Help me learn about law

Hi I wish to do law and I need to apply in a few months but I don’t know much. Help a newbie with info/terminologies? please explain things like any requirements I need, any non official requirements, what’s a magic circle what’s an rg

Reply 1

hicweondksc

Original post by pixieonmeth

Hi! Law is a fascinating subject so it's a good choice! I'll try and break it down:

Requirements
No unis require any specific subjects to do law although essay subjects are usually recommended. Some unis might require you to do the LNAT admissions test (you can check this on the uni's website) so if you are applying anywhere that requires it you should register and book an exam now as registration opened 1st August. I'd recommend doing lots of law related extracurriculars, you can find lots of free law webinars online, law podcasts (The Law Show and Law and Disorder are very good), read law books etc.

Info/terminologies
There's no specific terminology you need to know. Magic Circle is a group of very big and prestigious law firms in London. Rg is an abbreviation for the latin 'Reyula Generalis' which just means general rule of the court. If you read law books, listen to law podcasts and engage in legal news (any reputable news outlet will work) you will start to pick up on legal terminology and lingo. Legal Cheek is a good legal journal to read for that!

A few good law books I would recommend is anything by the Secret Barrister (their writing is witty/informal and a good introduction to the criminal legal system), Misjustice: How British Law is Failing Women by Helena Kennedy, Rule of Law by Lord Bingham and I've heard Letters to a Law student is good as well. If you look online there's many other excellent law books.
Good luck with your application! I'm happy to answer any more questions if needed x

Reply 2

Stiffy Byng

In context, I think that the "rg" referred to above is probably the Russell Group. In case the OP does not know this, the Russell Group is a group of UK universities which have a loose association for the purposes of marketing and other things.

The term reyula generalis is obscure. It is little used in UK legal academia or UK legal practice.

Magic Circle is a more or less meaningless phrase used by legal journalists, marketers and recruiters to refer to some swanky law firms. Silver Circle likewise.

OP, what is it that interests you about the law? It may be best to research what the study of law entails before deciding whether you wish to wish to study law.

Another book which you might look at is Learning The Law by Glanville Williams.

By the way, you do not have to study law at university in order to train as a lawyer. There are various paths to becoming a lawyer, if that is what you would like to do.