Law Essay competition (6th form) - advice

Hey could really do with some advice
Applying for Law ar Warwick, Nottingham and Bristol next yr
Want to do some essay comps, but missed (tomorrow 12pm) deadline for the Robert Walker Law comp. I have one more lined up, John Locke, but worried 1 wont be enough for these type of Unis? Any advice? Thx in advance
Any holistic advice for Law at any Russell Grouo uni much appreciated?!?
Personal statement will also include Law MOOCs, 2 work experiences, part of Law club, set up debating club, attended court, read law books (and explaining what was learnt), and a Politics EPQ, likely A*, and political canvassing and politics ‘Policy Forums’. Really want to go to one of these 3 Unis!
Best 8 GCSEs are:
English Lit - 9
History - 8
Eng Land - 7
Geography - 7
RE - 7
Maths - 6
Chem - 6
Bio - 5

Hey- regarding the essay competitions, whether you do one, or 10 will likely make no difference- unless you do notably well in them, anybody could’ve done it. Given you’ve organised one( John Locke) ,that’ll suffice in demonstrating any benefits you seek to show the unis- they can only go in to your personal statement, and when they do, feature for about one line, and no uni would ever actually notice them, so don’t stress too much.
As for holistic advice, your GCSEs are strong, and your PS plan sounds great- probably everything you need, but perhaps I’d add some alternative sources to just books- whether that be articles, seminars, legal podcasts- ofc focus on books as they’re usually the highest quality work, but it’s equally important to be unique.
To aid this objective, perhaps aim to discuss less common books too- with law being so incredibly competitive since personal statements were ever a thing, don’t underestimate how many applicants will have referenced the same things in their PS( that admissions tutors will be tired of)- e.g. In mine, I referenced a political book that law featured in, but wasn’t the entire premise of, which makes the interest in law that stemmed from it seem more natural, and less as though I’ve searched up ‘law theory books to mention in personal statements ’ and led with the first I saw- e.g ‘The Rule of Law’-
For your first book, reference something like the political book( or a book relating to whatever your legal interest may be) that intrigued you to law, then a more specific legal theory book that you read to build knowledge on a particular area of law, like its political significance- this will help to sound far more unique.
Also, worth noting some of the strongest personal statements segment one area of law that interest them particularly( still referencing an interest for others, but in slightly less detail)- your politics EPQ would be a good place to lead with, as you can explore your interest for this interdisciplinary connection( constitutional law etc…).
Can’t be sure as I didn’t apply there, but have heard Bristol don’t place much emphasis on the PS, so will be important to nail LNAT and grades more than anything( LNAT just for Bristol out of these I think)- PS and references are just a way of evidencing an interest in the actual concept of STUDYING law and NOT just practicing it, as you’re at uni to study it, and won’t practice until later- you can’t show this interest from grades and an LNAT score, so showing a clear interest will hugely help to stand out from high competition at these unis.
Apologies for the essay, but if you’ve made it this far, I hope this helps, If you have any other questions at all lmk.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.
Totally makes sense and didn't think of it like that... Just wanted to show some interest by doing a Essay Comp if I’m honest.
I have actually brought one book where it suggests different Movies, Articles etc - so I’ll diversify my sources
I’ve brought quite a few books that’ve been recommended, What About Law?, The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham, Learning the Law by Glanville Williams, The Concept of Law, and Is Eating People Wrong? but going to try and only reference a few and analyse not just name drop!!!
Really intrigued with your comment about Politics. Just had a look and plan to buy ‘Politics of the Judicary’, by A J Griffith which seems to link nicely here!!
Thanks so much again

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.
Totally makes sense and didn't think of it like that... Just wanted to show some interest by doing a Essay Comp if I’m honest.
I have actually brought one book where it suggests different Movies, Articles etc - so I’ll diversify my sources
I’ve brought quite a few books that’ve been recommended, What About Law?, The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham, Learning the Law by Glanville Williams, The Concept of Law, and Is Eating People Wrong? but going to try and only reference a few and analyse not just name drop!!!
Really intrigued with your comment about Politics. Just had a look and plan to buy ‘Politics of the Judicary’, by A J Griffith which seems to link nicely here!!
Thanks so much again

You’re very welcome!
Essay comps are definitely a great idea, as it’s all about evidencing actions you’ve taken to pursue an interest in law, which not every applicant will have done, but ofc just one will achieve this.
Diversifying sources will be a great idea to support this originality, as unis will often be most attracted to more unique thinkers, and as you mentioned, analysing less sources( in greater detail), is infinitely more valuable than referencing loads for the sake of it.
The books that you’ve bought from recommendations are useful, although I’d be inclined to choose Bingham’s ‘The Rule of Law’ ( I also did) to discuss over the others( or just in more detail)- as it discusses law in a more generalised context, referencing its social role, and its significance in theoretical and social contexts-
Not all ‘law’ books do this, and focus alternatively on ‘legal theory’, which I’d imagine the ‘learning the law’ book may do- the reason I’d avoid this is that you’re applying to these unis to ‘learn the law’ from them- they want people to arrive to the course with no real understanding of legal theory and concepts, and instead have expressed an interest in learning about the laws social roles, then learning the theory whilst they are there.
Although, it’s worth noting that Binghams book is a popular reference from law applicants( for good reason though) as it’s very helpful to build understanding.
As for ‘Is Eating People Wrong’, I think this would be a great reference, as I’d assume ethical thinking and qualms are a key premise- this thinking will be very important in law, as not all theories are ‘ethical’ as such, and issues are rarely straight forward, and have moral complexities- and also probably a unique book to mention.

Thank you!
- Will start with the ‘rule of law’ book for sure. - Appreciate the acknowledgement between learning the theory and Laws social role, something I hadn't fully understood. - Will also look at various areas of Law
- I was wondering if you had any other unique books/or non-uique books or other sources you could kindly recommend please?
- really appreciate this advice

In terms of ‘Politics of the Judiciary’, I think this would be a decent choice, likely exploring ethical complications behind legal frameworks- e.g prejudice-
However, one thing to be cautious of is losing focus on what you will actually be studying at uni- in my original PS draft, I focused heavily on issues behind judicial decisions and politics behind it etc…, and then received feedback that it was too focused on:
To save the time of adding loads in once you realise you’ve written what may as well be a criminal justice PS(like I did), Id recommend referencing law in its different context, and reference an interest in various areas of law- this isn’t to say you can’t mention criminal law ofc( I led with this using ‘To Kill a Mockingbird), it just means you should also reference other areas.
To avoid over focusing on criminal law/ judiciary systems, I’d suggest you could look into political areas of law like constitutional law, and different concepts that intertwine the two fields(theoretical ones, as opposed to only in practice)- an explore this-
It’s ofc important to segment one area to keep your PS more tailored to your personal interests, and coherent, but make sure you focus on a theoretical area you’re likely to learn about during your studies at these unis- you could check uni course modules to see this.

Who gave you that weird feedback? There is nothing wrong with focusing on one area of law in a PS, and judicial decisions are studied all of the time.

Hey could really do with some advice
Applying for Law ar Warwick, Nottingham and Bristol next yr
Want to do some essay comps, but missed (tomorrow 12pm) deadline for the Robert Walker Law comp. I have one more lined up, John Locke, but worried 1 wont be enough for these type of Unis? Any advice? Thx in advance
Any holistic advice for Law at any Russell Grouo uni much appreciated?!?
Personal statement will also include Law MOOCs, 2 work experiences, part of Law club, set up debating club, attended court, read law books (and explaining what was learnt), and a Politics EPQ, likely A*, and political canvassing and politics ‘Policy Forums’. Really want to go to one of these 3 Unis!
Best 8 GCSEs are:
English Lit - 9
History - 8
Eng Land - 7
Geography - 7
RE - 7
Maths - 6
Chem - 6
Bio - 5

Of course!
On mine, I referenced( In order
Books:

Podcast:

Article:

Seminar:

Ofc for articles, seminars etc, just give them a search and quote any relevant ones you find- unless you are discussing it at an interview( only at Oxbridge) you don’t need to write in THAT much detail. But following a structure like this will help it flow nicely.