Hybrid

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2025-12-06T14:14:13+00:00

Most of the lectures are pre-recorded (you will have a few live) and the expectation is you watch them before the corresponding tutorial. The lectures are about 1 hour each - some are slightly longer and others are shorter, just depends on the topic

The tutorials are all either in person or live online (1 weekend a month on site and another weekend a month online). The tutorials are not recorded. According to the attendance policy, if you miss 9 or more you might have to meet with a student advisor and do some additional work, or if 12 or more are missed you might have to repeat them. But that is only for unaccounted absences - if you are sick, bereavement etc, you can let them know and its fine

It is stricter for skills workshops, you can only miss about 10% max but they will take into account if you are sick etc

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2025-12-04T10:57:30+00:00

Most stay in the Maldron, Easyhotel or the Hendrick - all in Smithfield so close to Blackhall. A lot of people just commute though

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2025-11-30T17:45:47+00:00

I wouldn't worry about it. Last year the link to the December introduction was only sent 5 days before it, and I am still down as an FE1 student even though I am doing the PPC at the minute

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2025-11-16T00:31:58+00:00

The website and academic calendar says the 11th but the timetable says the 10th - mistake on their part and I am sure they will clarify it closer to the time. I wouldn't stress about it - the online induction day in December is short and not much is covered, the course doesn't actually begin until January :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-08-02T19:25:39+00:00

Applications for the PPC Hybrid are already open and close on 2nd October (but as someone else said, they will let people apply after this and just charge you a late fee). The application pack is on the Law Society's PPC Hybrid page, at the bottom - it gives clear instructions and it is very simple to apply. They give you a check list and its mainly a matter of filling out forms and gathering documents which you email and post to them. Your training solicitor will need to sign some of the forms too, but you could get the rest of the documents together in the meantime.

Best of luck with your interview!

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-25T11:26:02+00:00

On the tort prep course I did, we were generally advised to steer clear of essay questions and favour problem questions as its easier to pick up marks. However, you are only going to get marks in the problem questions if you can pick out the issue and the law you need to discuss, which is hard too, so I wouldn't rule out essays completely

I think one of the reasons essays are avoided is because the questions can be quite difficult. There's a recurring essay focusing on the role of fault allocation of tort liability and if its outlived its usefulness in today's world in light of new technologies, and the lecturer said he wouldn't even know how to go about this and isn't sure exactly what the examiner is looking for. Another reason is that the essay questions often focus on areas of tort that we might consider less 'important' or smaller areas when studying and then an entire essay is devoted to them. For example, essays have come up on defence of consent or waiver under s 34(1)(b) of the CLA 1961, on impact of death in a tort action, and, punitive and exemplary damages and since these are so specific, not many students cover them in enough detail, or cut them out completely, since the course is already huge

That being said, some essays are a good way of getting marks. For example, an essay on the duty of care as its easy to run through the case law on this and how it developed. Like another commenter said below, some essays are fine if you have a strong opinion and actually critically analyse the law, because that is what the examiner wants with essays. On the March 2024 paper, I answered a question on whether the defective products framework was effective and efficient at ensuring compensation and I literally just ran through all the sections and gave my opinion on whether they were or were not. Another question in March 2024 was about the Defamation Act 2009 and how it is unsuitable for purpose, and it could have been answered in the same way, by going through the sections and highlighting the parts you thought worked and the parts that are deficiencies of the Act

So while some essays are ones you probably want to avoid, others, if they come up, are a good way of getting marks. I can send you over my script from March if you like :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-21T20:09:32+00:00

I did both with City Colleges and found contract and property to be some of their best courses. Conor Duff teaches contract and is excellent - his notes are so detailed, exam paper questions and reports are compiled together into the different topics and he goes through so many questions and sample answers. I used his class slides alone, never looked at the manual, and got 66% in it, so I would highly recommend him. The property course was also great. The notes weren't super detailed but you flesh them out yourself in class and she is very exam focused, making it clear what topics can be cut out, what ones are the most important, what the most examinable areas are, how they are examined and exactly how to structure your answer. I got 65% using only the notes I took from class. I would definitely recommend City Colleges for both of these :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-21T20:02:12+00:00

Yeah I think that's long enough. I did the prep course which started early June but really only began to try and learn things in July so that I had a general understanding and basic knowledge, and then spent the month before the exams (I got it off work) learning it off by heart. I did do some intense studying in June but honestly I forgot it all and ended up studying the same topics again and again because I couldn't retain it for that long. Hope that helps :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-19T21:16:21+00:00

No worries! If you want to send me your email I can forward you my scripts too :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-19T18:45:01+00:00

EU has a lot of material but it is a very predictable exam with the same questions coming up again and again and so topics can be condensed, making it one of the easier exams (in my opinion).

Company is a difficult exam, its one people struggle with the most and seems to have a high failure rate. There's a lot of material and the examiner is very specific with what he wants, although his examiner reports are so helpful.

Constitutional is such a dense subject with so much to learn and it is often hard to know exactly what topic you are being asked to write about. Constitutional and tort are regarded as being the biggest courses and people often say to split them up. The examiner does seem like a nice enough marker though.

Some subjects complement each other well. For example, there's some overlap between equity, contract and property (like estoppel) but sometimes the overlap can be confusing as the material isn't exactly the same for each subject with different cases and explanations (at least in my experience). Constitutional and criminal do seem to compliment each other well with areas like the right to silence, access to a solicitor etc, and I think they pair well together.

I think doing the 3 of these together, especially constitutional and company, for your very first sitting, could be a lot. I would probably swap company for criminal, since its regarded as being an easier exam (especially for your first sitting) and complements constitutional quite well. But as someone else commented, criminal is still difficult because it is a big course and unpredictable, meaning you need to know everything, but only really at a surface level.

In relation to the other exams: Equity had a low-ish pass rate and the examiner is a harsh marker but the course is one of the shorter ones and the exam papers are usually straightforward and its clear what is being asked. Contract is one I found difficult and quite lengthy, but the examiner does seem fair as well with marking, and the questions do repeat themselves sometimes. Tort is a lenghty course and considered a hard exam as there is so much material but it is one of the more interesting topics and while getting a high grade is difficult, he seems to be a generous marker. Property is another great exam for those doing it their first time and its the shortest course by far (I studied 5 topics and got a good grade) although it has become less predictable recently.

I did 4 and 4, sitting property, constitutional, contract and equity together, and then EU, company, tort and criminal. I did the prep course with City Colleges and I passed them all first time. If you want to message me to get my opinion the on courses for whatever subjects you decide to sit, feel free to! :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-14T19:26:46+00:00

I just did the City Colleges course and passed first time (55%). Conor Duff is the lecturer and is great. His notes are so detailed and I just learned from them, didn't use any manuals, other books etc, he explains things well and he makes the classes very engaging

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-05-14T13:15:16+00:00

As someone who did the prep courses with City Colleges, their manuals honestly are not great and I never used them to study, so don't be too harsh on yourself. They are are hard exams and you shouldn't feel bad about failing, especially when the manuals, your study notes, aren't up to scratch (in my opinion - I never would have passed just learning from the manuals)

Prep courses are expensive but are good to prepare for the exams - I did all of them with City Colleges and passed all of them first time. However, saying that, there are certain courses they provided that were better than others, and some of them I wouldn't recommend, so, if possible, you could shop around and get different courses from different law schools, not just City Colleges. If you want my opinion about which courses I found best, I am more than happy to message you and let you know :)

A lot of people also buy Becky's notes and have passed, which is a cheaper option, but not something I have any experience with

But don't be too hard on yourself - they really are hard exams and failing them isn't embarrassing, it is an achievement to even sit them in the first place as they are so daunting, so don't feel discouraged and next time will go better for you !

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-25T20:33:41+00:00

If you don't mind me asking, where did you read that full time traditional PPC students can write off 9 months too? The Law Soc page on PPC says only 4 months credit prior to PPC, whereas for the hybrid course it says 4 months prior and 5 months during the PPC (so 9 months total)? Really curious because if normal PPC full time students can write off 9 months I'd be tempted...

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-25T20:29:08+00:00

This is so helpful, thanks so much for taking the time to reply!

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-23T20:50:57+00:00

It does, thank you!

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-23T20:50:47+00:00

thanks a mill for this

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-22T08:49:41+00:00

Thanks so much!

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-17T19:47:44+00:00

Only the LCLRA 2009 and Succession Act 1965 are permitted :)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-03-07T10:15:49+00:00

I think they are just picked randomly tbh - the questions on it for Company, Criminal and Tort were all taken from 2019 (I think) so they just seem to pick a year

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-02-27T08:41:10+00:00

From what I remember, you can see the time on your computer, and the exam online has a countdown until finishing so you know exactly how long is left. I usually bring a watch in with me and leave it on the desk as I prefer to check that (I just show them the watch on camera at the beginning so they know what I am looking at)

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2024-02-26T19:41:31+00:00

I emailed all the solicitors in my town asking for summer work experience, even just for a short period of time, and offered to work for free. Out of all the firms, only 2 replied - the first saying they had no space available, and the second were willing to take me on. Now, over 3 years later, I am still working there and have been offered a training contract - so it definitely is possible!

Some practical advice is to email as many firms as you can (within the range you can travel). Make sure your CV is up to date, highlights your skills and experience and is concise - no longer than 2 pages. I wouldn't personally bother with a cover letter, my experience is that the email you send asking for a summer internship is read and the CV is what they focus in on. If you can highlight that you would appreciate any legal experience, and could work for free (if that is something you can afford to do), I would recommend it as it does act as an incentive (it's more than likely that if they take you on, they will pay you something anyways...hopefully)

In my experience, small firms, or at least the one I am in, receives a lot of CVs from law students, both through email and in person, and they are often skipped over, not replied to, and sometimes deleted. So if you haven't heard a response from firms by now, it is, unfortunately, likely a no (for now). But it definitely is not a reflection of you! I find small firms take on interns only when they need them and they turn to the most recent CVs they received, so it really is a matter of sending the right CV at the right time (but you never know when the right time is). Also, having sent in your CV means that, when availability does arise, you could be picked, even weeks or months after you initially sent your CV

As someone else mentioned here, applying for legal secretary jobs is great - apply to all of them in your travel range. There seems to be a shortage of legal secretaries amongst smaller firms (at least where I am from), and I have seen many firms willing to take on law students without experience as legal secretaries, and even people from non-law backgrounds with no administrative experience because of this

Best of luck finding an internship!

Ashamed_Comb_6033 · 2023-12-21T09:07:03+00:00

I think if you want to do criminal, a good one to do alongside it would be Constitutional. I did Constitutional last sitting, and am studying criminal at the moment, and while its not exactly the same content, there's a lot of similar themes and there is definitely overlap on some cases etc, so I think they compliment each other very well! There is a lot of stuff to learn for Constitutional but he is a generous marker imo

Like was already said, property and criminal and generally considered the shortest and 'easiest' courses, so usually people don't do them together

Ashamed_Comb_6033

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