Griffith College LLB Degree

Brandon F

Hi all,

Im new to this site so apologies if this is in the wrong section. Im 20 and dont have enough points to do Law in UCC, so im looking to find a course that will provide the same qualifications as Law in UCC or UCD etc.

I heard about this course and have research it online and it seems that this course is what im looking for. Am I correct in thinking this? Also its the Cork college, not the Dublin college.

Has anyone done the course in cork? If so i would greatly appreciate any information on it, even how many people do the course, facilities, lecturers quality etc. After i complete the 3 years, what do i have to do further to become a solicitor? As you can tell I'm not informed on the route and cant afford career guidance for the moment(yes im aware the course costs 5 grand).

Thanks in advance.

newby09

My advice to you is to only go to a fee paying college as a last resort. Maybe the points will come down for law in cork or galway or maybe you qualify as a mature student? The reason I say only go there as s last resort is because, in my opinion, a fee paying college is not respected by employers (maybe I'm wrong?). If you have straight A's it won't be as impressive as one might say it's easier get the grades because if they are tough markers nobody will want to go there and pay money whereas in the public colleges they aren't afraid of failing you, there are plenty of people to fill your place.

It all depends on what you personally want to do. I was in your situation a few years ago and didnt think I could get the points for law and my career guidance counsellor said 'ah sure go to X or Y you can get in there easy with contacts wink wink etc'. To be honest I just didn't like the idea of paying fees for another 3 years so I was determined to go to a public college. Had I been in a position to just pay fees and didnt get the points I may have gone there as I didnt want to do anything else in college. Looking back now it would have been a mistake for me as I have no direct contacts in law and would struggle to get a job with a solicitor in the difficult times.

There are a lot of redundant solicitors, trainees and people looking for contracts at the moment. My opinion is that you would be at the back of the queue going to a private college. I wouldnt give up on trying to go to UCC etc it would be worth it in the long run. I hope this has helped you, I probably come across slating private colleges but I think its only fair I give my opinion.

Sheedy

I would say if you want to study law, you don't have the points to do it publicly and the 5 grand a year wouldn't be an issue then go for it. An LLB is an LLB no matter where you get it and Griffith's LLB is as valid as any other. My personal experience is that the lecturers are of an extremely high standard in Griffith College, however this is Griffith College Dublin as opposed to Cork.
Obviously it would be preferable to study for free, but some of us don't have that choice. Going private just means you didn't score top marks in subjects such as Irish, Maths, French etc in school which in practice couldn't matter less. In my opinion, employers are far more likely to look at the results you got in your degree than where you got your degree from. The exams are pretty much the same in all colleges.
Alternatively, if you just want to be a solicitor you could just sit the FE-1s, you do require a degree, but not one in law. The route required to become a solicitor this way is set out on the law society website under education.

Good Luck!

newby09

Sheedy wrote: »

....Going private just means you didn't score top marks in subjects such as Irish, Maths, French etc in school which in practice couldn't matter less. In my opinion, employers are far more likely to look at the results you got in your degree than where you got your degree from. The exams are pretty much the same in all colleges....

Nearly every application I fill out for solicitors ask your leaving cert results and points, why would they bother if it didnt matter to them, sure you have more recent exams to go by? Maybe its because someone who struggled with leaving cert subjects etc generally isn't capable of straight A's in a scenario where you a lectured and not spoon fed.

Results in your degree are a factor, but so is the degree itself. As for exams being pretty much the same - the same things are examined ie contract law but they aren't corrected by the same people (whereas leaving cert is).

If you want to be a barrister then it probably wouldn't matter. Many do Arts or Politics type degrees and then do the FE1's also. Have a look around the biography of any partner/solicitor/trainee on all the websites and see what they studied and what they are doing now. This may give you an idea of what route people take.

Sheedy

If you are looking for a course that provides the same qualifications as law in UCD or UCC, Griffith will give you that. I assure you the private colleges are not afraid of failling anybody, and it is a highly respected degree. What they are afraid of is their quality of lecturers and facilities, they have to be if they want people to continue paying five grand a year. Plenty of people have gone on to become solicitors with Griffith law degrees, and believe me I intend to.
The choice is yours, but it comes down to the fact that you probably don't have a choice if you want to study law. If you work hard and do well you have as much chance as everyone else to succeed. The odd employer might view a private degree as an easy route (and this misconception is definately on the decrease), but again if you don't have the points what can you do?
It's a great degree, if you want to do a law degree don't let the possibility that some Solicitor might not give you a job in the future because he prefers Trinity graduates stop you...he sounds like a plank to work for neway:pac:

Brandon F

Thanks for the replies newby09 and Sheedy. I've yet to make up my mind but i reckon this is the best route to become a solicitor for me anyway. I've been reading through the legal discussion forum and it seems that it is harder to become a successful solicitor in these harsh times due to the excess of solicitors available. Would ye recommend law as career route at this stage of yer careers/studies?

Besides becoming a solicitor/barrister, what other career opportunites does a law degree open to you? I know law is my passion as I've always had my eye on it, but with the state of the economy and the competition to get jobs, I would like to enter into a degree that has job opportunities with a good salary(don't take this out of context,it is not the reason im considering law)?

Thanks again.

Sheedy

At the moment it is extremely difficult to obtain any training contracts or experience, but if it is your passion I wouldn't let it stop you. You haven't even started your degree yet, if you start in September it'll be June 2012 by the time you get it, and on top of that you'll have to spend at least another year doing the FE-1s and another doing a masters if you decide to do one. By 2013/2014 hopefully our situation will have improved and it wont be so difficult. Any career is a bit of a risk at the moment, so if it really is what you want to do then i'd say go for it.
Legal departments in companies and banks take people with law degrees, and politics is another area in which a law degree could come in useful, but it'd be difficult to get a job anywhere right now with or without a degree.

newby09

Sheedy makes a valid point - you're looking at 2013 before you finish your degree and then FE1's and a training contract etc so just because law isn't the most stable profession at the moment (nothing really is?) I wouldn't lt the recession put you off. Everything goes in cycles and you would be hoping to be getting qualified when things are good.

I'm a final year student at the moment and although I'm not jumping up and down with the recession, I know I'm not in the worst position. Law doesn't have the respect it once did due to the scandals but there's no doubt about it - there will always be a need for them. Maybe the numbers needed won't be as big as during the boom for a while but the recession will have knock-on effects that solicitors/barristers can work from. eg employment law, insolvency, family law is another that in the past wasn't as big but attitudes change along with the times. Thats the way I look at things.