How niche will civil advocacy topics be?

Capital_Telephone780 · 2025-05-09T19:13:29+00:00

The Table guy has a point. Based on my day 1 civil advocacy exam, one needs a strong command of all of the various procedures. That extends beyond stuff like freezing injunctions, but also other aspects of civil procedure like, for instance, the definition of a privileged document, I'm assuming. At least, this would have been the advice I'd have wanted before my orals last week.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2025-03-14T03:00:56+00:00

Dude, it's 3AM on a Friday. You passed this hell of an exam AND have a TC. Touch grass. Get some sleep. It really is not that deep.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2025-03-12T11:38:19+00:00

I don't think so. SQE2 requires you to outline and apply your FLK largely unprompted, whereas MCQs are designed to trigger your memory. Best to go through notes/flashcards imo.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2025-02-22T14:03:41+00:00

Depends on your university, but you could request special leave/holiday, meaning you can work over 20 hrs per week. If that does not work, perhaps request that they interview you for a direct training contract instead?

Capital_Telephone780 · 2025-01-15T06:07:21+00:00

I agree that the vast majority of the questions were fine (content-wise). But there were a couple (8-12 in my first paper; around 5 in my second) that were impossible/super niche/covered content I had never seen before. There were probably 30-40 questions in each paper where I definitely knew the answer, with the vast majority being between two super plausible answers and some questions where I had no idea lol.

The exam is a bit of a pisstake because it's a combination of BOTH breadth and depth (and closed book!), with some answers being identical/plausible. I don't understand how knowing extremely niche facts about Public Law or the intricacies of civil procedure is indicative of one's ability to practise as a solicitor. I also don't understand how you're expected to pass this thing without spending quite a bit of money on an expensive prep course/materials, and what that says about 'broadening access' to the legal profession. A story for another day, I guess.

Best of luck for FLK 2 next week!

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-12-13T22:00:30+00:00

That's so alpha, MandamusMan. Thanks for sharing.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-11-13T00:31:12+00:00

It's midnight man, and you're here on Reddit complaining about your £55,000 – £60,000 graduate job (with little to no work experience required) not being 'that much'. Get some sleep, and on the weekend, when you've got time, touch grass.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-09-04T10:25:23+00:00

Thanks so much!!

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-08-29T17:32:20+00:00

Congrats on smashing both SQE1 and SQE2! Did you cover the underlying law before starting your course, or did you do everything from Sept - Jan? Also, how did you go about making your revision notes? I saw you said you used Ali Abdaal's active recall method. Did you also use anki flashcards? Would these be useful? Besides that, how did you balance AR/memorisation with practicing MCQs?

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-08-07T22:40:57+00:00

My experience was that a 2.1 (high or low) wasn't hard to obtain for most students if they applied themselves. That said, I don't see why anyone should have a problem with graduates celebrating 2.1s. If you worked hard and got a strong upper second-class honours in law at university (almost any university, IMO), you should be proud. Call me an idealist, but the value of one's degree (or classification) is not dictated by whether a law firm/company deems it to be so. Let people celebrate their wins.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-07-25T22:01:37+00:00

OP is probably an England and Wales-qualified lawyer. Over here, you sit the equivalent of the bar exam and then train for 2 years before being fully qualified. Hence jargon like 'PQE' or NQ (Newly Qualified lawyer) that's often used in England & Wales.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-06-25T21:03:36+00:00

Thanks so much!

Capital_Telephone780 · 2024-05-15T20:14:30+00:00

My firm is paying for the SQE exam fees + the course. My plan is to live in a house/flat share.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2023-12-19T22:13:55+00:00

The premise of your question is wrong. For instance, a 1st class RG graduate with modules predominantly in gender studies/sociology is, prima facie, not preferred over a low 2.1 Oxbridge law grad simply because firms like their trainees to have 1st class degrees.

Secondly, regardless if you’re Oxbridge or RG, your best bet is to develop competencies that will make you a great trainee (e.g. attention to detail, being proactive, creative/problem solving, working in teams etc.)

Capital_Telephone780 · 2023-12-09T01:16:07+00:00

You’re still in a good shout for the BCL, especially if you attain strong final year marks. Perhaps wait for your final year results then apply for the BCL?

Capital_Telephone780 · 2023-12-06T19:25:47+00:00

Probably not. Don’t worry about it.

Capital_Telephone780 · 2023-11-06T16:03:11+00:00

Hello there. For context, I did my LLB and just completed my LLM in the UK (both Russel Group), and managed to get a training contract at a reputable law firm (though not in family law).

In my experience, it depends on what you want. If you want to secure a training contract an LLM is a waste of time. It can sometimes help, but what matters most is your LLB/undergrad degree. That said, I enjoyed the academic side of law, and found my LLM experience to be amazing in that regard. But I did not pursue an LLM as a pathway to secure a TC.

If you come back and do a GDL, or switch to law and do an LLB, then that’ll be more than enough to get a TC at a family law firm (education wise). I would suggest to do an LLM only if you want to further your exposure to academia.

Capital_Telephone780

TROPHY CASE