Brunel or City for law???

I will be starting uni this September and I just cannot pick between the two.

Living closer to central london, I think that City is a great choice being in the heart of london and also being well-known for its great links to other law firms and its history being rooted in the legal field.
Brunel is also quite good, being overall ranked higher as a university. However being in Uxbridge, I would have to travel two hours (by car) one way and I’m not sure if that’s ide for 3 years.

The dilemma sits where the course being offered at Brunel is the LLB with a year’s placement in a London firm (so good??), and my City choice is JUST an LLB. It’s hard enough to get experience as a law student so I thought it was a great opportunity. I aspire to be a barrister in the long run, so I’m not certain that the experience from the placement will be super beneficial if I’m going to be shadowing a solicitor or something.

What would be the best decision if i’m trying to inevitably be a barrister, and is the experience really worth it????

Reply 1

Stiffy Byng

Working in a law firm would usually be a valuable experience for an aspirant barrister. I suggest, however, that your choice of university should not be determined only by the availability of a placement in a law firm. Look at all the variables and pick the course and location you prefer. Don't worry about rankings.

Reply 2

MehakCityUniRep

Official Rep

Original post

by simii494689

I will be starting uni this September and I just cannot pick between the two.
Living closer to central london, I think that City is a great choice being in the heart of london and also being well-known for its great links to other law firms and its history being rooted in the legal field.
Brunel is also quite good, being overall ranked higher as a university. However being in Uxbridge, I would have to travel two hours (by car) one way and I’m not sure if that’s ide for 3 years.
The dilemma sits where the course being offered at Brunel is the LLB with a year’s placement in a London firm (so good??), and my City choice is JUST an LLB. It’s hard enough to get experience as a law student so I thought it was a great opportunity. I aspire to be a barrister in the long run, so I’m not certain that the experience from the placement will be super beneficial if I’m going to be shadowing a solicitor or something.
What would be the best decision if i’m trying to inevitably be a barrister, and is the experience really worth it????

Hi @simii494689,
I’m currently about to begin my final year of the LLB at City, St George’s University of London. While I can’t comment much on Brunel, I would advise against choosing a university solely on the basis of whether you think you’ll secure work experience there. Opportunities for legal experience are far more widely available than you might expect, as many firms and organisations offer schemes regardless of which university you attend.

At City, there are plenty of opportunities to gain experience and develop skills that make you stand out to employers. For example, the LLB now requires all students to take a Career Activation Programme (CAP) module, which provides professional legal experience. In addition, the university runs a micro-placement programme, where you can work in a professional environment for four weeks to gain practical experience. There are also opportunities to undertake placements abroad.

Beyond university-organised opportunities, you’ll find that by conducting your own research you can uncover countless schemes and experiences. I’d also strongly recommend creating a LinkedIn profile, if you haven’t already, as it’s an excellent tool for finding opportunities and networking.