FE1 Exam Thread (Read 1st post!) NOTICE: YOU MAY SWAP EXAM GRIDS

Happychicky7

chops018 wrote: »

Well done on being brought up.

My result didn't even move.

Leave's me with Tort and Company for October and I'll be finally finished these horrid exams!

Hard luck Chops018, best of luck with the study. They are not the worst to study for but I found timing in both Company and Tort was hard to manage, there is always at least one question that overruns in spite of yourself and throws the rest of your paper off. I have EU to repeat and after March's exam I think Ill have my work cut out for me. But we are nearly there!

chops018

Happychicky7 wrote: »

Hard luck Chops018, best of luck with the study. They are not the worst to study for but I found timing in both Company and Tort was hard to manage, there is always at least one question that overruns in spite of yourself and throws the rest of your paper off. I have EU to repeat and after March's exam I think Ill have my work cut out for me. But we are nearly there!

To be honest I don't know how I got through Constitutional and EU in March just gone. I thought "I'll probably pass tort and fall the other two". Then I go ahead and pass them and fail Tort. They are a funny set of exams alright.

Hoping to start study the end of July, and finally be finished come October. Although I suppose there is no hurry, feck all apprenticeships out there, especially paid ones.

sorchauna

I agree with Chops018, I did think I did a decent Constitutional Paper and glad I past. However EU was god awful, and the examiner must have been in a very giving mood to give me the golden 50% cause really it was the worse exam Ive ever done! I think Tort examiner is trying to not be as predictable as maybe people have thought as the absence of a few things did make me struggle to think of what 5 to do!

Fairy2814

What exams is everyone sitting in October? Doing Contract, Tort, Criminal and Equity myself! Let the studying/insanity begin!! :rolleyes:

conmo

Fairy2814 wrote: »

What exams is everyone sitting in October? Doing Contract, Tort, Criminal and Equity myself! Let the studying/insanity begin!! :rolleyes:

I was thinking of doing these 4 too but been advised to do eu/constit seperate! when are you starting to study?

sorchauna

conmo wrote: »

I was thinking of doing these 4 too but been advised to do eu/constit seperate! when are you starting to study?

I did EU/Constitutional in my second sitting along with tort and equity. Yes there were long and people say separate them. But your first sitting should be concerned about one thing, getting the golden 3/4. so do the shorter ones like contract, criminal, equity and property. But beware shorter only means you do not pick and chose topics. You must cover the whole course as examiners in contract and criminal like to mix topics and you can sometimes have three topics on one question.

Luvanmusiq

I agree with above - its in your interest to sit four that you feel comfortable with to avoid the dreaded "pass 2, fail 2" situation. However, the very thought of sitting EU and Constitutional at the same sitting makes me queasy. They are both enormous, intricate and constantly changing topics and I know everyone's different but I would have found that extremely taxing especially with an additional two on top of that.

Organising what you are going to do for each sitting isn't easy nor a decision you should make with little thought. Take into account a) what you feel comfortable with b) the timetable of the exams and c) separating EU/Const or doing them together.

I second what sorchauna said as well in that you CANNOT cut corners in Contract and Criminal. I've heard horror stories of people getting only three or four questions because they limited themselves. Cover EVERYTHING for them.

Fairy2814

I've kinda already started studying. They're my comfy 4 so I'll happily sit and read and study away. It's just that I find them quite enjoyable that it doesn't really feel like studying to me. How about you?

Oh thanx for the heads up about EU & Constit! I was definitely going to separate them anyway- depending on how I feel confidence wise I might even just sit the one exam per session (EU or Constitutional) so I can do them justice.

conmo

I was going to start studying the start of july?! Would I be cutting it tight?

Thinking of doing Eu, Tort, Contract and Equity?

Im hoping to pass 4 october & 4 march!! Get them done with!!!!

Last years manuals be ok and throw in recent case law?

Now thinking of doing company, eu, tort and property?

Thanks lads!!

Fairy2814

Well if you feel you'll get everything studied and covered comfortably in that time then go for it! I just like starting for my own peace of mind lol.

What manuals have you got?

Re what you should cover, I'd literally go over whatever I could get my hands on so you can broaden your knowledge and build on topics :-) Now that's just me though!

conmo

Ive bought constitutional and company 2013 march sitting griffith manuals.

Ill use the constit next sitting!

Going to buy tort, property and eu next! 2012 should do?

Fairy2814

Yeah I'd say you'd be grand for the 2012 as long as there hasn't been any major changes to the law (like abortion for constitutional). Unless they tweak them to the syllabus given out by the law society?

JCJCJC

Fairy2814 wrote: »

Yeah I'd say you'd be grand for the 2012 as long as there hasn't been any major changes to the law (like abortion for constitutional). Unless they tweak them to the syllabus given out by the law society?

With Constitutional, you have to keep abreast of the CASE law, the examiner expects it. The abortion issue won't really feature until it is litigated. Know the major cases in the three years before your exam, and be very clear on what constitutional issue they represent. Know the older classic cases too. In EU, a 2012 manual will be fine - it's post-Lisbon, that's all that matters. It's almost as important to get your copy of the EU treaties at the start of your study period, and mark the treaty systematically. I recommend marking not only the important articles, but the index and the contents page, particularly where an issue is spread between the two treaties and articles are all over the place. ECHR stuff shouldn't be ignored - since Lisbon it's now part of the Treaties and is therefore gaining traction.

conmo

Tort Tuesday 01 October 2013
Company Law Wednesday 02 October 2013
Property Thursday 03 October 2013
Contract Friday 04 October 2013
Criminal Law Monday 07 October 2013
EU Law uesday 08 October 2013
Equity Wednesday 09 October 2013
Constitutional Law Thursday 10 October 2013

Looking at timetable im probably better off doing tort property criminal and constitutional!

The law society should have the 2014 timetable up!! Help us in choosing!

Fairy2814

Yeah I think it'd be best to give yourself at least a day break between each exam so you can have that "come down" time and get yourself set up for the next one.

Do you know if the syllabus given for March 2013 is the same for October 2013??:eek:

sorchauna

conmo wrote: »

Tort Tuesday 01 October 2013
Company Law Wednesday 02 October 2013
Property Thursday 03 October 2013
Contract Friday 04 October 2013
Criminal Law Monday 07 October 2013
EU Law uesday 08 October 2013
Equity Wednesday 09 October 2013
Constitutional Law Thursday 10 October 2013

Looking at timetable im probably better off doing tort property criminal and constitutional!

The law society should have the 2014 timetable up!! Help us in choosing!

Depends on if your travelling. I remember my first sitting I'd an exam the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the Monday. Altho the three in a row was tough (I didn't plan my exams around the timetable but the subjects I felt most comfortable with) I was traveling from Cork so I liked that I just went up there and got them over with. Like yourself my first sitting was in Oct so didn't know how the March was gonna be like.

Lawstudent007

Hi there, I wonder I anyone can help me out. I have recently completed my LLB in Law in Griffith College Dublin and have started the fe1 course in Griffith. Although I passed with a high 2:1 I am a bit confused as to how to approach the fe1 exams.

Is it best for me to sum up each chapter and then attempt the questions which have come up in past exams on that chapter? Or should I just attempt the questions straight off? On the one hand, there is no point to attempt the questions without knowing the work, on the other hand I might learn the work while doing the questions. I'm just thinking that if i sum up the chapters, do the questions, and get good feedback, then I know my notes are sufficient for exam purposes. It also seems like a daunting task to sum up each chapter as it is condensed already.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

conmo

sorchauna wrote: »

Depends on if your travelling. I remember my first sitting I'd an exam the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the Monday. Altho the three in a row was tough (I didn't plan my exams around the timetable but the subjects I felt most comfortable with) I was traveling from Cork so I liked that I just went up there and got them over with. Like yourself my first sitting was in Oct so didn't know how the March was gonna be like.

Ill have little travel to do. Im happy enough with them topics, that was some going!! Did you pass all four? Can you remember when you started revising for the exams? Im going to start in July I think!

newtolaw2013

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the griffith versus independent college courses?

I hear independent is better this year but that it varies on lecturer, etc.?

Any definitive answer on here, or is it it somewhat subjective? The lectures have started already so eager to sign up this week

kingcelt21

newtolaw2013 wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the griffith versus independent college courses?

I hear independent is better this year but that it varies on lecturer, etc.?

Any definitive answer on here, or is it it somewhat subjective? The lectures have started already so eager to sign up this week

I hear Griffith manuals are bigger but that may not necessarily mean better. Regarding the lectures, they are on YouTube to have a look and see which delivery you would prefer. City are another option that may be worth considering.

chops018

kingcelt21 wrote: »

I hear Griffith manuals are bigger but that may not necessarily mean better. Regarding the lectures, they are on YouTube to have a look and see which delivery you would prefer. City are another option that may be worth considering.

If you are doing Constitutional then I recommend going wherever Brian Foley is teaching. I heard him before at Constitutional talks and he was brilliant, always keeps you interested aswell and seems very passionate about it.

You can pick and choose between the colleges btw, might cost a bit more, but if it's teaching standard you're looking for then that might be the way to do it.

On which college is actually better - I can't say as I've always studied independently for these exams.

LowKeyReturn

chops018 wrote: »

If you are doing Constitutional then I recommend going wherever Brian Foley is teaching. I heard him before at Constitutional talks and he was brilliant, always keeps you interested aswell and seems very passionate about it.

You can pick and choose between the colleges btw, might cost a bit more, but if it's teaching standard you're looking for then that might be the way to do it.

On which college is actually better - I can't say as I've always studied independently for these exams.

Ditto all of the above - I'd go for the lecturers rather than the college. I also recommend Brian he's an amazing speaker. No relation to Brenden Foley one of the nicest people in Ireland if you ask me - another good one to look out for.

On the manuals I've the Indo KI ones for my undergrad and they are much more concise than the GCD FE1/KI manuals. GCD do have some nice learning aides in them but if you're at the stage of FE1s without your own study methods you've probably got bigger problems than which manual to pick. :pac:

JCJCJC

For all of you who love Constitutional Law, and I know there are thousands of you - this recent case will be very important: Wicklow Co Co v Fortune (No. 2).

Wicklow County Council sought an order under the planning acts requiring the demolition of a chalet-type house that had been constructed without planning permission in a high-amenity area where planning permission would be well-nigh impossible to get at the best of times. Orders of that kind, known as Section 160 motions, are absolutely routine business for local authorities, usually moved in the circuit court. In this case, a novel argument was raised invoking the constitutional status of the dwelling, and it was successfully argued that the demolition of the dwelling represented a trespass on a constitutionally-protected right, and thus a test of proportionality needed to be invoked. Hogan J decided, having visited the site, that demolition was too severe a remedy - ie disproportionate, having regard to the constitutional aspect in particular. He refused to order the demolition.

I'll bet two pints of Red Cow porter that Fortune's case will be on your examiner's top ten list for 2013. The fact pattern would lend itself to a problem-type question very easily.

Tea-a-Maria

Am I right in thinking Eoin Carolan took over examining Constitutional in '05?

TheGreaterFool

Hey, so I'm rounding up manuals at the moment for October and it's suddenly dawned on me that it's much longer since I've been next to near a Tort book than I had previously realised and as I don't yet have a manual, I was wondering if anyone would recommend any of the prep course lecturers in particular? I chanced a few one day revision courses in Feb/March and while some were great some were very average to be forking over a lot of money to see every week!

Muchas gracias....

ShamblesB

TheGreaterFool wrote: »

Hey, so I'm rounding up manuals at the moment for October and it's suddenly dawned on me that it's much longer since I've been next to near a Tort book than I had previously realised and as I don't yet have a manual, I was wondering if anyone would recommend any of the prep course lecturers in particular? I chanced a few one day revision courses in Feb/March and while some were great some were very average to be forking over a lot of money to see every week!

Muchas gracias....

Would you not just buy second hand manuals?

SRAadvisor

Hi all, I'm just doing a little research. Considering offering fe1 tutoring in th cork city area before the October sitting. Do people think there would be a need / interest for same? I finished mine bout 2.5 years ago and I had a pretty good technique for gettin thru. Thanks to any replies / advice!

TheGreaterFool

Tort manuals from 2012/2013 at any sort of reasonable price seem to be thin on the ground.... I have all other materials that I need but delay in getting hold of Tort manual together with it being an age since I (barely) studied it has me considering City/Griffith/Independent...

chops018

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

Ditto all of the above - I'd go for the lecturers rather than the college. I also recommend Brian he's an amazing speaker. No relation to Brenden Foley one of the nicest people in Ireland if you ask me - another good one to look out for.

On the manuals I've the Indo KI ones for my undergrad and they are much more concise than the GCD FE1/KI manuals. GCD do have some nice learning aides in them but if you're at the stage of FE1s without your own study methods you've probably got bigger problems than which manual to pick. :pac:

I know you Good to see you back!

chops018

TheGreaterFool wrote: »

Tort manuals from 2012/2013 at any sort of reasonable price seem to be thin on the ground.... I have all other materials that I need but delay in getting hold of Tort manual together with it being an age since I (barely) studied it has me considering City/Griffith/Independent...

I can sort you out with typed notes and professional college lectures from last year for tort if you PM me your email address.