed my Property exam, since they gave us just 2 days gap to prepare for Property and Drafting after both Litigation subjects.

So now I'm pretty much frustrated to the core, willingless and wanting to call it quits. But hey, is there actually any hope left? I guess if I resit Property in August, it will still say "2nd Attempt" next to the mark, right? And is it capped? If it's capped to 50% + says '2nd attempt', then its better not to embarrass myself and humbly leave the course.

But the main question is - is this '2nd attempt' thingy is basically the last nail in the coffin of securing a TC with a London City law firm? I've got a 2:2 for my undergrad degree, now this unfortunate... disaster.

How unforgiving are those City firms when they see 2nd attempt on your degree? Or should I forget about them and see my whole life in some small high-street firm, watching all my hopes and dreams sink in the ocean of cruel reality?

P.S. good luck for ya'll going through this medieval-level torture called 'LPC exams' and for all other non-LPC folks!

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 1

jacketpotato

Original post by Valeral

Apparently, I have miserably failed my Property exam, since they gave us just 2 days gap to prepare for Property and Drafting after both Litigation subjects.

That's a very lame excuse.

Why couldn't you plan your time so that you revised before hand, rather than leaving it to the 2 days in between?

Anyway, you've already paid for the course so you might as well make the best of it now.

Reply 2

Valeral

Original post by J-SP

The 2.2 in your undergraduate degree is more of a sticking point than the LPC grade for most firms.

It seems a bit defeatist to just pack up now and waste the many thousands of pounds to start the course. At least completing the course will give you the opportunity to become a solicitor - if you drop out you will just have a incomplete course or gap on your CV which will probably look a lot worse than one resat module.

So I should forget about City firms and stick to small firms? This pretty much means a defeat for me, because going through the hell of GDL and LPC and ending up earning not more, maybe even less, than a construction site worker is definitely not worth it. Or I'm missing something? I'm really in a huge mess right now

Reply 3

Valeral

Original post by jacketpotato

That's a very lame excuse.

Why couldn't you plan your time so that you revised before hand, rather than leaving it to the 2 days in between?

Anyway, you've already paid for the course so you might as well make the best of it now.

True, but that's the only reason, thanks to awesome BPP exam timetable. I spent most of the time revising for both Litigations and Business law

Reply 4

Valeral

Original post by J-SP

Depends what you mean by “city firms” - that’s a pretty broad range of firms within itself, and there might be some that won’t have a 2.1 minimum criteria.

There’s still opportunities out there depending what you are interested in. GLS is just one idea that might be worthwhile exploring.

You aren’t in a huge mess though - unless you didn’t answer the questions you don’t know you have failed. There might still be opportunities such as paralegal work if you can’t get a training contract.

This isn’t really the helpful part, but you really needed to do your research thoroughly before committing to the GDL and LPC. You could got a distinction in your LPC and you could still earn less than a construction worker (which can be a very lucrative career!).

This is quite stupid for them to decide your application based on your undergrad marks, especially when it wasn't a law degree. Back in undergrad days I wasn't even looking at law as a career, I was doing Arabic and middle eastern studies :smile:

I definitely failed, because I didn't answer those questions. So it's definitely a fail.

But the thing is, is law even worth the grind? It's been an extremely daunting experience going through all those sleepless nights of studying and memorising incredible amount of information, and all that just to try and survive coping with London prices?

Reply 5

TehLurd

I would definitely stick it out. You won't gain anything from packing it in! I don't think the resit whilst studying the LPC will be a big issue.

As you probably know, the legal profession is highly competitive. An issue for top London firms will be the undergrad 2:2. Most applicants will have a 2:1 or 1:1. It depends what size firm you want to work for really.

I myself am not a solicitor - my brother and girlfriend are. Admittedly, it does seem very cutthroat and difficult to break in to, but if it is your dream - do not give up!

Reply 6

Emad102

U got a 2.2, it very unlikely that ur going to go into a law firm in London that pays a good wage, unless u have a lot of legal experience. As with the lpc it’s hard because it reflects the workload a lawyer has to attend too, so complaining about the exam dates is not on your uni but your lack of preparation or ability. 🧐

Reply 7

EU Yakov

i love how OP is showing us all the reasons why candidates with 2.2s and resits don't get looked favourably upon

poor preparation check
not planning ahead check
excuses instead of reflection check
thinks lpc content is 'incredible' in volume check

Reply 8

legalhelp

Original post by EU Yakov

I take it you are a trainee? Let me please give you some advice. You should rightly be proud of what you have achieved. But you are not the first person to pass the LPC and secure a TC, nor will you be the last. Having done so does not give you a licence to condescend students who are only a fraction of time behind you. If that is the only reason you left this comment, then that says more about your own academic and professional insecurities than it does about the OP.

Having said that, OP, as others have said the main barrier to you in getting a good TC will be your undergraduate result, not an LPC resit. You’ve said you want a “City” TC; can you be more specific about exactly what it is you’re looking for? Without some pretty extraordinary extracurricular experience, and/or mitigating circumstances, the MC might be out of reach, but of course there are plenty of other firms in London beyond the MC. I absolutely think you should finish the course rather than drop out after one bad exam.