First Year Law Exams

green909

Hi everyone right so I know that in contrast to the other threads on this board discussing law exams such as the FE1's and the New York Bar exam this thread must seem fairly irrelevant but nonetheless I am desperately seeking advice and tips for first year law exams.

As we had no Christmas Exams this is my first taste of law exams and to be frank I'm fairly terrified.

Also how important are your first year grades? Do they really matter given that they don't count towards your actual degree.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

jacko1

green909 wrote: »

Hi everyone right so I know that in contrast to the other threads on this board discussing law exams such as the FE1's and the New York Bar exam this thread must seem fairly irrelevant but nonetheless I am desperately seeking advice and tips for first year law exams.

As we had no Christmas Exams this is my first taste of law exams and to be frank I'm fairly terrified.

Also how important are your first year grades? Do they really matter given that they don't count towards your actual degree.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

depends which college you're in but in most places the results WILL NOT count towards your degree but prospective employers will want to see how you did. Alsoyou'll be redoing these subjects for the FE1s so its important to have a grasp of the subjects although FE 1's do not strike fear into law grads the way they seem to for the non law grads and grind school brigade

bcdccm

Agree with Jacko1. Im in final year and know what first yr summer exams is like with no christmas exams. Just pick your topics, read the recommended book's chapter on it. If you can try get the odd article for a topic just so you can throw in a bit of "Clarke mentions" this/ "Mee mentions" that type thing. I always thought its a good way to let corrector know you've read a bit.

In Galway at least 1st year doesnt affect your end degree result; not sure about elsewhere though! Good luck with study!

(btw jacko1 are the fe1s any easier for law grads? I've been randomly checking fe1 thread for awhile now and I feel sick with fear about starting them?)

jacko1

any exam should be taken seriously and you should remember that it could be 3/4 years since you last opened a contract or constitutional book compared to someone at a grind school. Nonetheless law grads generally do well although marks are not as high as one is used to in college.

Another advantage is that the main law firms have a huge bias towards law grads when recruiting

D3sperado

Generally they don't count towards your degree but as already mentioned first year in college usually covers the stuff that you'll have to sit in your FE 1's (if you take that road) so its worth putting a bit of effort into them. Also the big firms will want all your college grades so a bad result in first year, while not fatal to your application, will not look great next to someone who got steady grades throughout college.

That said though don't stress too much, first year law is a steep learning curve and the lecturers tend to mark their exams accordingly. As bcdccm said just revise the lectures and have a few lines from the major textbooks/articles that you can slip into the answer and your laughing.

green909

Thanks a million everyone !!! Really helpful comments

green909

D3sperado wrote: »

Generally they don't count towards your degree but as already mentioned first year in college usually covers the stuff that you'll have to sit in your FE 1's (if you take that road) so its worth putting a bit of effort into them. Also the big firms will want all your college grades so a bad result in first year, while not fatal to your application, will not look great next to someone who got steady grades throughout college.

That said though don't stress too much, first year law is a steep learning curve and the lecturers tend to mark their exams accordingly. As bcdccm said just revise the lectures and have a few lines from the major textbooks/articles that you can slip into the answer and your laughing.

this is most likely a really stupid question but what would a big firm consider a bad grade? As far as I can gather we get either I, II.I, II.II etc . . .

jacko1

green909 wrote: »

this is most likely a really stupid question but what would a big firm consider a bad grade? As far as I can gather we get either I, II.I, II.II etc . . .

ideally a 2H1 (60%+). Remember that law firms are increasingly using their summer internship programmes as the first stage of traineeship recruitment so you need to be coming to their attention by 2nd year