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Law degree, how hard is it ??

I just finished my law degree, got 68% (2:1) over all and all i can say is do not underestimate this degree. You need to know HUNDREDS of cases, and if you planning on getting more than a 2:2 (which in the economic climate is a completely worthless law degree) then you need to know them in quite a lot of detail. Also, if you are not going to a red brick university, your degree will not be worth a great amount unless it's a first. If you are thinking a firm will then sponsor you to do the LPC, think again, because if you don't have a first, realistically it is very unlikely to happen, and you'll have to find the £10,000 elsewhere.

May I know which university did you do your degree in?

And did you still have ample time to enjoy student life in university, say playing sports and hanging with friends etc. ?

Reply 61

lionboy

1

Original post by Magicam

I just finished my law degree, got 68% (2:1) over all and all i can say is do not underestimate this degree. You need to know HUNDREDS of cases, and if you planning on getting more than a 2:2 (which in the economic climate is a completely worthless law degree) then you need to know them in quite a lot of detail. Also, if you are not going to a red brick university, your degree will not be worth a great amount unless it's a first. If you are thinking a firm will then sponsor you to do the LPC, think again, because if you don't have a first, realistically it is very unlikely to happen, and you'll have to find the £10,000 elsewhere.

Points to now pick apart:
-2:2 (which in the economic climate is a completely worthless law degree)- not true, in fact it is more than possible to get 'a' training contract, however it may not be the most favourable work/ firm but it is certainly possible. Furthermore a law degree is actually valued and many small accountancy firms take a 2:2 for their grad programs, which is still a well paid occupation(this being one of many other examples where a 2:2 in law will still be useful).
-You need to know HUNDREDS of cases ...over three years of study this is very plausible and not all that shocking and is the same if you go to Huddersfield Uni or Bristol Uni and almost all of the students manage this in some way or another, regardless of where they went so please do not make it out to be a bigger challenge than it is.
-if you are not going to a red brick university, your degree will not be worth... wow, I did not realise after all the discussion that occurs on tsr someone would be so ignorant to say this. Let us consider that the redbricks are Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle and Liverpool. None of which are performing particularly well and especially Liverpool whose entry standards are around AAB, in comparison to most AAA universities who do not accept general studies. Also consider Duxbridge, the London Five, York, Exeter, Southampton and the list goes on are equal to if not better than previously stated universities one wonders why a person would make such a bold statement that only by going to a redbrick institute would one have a valuable degree. :unimpressed:

-If you are thinking a firm will then sponsor you to do the LPC, think again, because if you don't have a first, realistically it is very unlikely to happen, and you'll have to find the £10,000 elsewhere....Again, this is far from accurate. This is true for a barrister perhaps but even then a 2:1 would not completely 'bar you' (pardon the pun) instead make it all the more difficult. For a solicitor a 2:1 is adequate and perhaps could beat a candidate with a first if they for example; interviewed well, had excellent prior academics, had a lot of work experience and many other features that could create a more 'rounded' candidate. It is perhaps the reason why many 'top' law firms say on their graduate websites that a minimum of a 2:1 is needed and not a 1st, just a thought.

To sum up, everything you claimed is in some shape or form complete gash

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 62

Spartz

4

Hey,
I am thinking to do a law degree and i've got a few questions.
What other careers can one get into after a law degree apart from being a lawyer or barrister?
What universities are the best for law?
Should i move out for uni? as i currently live in london and want to enjoy the social life of university.
How much reading is included realistically? Will i have time to socialise/play sports for the uni?

Much appreciated for any answers!

Reply 63

roh

17

Original post by Spartz

Hey,
I am thinking to do a law degree and i've got a few questions.
What other careers can one get into after a law degree apart from being a lawyer or barrister?

All the same careers open to graduates of History, Politics, English etc. Essentially if it's not lab based science work or engineering you can probably do it. Could be management, consultancy, banking, PR, teaching etc.

What universities are the best for law?

Depends on your grades and personal preferences of course but Oxbridge would probably be considered the 'best' for Law, though that doesn't mean they'd be best for you.

Should i move out for uni? as i currently live in london and want to enjoy the social life of university.

That's a personal decision really but I'd highly recommend it.

How much reading is included realistically? Will i have time to socialise/play sports for the uni?

Quite a bit, not as much as some law students claim. Yes, easily, I represent my uni in a sport and I know plenty of other lawyers who do too. There are people at the Olympics doing Law degrees, you can manage to balance uni level sport with it just fine. If you want to play sport to a high level, particularly so for team sports, your best shots are probably Birmingham, Durham and Exeter with Nottingham and Oxford also fielding strong teams across the board.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 64

cmacd

I am having trouble getting logged onto site. My question is off topic it is regarding the reputation of University of law. Is this a good place to do LLB? My daughter has been accepted as an international student. From Canada.

Reply 65

EXAMS//2015

2

So im thinking about a law degree but are not too sure could someone please help mr?how hard is it really!?id say im an average student a 'B' student at GCSE- do u think i'll be able to do it- will i get into a law uni etc

Reply 66

EXAMS//2015

2

Also giys is a criminology degree harder tha an actual law degree or are they the same?..im an average grade B gcse student who will be going into college soon..what kind of stuff does a criminology degree involve?how libg is it?is it hard to do and to get into a uni that does it?also would it be easy to find a job with this degree?etc etc pls me anything else i need to know about the degree itself x

Reply 67

EXAMS//2015

2

Also giys is a criminology degree harder tha an actual law degree or are they the same?..im an average grade B gcse student who will be going into college soon..what kind of stuff does a criminology degree involve?how libg is it?is it hard to do and to get into a uni that does it?also would it be easy to find a job with this degree?etc etc pls me anything else i need to know about the degree itself- would i be better of doing law or criminology?stuck between the two..

Reply 68

Shilosh

How good does my writing skill need to be? I feel like I'm such a crappy writer, but I really want to do law.

Reply 69

Howbeit

19

It would depend how good you are at memorising information, analysing facts and applying the law, keeping up with the workload and revising in general. I think some people would find law very difficult because it requires you to remember a lot of information and understand, analyse and compare that information which can be tricky, especially in the more complicated areas of law.

Law is one of the hardest subjects to get a First in (in my opinion because of the way in which it is marked). You'll generally find in scientific and mathematical subjects like maths or physics over 20-30% tend to get a first, and sometimes much more. In Law these numbers tend to be more around 5-10% of people. If you do the work you shouldn't struggle to get a 2.1 in Law (although I would expect more people in Law get a 2.2 than in scientific subjects, but I don't know this for sure). In my experience if you want a 2.1 then Law is probably no easier or harder than many other subjects, but the difficulty of any subject is going to also depend on where that persons talents lie. If you're after a first you really need to step up your whole game a level. It's very hard to just 'get a First' in Law, unless you're very bright, it will require you going the extra mile, understanding case judgements and analysing them in detail, and pretty much getting everything right and being 'spot on' in exams.

I got a First in Law, I've finished the LPC, probably with a Distinction, and I have a training contract. If you have any questions about any of these things, feel free to ask.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 70

999tigger

19

Original post by Shilosh

How good does my writing skill need to be? I feel like I'm such a crappy writer, but I really want to do law.

If one of your A levels is essay based you should be fine. History and English lit are very suitable,

There are also books on writing essays.

If you get the grades to study , then you should be fine.

Reply 71

Howbeit

19

Original post by EXAMS//2015

Also giys is a criminology degree harder tha an actual law degree or are they the same?..im an average grade B gcse student who will be going into college soon..what kind of stuff does a criminology degree involve?how libg is it?is it hard to do and to get into a uni that does it?also would it be easy to find a job with this degree?etc etc pls me anything else i need to know about the degree itself- would i be better of doing law or criminology?stuck between the two..

Which one to do depends on your career aspirations and talents. A Law degree is in general likely to be harder than criminology. Criminology is very similar to subjects like sociology, but rather than the study of behaviour and society in general, it is the scientific study of criminal behaviour. It focuses on concepts like what causes crime, reducing crime, criminal behaviour and prevention of crime. If you're not sure what you want to do in the future then Law is probably the better choice in my opinion. If you like criminology you study criminal law and may also be able to study criminal subjects like 'youth justice' in your third year. I would personally pick the subject you think you'll enjoy more.

Original post by Shilosh

How good does my writing skill need to be? I feel like I'm such a crappy writer, but I really want to do law.

Writing is a skill, one you'll vastly improve doing Law, so it would probably be good for you!

Reply 72

username1177050

20

Harder than most degrees in the sense that yon will need to read for it more than you will other subjects. It can get dry so if your not up to reading lots then your exams will suffer. However the content isn't that hard it can just be dry. Next year I am taking less reading shortcuts and not just gonna read the power points and core text I think is sufficient but try and do stuff wot the lecturers say

Reply 73

lachachacha

16

Original post by Funguy

So just want ot know how hard is it to do law a university? Ive only just thought about doing it but want to know will i be able to cope. I generally know it requires a lot of reading and essay writing. How much reading does it actually require and how is the workload?

Really not that hard tbh :s well not first year anyway! I went out 5 nights a week, had numerous mental breakdowns throughout the year and personal probs, still managed 2.1s

And I only got AAB at a level so I'm not that clever by TSR standards

Reply 74

jashaf

Original post by Onearmedbandit

I really don't want to tempt fate by answering this now as I've my last 2 exams on Tuesday and Wednesday, but what the hell. I've found it a lot easier than I initially thought. You'll find there are definite shortcuts to the reading, which you learn over time. It isn't that bad. I've had time to play football for uni, as well as be on the committee of two societies, and have a great social life :smile:

But like I said.. don't wanna tempt fate :p:

But so long as I do ok in these next two exams I should be getting a 2.1 and entry onto the masters degree :biggrin:

what types of subjects did you take in you're A levels

Reply 75

JasmineLas01

3

@Onearmedbandit Wishing you the best in your exams! I hope you wont mind me asking but what university are you currently studying in?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 76

Yameen98

9

@Howbeit What uni did u go to if u don't mind me asking and how did u revise for Law in general? I'm going to study Law this September (hopefully) and would like to know basically how to survive in Law because I've seen many posters saying they don't like it, it's hard, waste of time and money, too competitive, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Thanks and congrats on that first in Law 👍🏻

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 77

ahmad neim

Hello everyone, Allow me to introduce my self my name is Sami i'm from Jordan (middle east), 25 years old, i have a very good command of English, i graduated from one of the best universities here, with a Bachelor in marketing had 3 years experience in marketing, after my high School i tried to follow a law school abroad but couldn't due to some family reasons, Whatever i've talked too much let me get into the subject! I am willing to follow a law school, Bachelor degree(Graduate entry) 3 years full time, at Queensland university of technology, Queensland, Australia, its was a long life dream for me to be able to maintain a pathway as a lawyer/Solicitor, since i have the skill of persuasion, and in to reading, but now after researching about how doable it is, taking in consideration i have to work like 30 hours a week, because Australia is an expensive country and i have to work this average of hours per week inorder to be able to cover my needs as a student, moreover here in Jordan we are used on 100% exams in order to graduate (lack of assignments), so we actually are kind of weak when it goes to writing skills, however i am really eager to work on this even on other weak points that would be discovered later on, But after reading and researching about some reviews, i actually never felt afraid of a horror movie, but this is horror!, because once i paid for my studies i just cant risk it i have to finish my studies this is the only thing pulling me backward, also working as a Barrister or solicitor is in the occupation list in Australia's Occupation list and on a growth in demand for the next years which will make it a piece of cake to get a PR (permanent residency). I am really looking forward to get answers based on prior experiences, hope i'll get answers from people who survived law in addition to having a job and some kind of social life, how possible is that! Much appreciated.