LLB at University of Manchester vs Exeter

Firstly, both are great options. Quality of teaching will be excellent in both. But the uni experience will be very different so it really depends if you want a big or small city experience? Manchester has a bigger legal market so more regional opportunities for work experience and jobs. But Exeter is a target for all the major London firms too. Also in terms of the student body you are more likely to meet students with London connections at Exeter which could be helpful later.
In terms of living there for three years Exeter is compact, safe and walkable. It's a one university town which means you will know lots of people and will see people you know wherever you go on a night out etc. That can be great fun but some might prefer the anonymity of a bigger city like Manchester. Good luck whichever you decide.
Also worth adding this from Chambers Student Research:
More Exeter graduates amongst law firm trainees than Manchester grads.

Firstly, both are great options. Quality of teaching will be excellent in both. But the uni experience will be very different so it really depends if you want a big or small city experience? Manchester has a bigger legal market so more regional opportunities for work experience and jobs. But Exeter is a target for all the major London firms too. Also in terms of the student body you are more likely to meet students with London connections at Exeter which could be helpful later.
In terms of living there for three years Exeter is compact, safe and walkable. It's a one university town which means you will know lots of people and will see people you know wherever you go on a night out etc. That can be great fun but some might prefer the anonymity of a bigger city like Manchester. Good luck whichever you decide.
Also worth adding this from Chambers Student Research:
More Exeter graduates amongst law firm trainees than Manchester grads.

As I've mentioned on previous threads, I would recommend you use the Chambers' research carefully. It is a thoughtful, diligent piece of research with a good sample size and (presumably) reliable methodology.
However, the research is already six years old and is taken from trainee interviews undertaken across 2016-2018. I doubt the recruitment landscape is radically different today but new trends may well have arisen in the intervening period (particularly a move towards blind recruitment). Just be aware that the research is based on speaking with individuals who, in some cases, may have started Uni back in 2012 (or possibly even earlier) and will have gone through the law firm recruitment process over a decade ago.
Finally, given the sample size (c. 2500 trainees over 3 years), the difference between the Exeter percentage (4.9%) and Manchester percentage (3.1%) is meaningless: it's literally a seminar group size difference.

I am struggling to decide which university would be better. I know they are around the same ranking level. But would like to know which university would better prepare me to be a solicitor at a top global firm. Also curious about the quality of teaching and networking opportunities.

Hello, thank you!! I am leaning towards exeter tbh cause of the whole campus feel.

I agree it's due an update. They did find more Exeter grads across every category of law firm though.
And the methodology says they interviewed 7,000 in total. See below.
I think the OP can safely conclude that a law degree from Exeter would be well respected and would allow them to move forward in their career.

I agree with your conclusion that Exeter is well-regarded and offers good career prospects to those students who excel.
In terms of the research, they interviewed 2500 trainees across 2016 to 2018 so c. 830 per year. A difference in a percentage point or two between universities is minimal and well within a margin of error. I'm not clear whether the report in 2019 is cumulative or standalone i.e. does it build on the earlier research or has it been done afresh?
The important point for those considering university choices is that the research shouldn't be a major factor when deciding between two or three leading institutions. Likewise, law firms will not use it.

I have a friend who did his LLB at Exeter and landed a training contract with a very big law firm! Suffice to say the London connections are easier formed at Exeter. In Manchester, may be a difficulty to develop the same

Hello, just curious. Why do you say it is easier to form connections from exeter rather than manchester?

I read it as cumulative but I could be wrong of course. Agree with you that it shouldn't be a major factor but I think it does provide a picture of the landscape out there. Certainly the universities fall into the sort of rankings I would expect. I do agree with you that, like any such study, there will be a margin of error.

It's 2025. Things have changed.

Yes but by how much? Pretty sure the same familiar names are still on top. Unless you have evidence to the contrary?

I'm a practising lawyer. The market has changed even more in favour of large US firms. University-blind recruitment is now widespread, The Chambers survey has no current relevance or value. It propagates a myth that law firms prefer some universities to others.

That is interesting. Do you have any advice as to what a first year law student should do to be able to secure a vacation scheme at a large firm? Any particular skills one should focus on learning?

Work hard so that your academic results are good. Maybe take part in moots, legal advice clinics, and university law society activities. Don't be disappointed if you don't obtain a vacation place in your first year. The competition is intense.
Please have a careful think about why you wish to become a lawyer, especially if you are aiming to work in a large commercial law firm. I have posted elsewhere in this forum about the reality of lawyering, which is nothing like the depictions in TV and movie fictions.

If a career in commercial law is what you end up deciding, definitely go for but commercial law is one of the most difficult areas to get into. Whether you go down the solicitor or barrister route, getting a training contract or pupillage is very competitive. Add to that commercial law makes it quite challenging and you have to be extraordinarily amazing. To give you an insight into why its so competitive, numerically speaking, a chambers I know of is paying their first year practicing barristers up to £360,000. Many of us may not see that much money until many many many years later in our careers, if ever.

I am struggling to decide which university would be better. I know they are around the same ranking level. But would like to know which university would better prepare me to be a solicitor at a top global firm. Also curious about the quality of teaching and networking opportunities.