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

lsheehaneire

Fingers crossed...

htnor

Friend of mine emailed today to ask about results and they replied still saying provisional date of 1st May... despite no confirmation email received yet as it usually is. Fingers crossed crossed for next Friday then!

lawgirl23

Liordi wrote: »

Sorry to hijack this thread since my question isn't necessarily about the FE1s.

If someone is studying law at university, then I can't see how sitting the FE1s and then subsequently spending two years training is a preferable route to qualifying in Belfast which only takes two years from the September after you have completed your degree.

From what I understand: if you qualify in Northern Ireland, then you're automatically allowed to join the register of the Law Society in the Republic.

I'm kinda confused about it because I always imagined it would take me three-four years after graduating to become a solicitor, but the NI route seems to just take two years? Maybe I'm missing something/have misunderstood.

From what I’ve heard from my Belfast colleagues, the exams up north are very difficult and getting a training contract is even more difficult!

Liordi

lawgirl23 wrote: »

From what I’ve heard from my Belfast colleagues, the exams up north are very difficult and getting a training contract is even more difficult!

Thanks for your reply. Wonder how difficult the exams are. I imagine sourcing a training contract is probably the main problem since Belfast is considerably smaller than Dublin.

lawgrad49

Liordi wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. Wonder how difficult the exams are. I imagine sourcing a training contract is probably the main problem since Belfast is considerably smaller than Dublin.

I come from the North so can hopefully shed a bit light of here! The entrance exam is only one exam/paper, known as the 'Institute exam' and yes you could sit in your final year of your LLB (sit it in December) and begin a training contract the following September. So it is a lot quicker way to qualify.

The exam itself is also a bit weird as there is a numeracy test mixed with traditional law exam problem solving questions and I'm nearly sure there is a part where you have to draw land boundaries etc! Chatting to a few friends who have sat the exam, it's not terribly difficult but it's different and the grand majority of people need tutoring before.

Trying to secure a training contract is quite competitive as if you want to train in a commercial/corporate law firm there aren't nearly as many compared to the South.

In reality not many students go straight from college into a training contract as the institute exam is an added pressure to your studies around the Xmas period, i.e. you would usually have 2/3 modules to pass for your LLB.

So in theory yes it's a lot quicker in the North to go from college into a training contract but you really need to be clued in from 1st year and get a few internships or make connections so that you can have your training contract secured before Xmas of your final year. In reality, like the FE1's, a lot of people take paralegal/legal professional jobs after UNI and build up some experience for a year or two and then sit the exam!

Hamerzan Sickles

lawgrad49 wrote: »

The big difference with the FE1's is that you must have a training contract lined up (i.e. have an offer) before you sit the exam and then only the top 100 can 'pass' the exam. So the less number of students who sit the exam, the better your chances are of passing.

What are you talking about? Literally none of this is true.

lawgrad49

Hamerzan Sickles wrote: »

What are you talking about? Literally none of this is true.

Sorry, I was mixing up passing the exam and available places for Solicitor's and barristers each year. I had a friend who sat the exam last year and it was only something like the Top 100 got the places- there in lay my confusion.

rightytighty

Yeah as far as I knew you could sit the exam without a training solicitor.

It’s true there are 100 places in the institute, but it’s the top 100 who pass the exam AND have a training solicitor that get in. So you can be outside top 100 and get in provides requisite number within it fail to get a traineeship.

Prospective barristers sit the same exam, but there being only 20 places, only the top 20 applicants for the barrister course succeed. Open to correction!

Liordi

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, I've seen that they only take on a limited number of people every year but I've looked at the entrance exam online and it seems fairly manageable, especially compared to the FE1s.

I guess the most stressful thing for me would be attempting to source a training contract, especially justifying why I want one in Belfast when I'm not from the North. I'm not sure a firm would appreciate if I said the reason I wanted to qualify in NI was because I thought it was easier. I guess I'll start applying in September and see how it goes.

Jenosul

Liordi wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, I've seen that they only take on a limited number of people every year but I've looked at the entrance exam online and it seems fairly manageable, especially compared to the FE1s.

I guess the most stressful thing for me would be attempting to source a training contract, especially justifying why I want one in Belfast when I'm not from the North. I'm not sure a firm would appreciate if I said the reason I wanted to qualify in NI was because I thought it was easier. I guess I'll start applying in September and see how it goes.

To be honest you I found finding a training contract more reflective on your personality as in attitude and whether or not you are easy to work with. In all my interviews I was never even asked my results. It was whether or not they thought they would get on with me, if I was hard-working and down to earth and respectful (not a lunatic). Maybe for the top firms I understand this is important. Other than that if you got in doing legal admin first and said you want to learn and be good at your job and no tasks were beneath you I found most firms would be willing to give you a chance. Obviously if you have connections though family etc you are more likely to get a job which is the sad reality.

mydogwentroof

Can't they just make us lawyers already

Jenosul

mydogwentroof wrote: »

Can't they just make us lawyers already[/QUOTE

I agree!

It would be just lovely if they took current difficulties into consideration as they did with the leaving cert. Before I get some harsh comment of why everything should be hard cause life and being a solicitor is hard and why should they! blah blah...just want to say I am just saying wouldn't it be lovely not expecting!
I am greatful for any bit of luck I get and am totally not ashamed when a predicted topic comes up!

Hope everyone gets the results they wish for the end of the week. Fingers crossed for us all.

sm333

Anyone else slowly going insane waiting for an update from the Law Society on results?

jewels652

sm333 wrote: »

Anyone else slowly going insane waiting for an update from the Law Society on results?

Yep is driving me crazy. I just want them to let us know if they’ll be out this Friday or not. They should know by now so why just not let us know ??
Is frustrating

iamanengine

So are people thinking they will be out Friday? Or is it likely they will be delayed? Surely they would have let us know by now if there was going to be a delay

Jeremiah25

iamanengine wrote: »

So are people thinking they will be out Friday? Or is it likely they will be delayed? Surely they would have let us know by now if there was going to be a delay

If we don't hear from them today I can't see it being Friday. I feel as though they would give us more notice. Just my opinion! Friday would be great but they should at least let us know...

sm333

iamanengine wrote: »

So are people thinking they will be out Friday? Or is it likely they will be delayed? Surely they would have let us know by now if there was going to be a delay

I’m still holding out hope for Friday, as optimistic as that may be!

jewels652

I am just after log in the account where results would be available and it says:

Details of when the results for the March 2020 FE-1 sitting will be published will be available shortly.

CMUL

When I log in its saying login access issues even though I am logged in at top right hand corner??? Do I need to get on to them before results or is this normal?

lsheehaneire

http://www.lawsociety.ie/fe1results

cowboy123456

They could potentially be waiting until a decision is made on resists so that they can enclose details of them along with our results in the post. As they normally include details of the next upcoming sitting with results.

jewels652

CMUL wrote: »

When I log in its saying login access issues even though I am logged in at top right hand corner??? Do I need to get on to them before results or is this normal?

That does not come up for me. Maybe contact them.

CMUL

I emailed them and this is the response

Thank you for your email. I am happy to assist. You will not be able to access until your results are published. You will receive an email with more information about the FE1 results.

Doubt they are coming Friday

lsheehaneire

No, doubt it too. They normally give a weeks notice , that being said nothing is "normal" at the moment. There are a number of issues such as resist dates for EU law and the autum dates for the next sitting.....

Fe119

To be fair it also makes sense for them to wait until after the announcement on Tuesday 5th to publish details of the EU exam

z6vm1dobfnca3x

I don't see how the timing of a postponed sitting in any way affects the release of exam results via an online portal. I am sure the Law Society have the ability to send more than one email.

It's just utter disorganisation on their part, as usual. This is what happens when there is no competition.

Take a look at how the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Inns of Court there are managed in comparison to what we're dealing with.

cowboy123456

Just got a reply from their Facebook saying they are still aiming to release results in early May, and will send an email as soon as this is officially confirmed. So not looking like it’s gonna be this Friday after all.

lsheehaneire

I guess it's only fair on people who did have their exam postponed to receive a resit date when they are receiving any other results from the last sitting. It may have an impact on trainee contracts etc. It's looking unlikely for this friday , hopefully everything will be clearer next week.

LJones18

Law society responded to my email yesterday saying the provisional date is still 1st May for results

rightytighty

Juelz Putrid Lavender wrote: »

I don't see how the timing of a postponed sitting in any way affects the release of exam results via an online portal. I am sure the Law Society have the ability to send more than one email.

It's just utter disorganisation on their part, as usual. This is what happens when there is no competition.

Take a look at how the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Inns of Court there are managed in comparison to what we're dealing with.

I agree. Where is the difficulty in getting the scripts to the correctors, or in them relaying results to the the LS?