Typical A levels for law

[Come]

Am I wrong in thinking that for law specifically that there's no need for any specific A-levels apart from one essay subject?

I am still unsure as to why Tizer keeps tagging me. I tried very hard to provide an anodyne suggestion about maths a level possibly being useful marker to employers of someone who has a law degree, suggesting someone who is comfortable around numbers and concepts and who might have an aptitude for more complex areas within commercial law. I don't understand this need to contest what are intended to be helpful posts.

Such employers will want to recruit people who are both literate and numerate, and can either take STEM graduates or humanities/law graduates. A good A level in maths won't of itself be essential, but it does suggests someone willing/able to do complex number crunching and might help an applicant get through the first sift. Ditto with accountancy and other professional careers.

Instead we get more about her daughter and which A levels she took in order to practice family law.

Jumpingjellyfish is absolutely right about playing to strengths. There is no point in taking maths A level if you don't have the aptitude. You have to do twice as much work to keep up with peers for whom maths comes easily, probably won't get as good results, and presumably won't be attracted by the idea of working on complex multi year deals.

just for info

3 of dd friends all got confirmed acceptances today for law with less grades than they thoughts - all BBC- BCC including belfast

English Lit, History and MFL. Maths, Geography and sciences also good but there should probably be an essay based subject discipline

My dc did economics, law and computer science (and Finance).

If posters say something in response to a comment by me, I usually respond. At least I have a dd who is a barrister so have some knowledge of this career and what might help. I’m honest enough to say I don’t know about city law but DD has friends who do this job too.

Maths is really just a discussion point. It’s obviously not essential. It is, however, quite a popular subject to offer.

DD is off in September to do Law. She did History, Psychology, RS & English Lit/Lang

I did law A level and found it really helped me, not sure why it’s discouraged but I’d recommend an essay subject as law is essay based. Politics would be helpful, and interesting anyway. But I don’t think it matters too much

I did English Language, French, Spanish at A Level. Then did Modern Languages / Linguistics at uni before Law conversion course. Been a practising barrister now for 5 years, and was a paralegal for 2 before that.

Politics and History don’t overlap at all. The politics course is about the UK and Americans constitution. History will be a form of English and maybe European History eg the Reformation.

@Zanatdy Law A level isn’t if it’s the third A level and the other two subjects are the best prep. Looking at subjects offered by successful candidates at Oxbridge, it’s there. Cambridge list it as a subject in their secondary list below History, MFLs, English Maths, and a science. It’s in a group of subjects that might be helpful for some courses. I also think with widening participation, you will see it more often. It’s not a subject offered in many private or grammar schools. Now they see more applicants with it and of course there’s LNAT, which is probably more important then 1 A level, and the interview too. Plus GCSE profile. Obviously this selection method doesn’t apply everywhere where only A levels are considered. Law isn’t despised now.

well I went to a college in north wales, Oxbridge was far from my thoughts when I selected it. Plus I only did law at Uni as I did it at A level and enjoyed it. It was helpful to understand the case law ahead of Uni. Things weren’t as complex then, you selected subjects you enjoyed and applied.

@Zanatdy Well yes, but you asked why people didn’t like law A level. The best courses in the country are ok with it if everything else falls into place. So dislike of law A level is somewhat misplaced.

Agree I did a joint politics and history degree and the two subjects didn’t overlap and not even slightly boring !

I got my son through History A Level ( complex needs) and he’s now doing Politics. I’m very much hands on so know the syllabus well. Russian History ( 1860 onwards) and the Reformation. Politics we have been looking at the unwritten constitution, how legislation is enacted, political parties, political ideas and the US system. I would say that Politics is very useful for law as it explains quite a lot about ultra vires, administration law, judicial review etc and how hierarchy of the legal system.

Well if they don't overlap then there's no reason for them to be boring. Also you're talking about a degree, not a narrow A level spec. Entirely different.

Completely wrong at our school Noras where the two specifications overlapped to a significant extent. Our spec for History was the UK and the US at the same period (Thatcher/ Reagan), along with some European as you say (Germany). Hence the duplication.

Are you aware of the numbers of specs available to schools?

One of my DDs college friends at Wadham College did A level law. I think law tutors may be rather more open minded than some posters on these threads (and know rather more about what they're looking for in an applicant and what evidence they need to illustrate that).

Noras with respect, you know the details of a single specification for A level history. If you read my post again you may notice the caveat about overlap ('if').

I'm reading the posts higgledy piggledy hence my hp responses!

Surely they're tagging you because they're responding to you and there's the tagging function available so really easy to use when mentioning someone's name instead of typing it out? I think you're mistakingly viewing something practical as personal.

Presumably won't be attracted by the idea of working on complex multi year deals.

Not necessarily at all. My sibling works on complex multi year deals and doesn't have maths a level. Lawyers without maths A level aren't just concentrating on basic non-complex dum dum deals or the touchy-feeling stuff

I did English Lit, History and Maths and it set me up pretty well but honestly with a lot of law courses you need those A's so pick ones with a likelihood of that result.

While I'm at it, why the fixation in Higher Ed by some posters on Maths A Level as if it's the Holy Grail? Having it doesn't make you or your DC cleverer than everyone else.

I say this as a doctor with Maths A level.

Definitely History. Philosophy/RE and /or English Literature would be good. I would have thought Maths could be good too - rigorous logic...

Scroller, lots of people without maths A level are very capable of handling complex stuff. However a good Maths A level is not a bad way of suggesting that you are comfortable with numbers and concepts.

This is all I was trying to say in my first post. I was also clear that I am not a lawyer but had had experience of engaging lawyers for this sort of work from the client side.

I was simply trying to make a contribution. MN works because people have different experiences. The fact that Tizer has a daughter in her 30s who is a barrister practicing in family law is also useful. But not necessarily a reason for her to contest my first post.

That's good of you to admit that people without maths A level are very capable of handling complex stuff @Needmoresleep

Both you and @TizerorFizz have drawn on your personal experience. I didn't see her as "contesting" your first post at all though so am confused that you think she was getting at you personally. What am I missing?

IANAL either but from what I understand, and I'm happy to be corrected, at the big firms you will do seats during training in different areas of lawyers regardless of what A levels you have. However some areas of personal skill & knowledge will be very relevant when practising, but usually law firms and chambers will see a degree in a specific non-law subject as proof of that knowledge or skill rather than an A level.

Obviously a Maths A level is a good idea if you're good at it and want to do it. It shows ability to do logic, as a PP says. But so does a good a history essay, and perhaps in a more relevant way.