Law at which?

[stubiff]

Any recommendations for Law from (only) these.
They all have the same tariff, that's why they are grouped.
City/campus doesn't matter.

University of Nottingham
University of York
University of Sheffield
University of Exeter
Cardiff University
University of Birmingham
Newcastle University
University of Southampton
University of Liverpool

Thanks, in advance.

@Xenia
Thanks for the confirmation on firm requirements.

Generally, is there another industry that recruits in Y2 of Uni where the point of employment is 1 or 2 years after graduation?
I know firms want to get the best talent, but if they delayed a bit then they'd still do that (at that point of time, if all are doing it) and they'd have an even better idea that the recruits are suitable.
If the PGDL gives enough time to learn law knowledge, then why not incentivise Law graduates, even more, by incorporating some/all of SQE1 (as that's where the main pass rate problem is) into a degree (Y3 seems to be generally all options anyway), then the time from graduate to employment is a lot shorter. Other professions have qualification exemptions due to the content or type of degree.

It used to be that you required a qualifying law degree or postgraduate law conversion to meet the legal knowledge requirements and the LPC was the practical skills. So eg I did tort and contract yr1 uni and was never tested again. Of course I needed to know the law to be able to pass LPC but it wasn’t tested separately again.
Now in theory you don’t need a law degree or conversion just pass SQE1 to prove your functional legal knowledge and SQE2 is skills based like LPC.
Law degrees are academic study of law. Many doing a law degree will have no interest in working as a solicitor or working in England & Wales.
A law degree is a well regarded academic degree (my DC - child of 2 solicitors is doing a law degree yr1 but saying she doesn’t want to qualify)
In reality all firms are still requiring law degree/conversion not just SQE pass.
As for Law Degree v Conversion. I’ve not seen stats breaking down SQE pass rate for those with law degree v conversion.
I know city law/barristers often have different degree. My experience in regional is most have a law degree, all my colleagues do and in a previous firm all except one did (and you could tell!) For some areas a none law degree is an advantage eg STEM degree/Intellectual property. Cost of funding conversion is a factor to bear in mind.

Yes, appreciate that some with a Law degree will do other things, so not saying that it should only be that way. It could be an SQE degree pathway which the student chooses at the end of Yr2. Similar to loads of degree variations that have the same first two years, then specialise.
It could be that it's (that pathway) SQE-like but then gives an SQE1 exemption. Existing option-based pathway would still exist.

Read an SQE review from someone which said that 7/12 areas were the core stuff like Tort (not re-taught on their prep course), and they had to remind themselves of a lot of it, and re-study. Makes sense if that core stuff is light in Yr3 and not examined as well.

That is true that before the SQE1 course people need to remind themselves of their LLB core subjects which tend to be done some in year 1 of an LLB and some year 2 or their PGDL work of the year before SQE1.

Northumbria introduced a combined LLB and LPC I think a 4 year integrated masters before SQE came out but not sure if they are still doing that. I think there may be some timing issues about all this eg you cannot qualify unless you have a certain level (level 7?) of diploma or a degree in any subject plus passed SQE1 and 2 and done the 2 years of training/QWE but a law degree which is core subjects years 1 and 2 and then 3 is a masters doing SQE1 and 2 getting someone an LLM after 3 years would be possible to devise as currently 2 year LLBs (not usually at very good places) can be done.

On the recruiting years ahead it tends to be because the recruitment process takes so long and there are the post grad exams. My son's friend just passed his last accountancy exam for the ACA at a big firm. He has worked the last 3 years since graduation at the firm with day release for the 3 days of exams i the way accountants have always done. Law firms tend to prefer people have completely finished and ideally passed all the exams before the person starts their 2 years of paid training.
I suppose as a lot of people who do an LLB will never choose to be solicitors or barristers there may not be a market for a degree integrated with SQE course/exams and the exams are set externally and sat externally now by Kaplan with fees of about £4k on top of course fees so it is presumably a lot harder under SQE than the old sytsem LPC to have integrated courses

Yes I wouldn’t have fancied being tested again on my yr1 subjects 4 plus years later. I wonder if those with PGDL will have higher SQE1 pass rate as they effectively have just done a 1 year crammer.
Personally I enjoyed all the various optional modules on my law degree (my husband and sibling did totally different optional modules to me) and it helps students explore areas they may be interested in. I got excited listening to the options at all the universities I went to with dc in yr 12/13 (it’s not about you mother when I was reeling off what I’d love to take…)
Other option is to do the 6 year Solicitor Apprenticeship from 18 if they know they definitely want to qualify but there aren’t many and very competitive.

It used to be that you’d get academics out of way and then do your 2 year trainee job, there was just a short professional skills course to complete when you were a trainee but that was it.
Some firms are still doing that model so you only start working in office once SQE is passed.
But some are using model where trainee will work and study for SQE at same time.
SQE is very much unknown quantity at minute and firms are adjusting. If one route seems better then I suspect that will become the norm but it will take a few years for stats to show and firms to get a feel of what works best for them and the trainee.

That true and just about very big firm (other than their fairly small apprenticeship programmes) in London is sticking with do SQE year and only after that start the 2 years of training. (My twins were one of the last within the LPC system and they did the fairly minor professional skills course with one small exam during their training and that course does not exist under SQE).

I too enjoyed those modules I could choose on my LLB and still remember some of them . One was taught by the lecturer who became our most senior judge - first woman on the UK Supreme Court - now Baroness Hale. None of my four solicitor children did an LLB as they were not even sure they would do law afterwards until near the end of their degree. Although my twins who qualified in 2024 were under the LPC system I have been looking at SQE because firs tof all I thought one of them who planned a gap year during the pandemic (that had to be called off) might have been under the SQE system and we have relatives in the wider family doing SQE now and another one about to start a PGDL later this year.

Can you post link ?

@Tirangapete
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/5234150-law-at-uni-of-york

Hi can I just say your posts have been wonderful to read

thank you so so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences

takes a lot of time to be so thoughtful and detailed in replies

I have really learned a lot from your posts

we are a medical family and have no Legal bodies in the family and your posts have informed me so so much

balanced and well informed

thank you so so much

@Tirangapete glad to help thank you for your kind words.

@younimentor
What are the MN rules on self promotion?!

Anyway, things have moved on a bit.
Application in last week - Warwick, Leeds, Exeter, Sheffield and Lancaster.
And literally just now an offer from Sheffield, first one.

Original list was done when we thought predictions would be AAA, but got an AStar so added Warwick, and Leeds has come down to AAA for ‘26.

@stubiff congratulations on that first early offer. how does your DC feel about it? Mine were swayed by speed when theirs came in last October, both choosing an early "yes" over the stragglers.

@Jellyfidgets
Thanks. Initially thought something was up with the application until he got into the detail!
No real reaction - think he's (over) expecting them from the lower tariff ones.
Exeter is favourite, so as long as that one comes back positive, in time to apply for accom, then will be all good.

One of my DC graduated from Exeter with a law degree a couple of years ago. She, and the cohort that I know, about all managed to secure TCs in London or major cities eventually.
They all had a very happy three years too.