What is a law degree actually like?

I’m in my first year of a law degree and it’s not too bad. The workload is really overwhelming in the first few weeks but by the end of the first semester you get a lot better at managing it. I hear the workload increases a lot in second year though.

Thanks, that’s nice to know. Do you find it hard trying to improve in your exams?

Thanks, that’s nice to know. Do you find it hard trying to improve in your exams?

I’m a third year law student, don’t take my word for gospel though because I am one of the struggling ones.

In general the essay works are okay, problem questions can get tougher over time. The jump from first year to second year is immense; there is normally a higher level of marking scheme, for example first year mark requirements are much more lenient than second and third year — you will have separate documents outlining the grading requisites for the last two years. So a 2:1 work in first year can well mean a 2:2 work in second year; I wished that I knew that earlier because it would have helped.

It also depends on what university you attend, because some universities put their QLD “core” subjects in the first two years of the degree and some spread them throughout. What this means is that your studies can get tougher overtime or you can have a mix of easy and hard modules throughout the years. Some modules, like public law, are very straightforward, and then you will have the ‘impossible’ ones such as jurisprudence (compulsory in some universities). Each module would warrant different study approaches as well, but that normally isn’t problematic for first year.

What makes things hard is definitely that universities don’t teach you how to score and do well. You may think at first that it is about learning the content you are given, but in reality, university is all about independent learning, own initiative, and your ubiquitous legal knowledge. Questions get harder throughout the years as well, be careful of 4,000-word questions and problem scenarios. Past year questions are not as reliable as GCSEs or A-levels, I have had a lot of exam questions that didn’t follow the patterns of previous years (asking to predict future law). What astounded me when I first started was how many different questions they could ask, for example asking about the future development in law between theft and fraud (which flipped me up during first year).

Thing is that, to succeed in a law degree it’s either you are a natural at it or you learn how to sharpen your skills over time. I am the latter and it still is unbelievably frustrating for me. I have older threads of me just complaining if you are interested to know about how a law degree is 🙃

Yes, I cry a lot too.

You will have different grading requisites in first, second and third year. Each becoming progressively harder to reach; a 2:1 in first year can mean a 2:2 in second year.

I’m a third year law student, don’t take my word for gospel though because I am one of the struggling ones.

In general the essay works are okay, problem questions can get tougher over time. The jump from first year to second year is immense; there is normally a higher level of marking scheme, for example first year mark requirements are much more lenient than second and third year — you will have separate documents outlining the grading requisites for the last two years. So a 2:1 work in first year can well mean a 2:2 work in second year; I wished that I knew that earlier because it would have helped.

It also depends on what university you attend, because some universities put their QLD “core” subjects in the first two years of the degree and some spread them throughout. What this means is that your studies can get tougher overtime or you can have a mix of easy and hard modules throughout the years. Some modules, like public law, are very straightforward, and then you will have the ‘impossible’ ones such as jurisprudence (compulsory in some universities). Each module would warrant different study approaches as well, but that normally isn’t problematic for first year.

What makes things hard is definitely that universities don’t teach you how to score and do well. You may think at first that it is about learning the content you are given, but in reality, university is all about independent learning, own initiative, and your ubiquitous legal knowledge. Questions get harder throughout the years as well, be careful of 4,000-word questions and problem scenarios. Past year questions are not as reliable as GCSEs or A-levels, I have had a lot of exam questions that didn’t follow the patterns of previous years (asking to predict future law). What astounded me when I first started was how many different questions they could ask, for example asking about the future development in law between theft and fraud (which flipped me up during first year).

Thing is that, to succeed in a law degree it’s either you are a natural at it or you learn how to sharpen your skills over time. I am the latter and it still is unbelievably frustrating for me. I have older threads of me just complaining if you are interested to know about how a law degree is 🙃

What sort of things would distinguish between a 2:1 and 2:2 is it the level of detail?

The marks usually lie in application of the law to the facts and critical analysis of arguments for essay questions, how logical and coherent you are when making arguments and so on.

Thank you for this although I’m more anxious about it now, right now I’m doing alevel politics and I like that they’ve given us a bank of all the possible questions they could ask but it doesn’t seem that will be the case with law. Better to know now I guess

Also do you mind sharing if you managed to get a training contract and how competitive it was?

The marks usually lie in application of the law to the facts and critical analysis of arguments for essay questions, how logical and coherent you are when making arguments and so on.

In summary, you will be 1- learning about the positive law (what the law currently is) and then 2 - the contentions surrounding the current law and the normative debates (what really is the law, and what the law should be). You will usually be asked to either apply the law or evaluate the law. For problem-based questions, you consult statutes and cases to discover the current law, and apply the law to solve the problem. For essay questions, you will read academic commentaries and case judgments in more detail to formulate your own evaluation on what the law is/should be.

You just need to know what the examiners are looking for. The positive law is not a secret; it's literally public information. You won't get the top marks by simply reiterating what the law currently is. Once you have a sufficient grasp of what the law is, you can then apply your own critical thinking and discuss whether the law should be the way it is. Have we misinterpreted something? Is the way we do things outdated or inefficient? Should something be changed, and why? The workload various, and depends entirely on how quickly you learn. More hours does not always mean higher marks.

This really is the gist of what you will be doing. Don't go in with the mindset that it's going to be a difficult 3+ years. The English legal system can be really complex and messy, but it can also be really interesting and enjoyable to grapple with.

Well, it depends down what route do you want to go to. I am planning to do the bar this September, after getting interested when I was working in the litigation (a solicitor’s work) department/area. The bar is much more competitive and harder to get employed in than to obtain a TC (solicitor route) in general. Reason why I am doing this is because I am simply interested and I do have backup plans, etc., just in case. It is not foolproof, but there is some risks that I have no choice but to take due to my own personal circumstances. Even if I end up not falling within these two routes, there are other jobs where public speaking is essential, etc.

How competitive is it to get a TC? I would imagine it to be very competitive. There are other factors at play too though; for instance, is it a London-based or regional firm? Is it commercial law? Is it family law? And so on, and so forth.

For the record, I have had two 2:2s and low 2:1s in most of my first and second years, and I did manage to somewhat get offered a TC which I rejected. It was a firm that gives out 5-15 TCs annually and wasn’t one of those popular magic circle, silver circle firms. I managed to get to the assessment centre and interview at another. Had a lot of rejections last summer.

So I am inclined to say that a lot of it is down to luck (whether the standards are lower at the time you are applying), your strategy (do you really fit the firm, what are the firm’s values? Etc.), and what the firm values in a candidate (if it was grades first and foremost, I probably would be unsuccessful). Your perseverance matters a lot too. It gets trying at times, but unfortunately that’s the way it is now.

On the other hand, there are many other places that you could still work in. I know a number of people who had 2:2s throughout most of their university years and became a solicitor 1-3 years after working as a paralegal at the firm. I know some that went into consulting instead, so they didn’t take the bar or LPC.

A lot of it is down to what you want out your career, what sacrifices you are going to make, and whatnot. So up to you if a law degree is what you want to do.

In summary, you will be 1- learning about the positive law (what the law currently is) and then 2 - the contentions surrounding the current law and the normative debates (what really is the law, and what the law should be). You will usually be asked to either apply the law or evaluate the law. For problem-based questions, you consult statutes and cases to discover the current law, and apply the law to solve the problem. For essay questions, you will read academic commentaries and case judgments in more detail to formulate your own evaluation on what the law is/should be.

You just need to know what the examiners are looking for. The positive law is not a secret; it's literally public information. You won't get the top marks by simply reiterating what the law currently is. Once you have a sufficient grasp of what the law is, you can then apply your own critical thinking and discuss whether the law should be the way it is. Have we misinterpreted something? Is the way we do things outdated or inefficient? Should something be changed, and why? The workload various, and depends entirely on how quickly you learn. More hours does not always mean higher marks.

This really is the gist of what you will be doing. Don't go in with the mindset that it's going to be a difficult 3+ years. The English legal system can be really complex and messy, but it can also be really interesting and enjoyable to grapple with.

The bar is only for aspiring barrister’s right? I personally don’t see that for myself and will probably go down the solicitors route.

I’ve heard that some firms are elitist and select trainees from more prestige unis so perhaps that’s why they were more lenient with your grades.

Hopefully I go to my firm which will either be UCL or Warwick and have a good shot at a London/ MC law firm.

Good luck for your bar exam!

Thanks for this, very informative. I hope I don’t stress too much as I tend to do so when I can’t find concrete answers or things don’t follow a certain pattern.