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.

OP I get that you feel your DS may be more comfortable at an AAA uni but if his predicted grades do go up to include an A* then it might be worth 'wasting' a choice at the top rather than on a 'safe' choice at the bottom. Purely because as you say, law is competitive and so the better regarded the uni you can get into, the better - generally speaking - your options for the future.

I’m a partner at a top firm and I’m involved in recruitment. I don’t care what university a candidate has been to. The main focus is grades (to get to interview stage) followed by how a candidate presents at assessment centre/ interview.

Needing mum to do research on universities does not bode well for the independent thinking we look for at interview.

Perhaps mum is acting independently here HolidayHappy, in which case it has no bearing on the independence of thinking of the DC.

Also, teaching in some universities is significantly better than in others, which will improve the chances of a candidate at assessment centre/ interview. It's not about a 'name' per se; it's about the quality of education and how it develops a student's thinking skills between the age of eighteen and twenty one.

As a matter of interest @HolidayHappy123 what kind of grades are you looking for?

@HolidayHappy123 Needing mum to do research on universities does not bode well for the independent thinking we look for at interview

Do you interview candidates
at age 17 pre university then ?

I work for several law firms. In the UK at least, they don't give a stuff as to whether a kid has studied law or not - and many favour not having done it - so which university law faculty is not even a factor

This view of universities is very reductive. If university adds nothing to A level grades then what's their function for undergraduates?

I agree. Having a trouble free life between the ages of 16-18 and being good at exams doesn’t always equate to being a great lawyer.

@AsTearsGoBy and @cyclingmum67 Thanks for jumping in!

@HolidayHappy123
In this case, all independent. But, you do realise that, particularly in this forum, 95% of the threads are from parents asking on behalf of their DC, whether it's 'needed', assisting, trying to gain the same knowledge as the DC will have in order to support them, etc. Are you going to be consistent and make the same 'needing' comment on all those.
Re your insight (and curious79), I have come across some that either 'do not care' (but know) or do blind recruitment (so you wouldn't know). Conversely, there is also insight of it being an RG/elite specific industry (Recent LegalCheek article about 'recruiter has a type').
Guessing there will be a mixture (as always), but to maximise DC's opportunities, then trying to aspire to an elite, if grades permit, would be beneficial.
Also, am a Dad, btw, I know I'm intruding!

Going to guess it's a 1st, as the top firms want 2:1 minimum.
And maybe AAA plus at A-level.

@AsTearsGoBy ob yes! My phone had it hidden. Apologies. Quite surprised and interested af QMUL. Must reflect applicants of course and jobs available nearby so local students see the advantages and can study whilst living at home. That’s quite funny about House of Lords. Also naughty as it’s the Supreme Court now. So unless there was a date on the case and the judges mentioned, that’s a trick question in many ways.

The high grades for regional unis reflect applicants of course and also employment prospects. I still think Nottingham and Exeter are good value at AAA but I do agree their students might look more towards London, SW and SE.

It was an old case Tizer, hence HoL.

Nottingham is well established

@AsTearsGoBy If applicants given case date - fair enough. Otherwise judicial history!

There are well researched stats on which unis produce the most employed law grads and barristers. Some employers hide uni and still employ from the A star unis because they have the most suitable people who pass the tests and interviews. Hence you need unis that punch above if you are not A star and look at ones that are top 15 for employment.

Employment stats really matter in a county that educates 21,000 law grads every year with probably around 6500 openings for grads. Except these openings go 40-50% to non law grads and many to older candidates - older than 25. This is indicating they work after graduating so might be legal assistants but training to be a solicitor comes later so uni might end up being less important but you have to get the gig in the first place.

I’m not sure what our minimum requirements are because I only see candidates at the later stages. For the current year we’ve had over 4,000 applications for 60 places on our vacation scheme and we only recruit from there.

The talk of RG unis reminds me that one of our social mobility targets is to recruit fewer trainees from RG unis. So an RG uni won’t necessarily help recruitment prospects.

@HolidayHappy123
'So an RG uni won’t necessarily help recruitment prospects.' - agreed, and nor should it.

At the bar it is RG mostly all
the way. They look at others but don’t recruit them as they don’t have enough of the extras needed. Plus A levels and quality of course are deemed lower so criminal is the likely route and associated low pay . When you have thousands applying, why take third best behind Oxbridge and RG? The hard truth is a significantly large of lawyers are RG educated so avoiding RG is a gamble the brightest don’t take.

This is to the detriment of the bar. The brightest and the best are not necessarily RG and Oxbridge educated.

@BrickRedLipstick Actually they are. Others convert who have other careers first and they might not be RG but most barristers who are young are RG for very good reason. It’s intellectual, it’s bloody hard work and the best candidates are at RG unis plus a few more. They have been selected by A levels, uni and degree class. Some unis are better than others for law and that’s pretty much universally recognised by any research.

Has DS looked at apprenticeships? Check City Century. I’m a former academic now working in private practice with many apprentices and I’d say for the right person only Oxbridge may be worth the university experience/connections. Otherwise, if DS wants to be in private practice, an apprenticeship is a great route in and second to none in terms of financial decisions/experience.

That is manifestly untrue. There are lots of brilliant lawyers who went to average universities and equally lots of RG and Oxbridge duds. The Bar has moved towards RG and Oxbridge in recent times and it is a poorer place for it. Yes, some Oxbridge grads are incredible intellects on a different level to mere mortals, but there are plenty of RG grads who are bang average but progressed thanks to an expensive education and pushy mothers.

This is bizarrely at odds with the steps Oxbridge and the other top unis have taken (with success) to broaden their intake over the past decade plus. Your firm is arguably behind the times: its recruitment aims should be a little less blunt/ better informed.

TizerorFizz · Today 15:42

If applicants given case date - fair enough. Otherwise judicial history!

No you're over complicating Tizer. The law report said HoL which was what the tutors were looking for. A quick and uncluttered response. Date not relevant.

@TizerorFizz
When you say RG do you mean RG or RG+ ?
And before I come back, please can you remind me of the rough split in the Bar of law and non-law degrees? Thanks.
And also, as mentioned before DS isn’t looking at the barrister route.

That’s a bold statement @TizerorFizz for a woman who didn’t even go to university never mind worked as a lawyer.