FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

wez99950

Property Exam

For those currently studying, have studied property any tips for a frustrated property learner in terms of topic picking?!
Are there ones you must must cover? Or is property a subject where there is just too much overlapping that you can't leave out any topic?

I know it's early in the game for picking and cutting topics, but working and limited study time means I need to use my time wisely! Any help/advice from people who have done property would be much appreciated.

chopser

wez99950 wrote: »

Property Exam

For those currently studying, have studied property any tips for a frustrated property learner in terms of topic picking?!
Are there ones you must must cover? Or is property a subject where there is just too much overlapping that you can't leave out any topic?

I know it's early in the game for picking and cutting topics, but working and limited study time means I need to use my time wisely! Any help/advice from people who have done property would be much appreciated.

For me, I just learned everything to do about wills and the succession act (which you can bring in with you), almost always two questions and usually very similar.
I reckon I got maybe 30-35% out of knowing these sections inside out and then gathered the remainder to pass and better from other 3 questions.

bear17

looney-toone wrote: »

Hey,


I'm looking for some advice with regards studying for the FE1s,
I have a Corp Law degree and an LLB Degree.
I want to sit/pass 3/4 subjects in October... I have 8/9 weeks to study before the exams. I was thinking of concentrating on 3 of the 4 exams to ensure I pass them. Could anyone advise me as to what I should do with regards subjects, the time frame needed for each subject??

I would really appreciate it!!

Hey Looney

I'm a fellow Corp Law, LLB grad, finished FE1s last sitting but I got a notification from boards of your comment, and I honestly could've written this word for word myself last year, so I decided to reply!

Anyway, to answer your question, there is no reason why you couldn't pass all 4 in your timeframe. I found the biggest challenge to overcome is your own worry/nerves which comes from the hype surrounding them.
Ideally, you should spend two weeks on each subject, focusing almost entirely the manuals. However, I found it much easier to study in the final couple of weeks, so I wouldn't recommend focusing entirely on one subject then!
Since you've done the four years of college (and over 30 exams!), there's no reason why 4/8 more should faze you!

PS: I managed it in 7 weeks for each set of 4 (studying full-time), because I was a slow starter! My results were nowhere near winning the highest grade award, but then again, it's much less important than college exams. Good luck!

Kildaregal

Hi All,

Well its my first time posting on here and looking for some advise. I just finished my law degree in May(mature student - 27) and sitting the FE1s in October for the first time. Im only really putting the head down to study from now(full time as not working at the mo) as ive been away for the last month. Im doing the Independent colleges course for 5 subjects at the mo but before I apply to sit the exams Im wondering should I just do 4 instead of 5? I thought by doing 5 I might have a better chance of passing 3 as if i failed 1 then i might pass the others but now im thinking it might be best just to concentrate on 4 really well. Any advise/personal stories welcome..basically I wanna pass 3 in oct if i can at all(4 would obviously be great too but im being realistic with the standard of these exams). Thanks in advance!:)

Kildaregal

Also I meant to say..the 5 i am currently studying are Criminal, Contract, Property, Equity and Tort. If I was to drop one I think it would be Tort...Any advise re each subject or what the examiners are looking for would be great also..Many Thanks!

fe1sagain

Kildaregal wrote: »

Also I meant to say..the 5 i am currently studying are Criminal, Contract, Property, Equity and Tort. If I was to drop one I think it would be Tort...Any advise re each subject or what the examiners are looking for would be great also..Many Thanks!

Tort is a big course so I would give it a shot as you have the time. If you pass 4 and drop tort you would find constitutional, eu and tort in the next sitting much more work than the other 4. Give the 5 a good shot in the coming weeks until august and see how you are managing the workload. If you find one less subject to cover would make things easier then make a decision on it then. August until October leaves you with plenty of time. The exam timetable is quite favourable for your subject choices too.

colonel1

Kildaregal wrote: »

Also I meant to say..the 5 i am currently studying are Criminal, Contract, Property, Equity and Tort. If I was to drop one I think it would be Tort...Any advise re each subject or what the examiners are looking for would be great also..Many Thanks!

With regards to Equity, talk to Ciaran Patton, as he always gives fantastic advice regarding what topics to do (and more importantly which topics to omit) in Equity. Equity seems to be marked quite stiffly also, but if you prepare well you should be fine.

I am not surprised you were thinking of dropping tort, as it is massive. I still can't believe that the last 5 weeks in class were spent on 1 topic (negligence) out of 23! I have my first 4 (I did company, contract, criminal and equity) but as I work full time and I have very little time off this time round, I am just going to sit property (still only ploughing through the delights of the double use). I had been doing tort up to last Monday!!

Good luck with your decision:D

hero82

JCJCJC wrote: »

I'm using a 09 IC manual which is ok on it, plus GCD's sample answers from the one-day last March which are first class, I could only dream of writing essays with the breadth of knowledge they show - I think a SC does them. I also have Casey's textbook.
If you have access to a law library or legal database, search for 'separation of powers' because judicial independence is really a sub-subject of that overall doctrine. David Gwynne-Morgan has a book out on the topic which your library should be able to get if funds are tight. Any practising solicitor or barrister can borrow books from the law society's website and the law library, so if you have any professional friends you could ask them to get a book for you - they are DX'ed out and you'll have them overnight.
I haven't searched the legal databases yet myself for articles, at this juncture I'm just reading through the whole course to get an overview of the subject, I'm about 75% there.

Just google [ "separation of powers" Ireland ] and you'll get a fair bit of free stuff to get you going - I just tried it. Ask me the question again nearer the exams, I might have found something.

Never ever cite wikipedia in anything, but use it to get an overview.

cheers jc!very much appreciated!!

JCJCJC

There's a 12-page pdf statement from the Judges in relation to the proposed amendment, on the courts service website:

http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/library3.nsf/pagecurrent/3F7D5483CA1D6AD7802578C6005BF206?opendocument

According to the front page of today's Sunday Times, it's very controversial and the Minister isn't pleased about it. It might be worth saving and printing if you are doing constitutional - the issue is topical - in case it is taken down.
If you want something on Judicial Independence, this is as good as it will ever get.

jc

frustratedTC

How long is needed to study for eu, const, property and company for october sitting?

colonel1

frustratedTC wrote: »

How long is needed to study for eu, const, property and company for october sitting?

I would say that it depends on how long it takes you to make notes coupled with how much free time you have. If you are studying FT you should probably get 3 at least but you should start the studying now. If you haven't got a TC lined up then maybe you could consider doing 2 in October and 2 in the spring, as company and constitutional seem to be the kind of subjects that some people have to repeat a few times to get.

Company is huge, and there isn't a lot you can leave out. Plus the exam itself can be tough enough.

I haven't done EU or constitutional yet, but I believe they are massive subjects, and not massive in a good way;)

As for property, it is a short course (well the Independent Colleges manual is short at any rate), and apparently succession represents 40% of the marks. Still it is taking me an age to make notes on the topic, but then I am a very slow note taker alas plus I work FT. Am getting pretty sick of these exams at this stage.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

Newport81

Pink Britney wrote: »

Thanks SC its nice to hear from someone that has actualy sat it and get through it! Going to get the past papers and see from there its very hard to know what im going to be dealing with until I see them. Is there any book that you would suggest?

Thanks:D

Hi I'm doing this in march i can't find anywhere that is still offering the preliminary prep course? Could anybody help?

FreudianSlippers

Zombie thread bump megamerge - 12/07/2011.

Hogzy

Is anyone doing the Independent Colleges Tort Course?


Do ye have problems viewing the Exam grid. When i open the PDF it just contains a blank table. None the of Question Numbers are filled in.

frustratedTC

Same thing happened to me Hogzy for the last set, maybe give Val an email.You should have a nice paper this sitting considering ours was yuck!

law girl

Would anyone have details on what topics appeared on the last Equity and Tort papers, March 2011?

Thank you kindly,

littlemac1980

JCJCJC wrote: »

Just on degrees - I have a 4-yr 2.1 LLB from UL, but in my last job I interviewed a guy for a job who had a two-year post-grad LLB from UCG. I was very well disposed towards him because of the common interest etc, but the dude's knowledge of law could be written on the back of a small stamp with a yard brush - he was utterly, absolutely clueless, knew bugger-all as far as I could discover.

I thought the post grad LLB in Galway was Three Years.

Anyway, I'm not sure I fully understand the point you're trying to make here JC, are you suggesting that the undergraduate course in UL is better than the postgraduate course in Galway?

dinemo6

Can anyone please tell me if you do the one-day revision courses in Griffith (150e) do you get these famous manuals??

Or is it only exams papers etc....

FreudianSlippers

dinemo6 wrote: »

Can anyone please tell me if you do the one-day revision courses in Griffith (150e) do you get these famous manuals??

Or is it only exams papers etc....

No way you get the manuals for the 150euro revision course... you may get to look at them lol

dinemo6

i presume it's the same for Independent?

Would you recommend the one day courses?

Hogzy

dinemo6 wrote: »

i presume it's the same for Independent?

Would you recommend the one day courses?

Well considering the 1 day courses usually take place 2-3 weeks before the exams, their usefullness will all depend on how much you have covered before hand

brian__foley

dinemo6 wrote: »

Can anyone please tell me if you do the one-day revision courses in Griffith (150e) do you get these famous manuals??

Or is it only exams papers etc....

Not in GCD. The purpose of these courses is always revision - i.e. they presume that people have done the heavy lifting before hand but without, say, a direct exam focus. The GCD courses are all about applying what you should know by that point to the law. That said, the law is clearly gone over insofar as past papers are gone through, but the courses are not designed to be a substitute for study. They're all about putting a shape on what has done up to that point and the six hours is dedicated to that really and that only.

JCJCJC

littlemac1980 wrote: »

I thought the post grad LLB in Galway was Three Years.

Anyway, I'm not sure I fully understand the point you're trying to make here JC, are you suggesting that the undergraduate course in UL is better than the postgraduate course in Galway?

No, I'm not. That would be utter arrogance and insulting to most or all UCG students and graduates. In that particular individual's case, he wouldn't have had a hope of passing any FE1, purely in my humble opinion. My point, however badly made, was that it is unsafe to assume that a relevant degree is enough to get an easy passage through the FE1s on its own - it's not.

jc

trasla7

Hey all, having a bit of trouble understanding a concept in Constitutional Law and would appreciate it if anyone who tackled or has looked at the above question can help?

In terms of the second part of the question (whether Paul can restrict media coverage and use a false name), am I right/wrong in saying that Irish Times v Ireland (1998) means that he cannot have the media coverage retricted or use a false name as the 34.1 (justice administered in public) can not be restricted by a persons right to privacy or any other such right and; that 34.1can only be restricted if there is a risk of an unfair trial?

I read through the Irish Times case and that is what I took from it, is this a correct interpretation in relation to the question.

Also what difference does the fact that his family might suffer stress make.

thanks in advance to any response, id really appreciate it. been stuck on this point for quite a while.

bob_lob_law

Does anyone have an up to date grid for criminal? I can swap company or constitutional. Also have tort, equity, property and contract pre the last sitting. DANKE

evercloserunion

I had been planning to take 4 or 5 exams in October but unfortunately my "part-time" job has me working 6 days a week for the whole summer so now I'm not so sure. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate any help.

I'm just out of college and have pretty decent equity and (IIRC) contract notes, so I will probably take them at least. I hear property is okay for FE1s and would tie in well with equity, but I haven't studied it in a couple of years, got a bad grade when I did study it and since then the 2009 Act has come in. What would be the best way to approach it? It doesn't look like there is any post-2009 Act textbook out there. Is there any material at all that covers the main changes to the law?

Also, for a fourth subject, I was considering criminal law. I haven't touched it in years, but I have some notes on it and I remember it being straightforward enough. Is criminal a big subject at FE1 level? Is there an easier subject I would be better served studying? I was thinking tort because that would make for an easier timetable, but it seems like a massive subject judging by the syllabus. I know I will have to confront these subjects eventually but I don't mind pushing the harder ones back to March, as I will hopefully have more time to study for them.

More generally, is it worth my while buying those manuals people are selling in the other thread, or doing a revision day? I studied all these subjects at some point in college, but I'm rusty on most of them and some of my notes are a bit dodge and might take a lot of work to bring up to scratch. How helpful are the manuals for someone who's pressed on time?

Any advice would be appreciated!

bob_lob_law

evercloserunion wrote: »

I had been planning to take 4 or 5 exams in October but unfortunately my "part-time" job has me working 6 days a week for the whole summer so now I'm not so sure. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate any help.

I'm just out of college and have pretty decent equity and (IIRC) contract notes, so I will probably take them at least. I hear property is okay for FE1s and would tie in well with equity, but I haven't studied it in a couple of years, got a bad grade when I did study it and since then the 2009 Act has come in. What would be the best way to approach it? It doesn't look like there is any post-2009 Act textbook out there. Is there any material at all that covers the main changes to the law?

Also, for a fourth subject, I was considering criminal law. I haven't touched it in years, but I have some notes on it and I remember it being straightforward enough. Is criminal a big subject at FE1 level? Is there an easier subject I would be better served studying? I was thinking tort because that would make for an easier timetable, but it seems like a massive subject judging by the syllabus. I know I will have to confront these subjects eventually but I don't mind pushing the harder ones back to March, as I will hopefully have more time to study for them.

More generally, is it worth my while buying those manuals people are selling in the other thread, or doing a revision day? I studied all these subjects at some point in college, but I'm rusty on most of them and some of my notes are a bit dodge and might take a lot of work to bring up to scratch. How helpful are the manuals for someone who's pressed on time?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Property and criminal would be regarded as the easier subjects. The new examiner in property seems to be a bit of a light touch and you can guarantee two succession questions, adverse possession and maybe treasure trove so you're over half way there with very minimal effort. Criminal is a short course in comparison to say EU/Constitutional/Company. So both would be good choices in the circumstances. This thread has a wealth of information so if you search for terms you'll find more information.

I suppose the advantage of the manuals is the convenience and the fact that they point you in the right direction in terms of what you need to know. I'd be afraid of wasting time going through stuff that doesn't come up, or material that is too detailed /not detailed enough. For subjects that like tort, equity, contract you don't need bang up to date manuals and ones that are a few years old will be grand and won't cost much.

The one day revision courses are good for setting you straight coming up to the exams. You mentioned the new legislation in property, the course was great in that respect and really pointed out what you needed to know, approaching it on your would be quite daunting and probably take up lots of unnecessary time. They're 150 euro for each subject but worth it IMO.

Hope this helps, good luck with the exams.

234

evercloserunion wrote: »

It doesn't look like there is any post-2009 Act textbook out there. Is there any material at all that covers the main changes to the law?

JCWylie, "Irish Land Law" (4th ed, 2010)

Keane91

Hi, I'm just wondering is there much repetition from year to year? I know there can't be completely different papers each year but in a subject such as land out of the eight question topics how many on average would appear again the next year?
Thanks

funki_munkee

Hi, looking for a good revision/preparatory course. I was wondering has anyone done one which they would recommend or similarly advise to avoid like the plague? Im thinking of Griffith, purely for the fact that Ive heard about it the most. What do people think?