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Hello everyone!

I hope you all are doing well. I am currently a law graduate from the University of Exeter and am looking to apply for an LPC LLM course in London. As I come from a low socio-economic background, my choices are pretty much limited to BPP (who offer a relatively cheaper course).

Having said that, I have been discouraged to attend BPP and have heard negative remarks about the institution. Could someone please guide me as to what I should do? Essentially, I would like to attend a University that will give me every opportunity to flourish in my career - i.e. good lecturers, links to law firms, networking opportunities, good reputation etc.

Attending BPP would definitely help me in terms of financial struggles, however, I do not want that to impact my long-term career by attending a University that has been regarded as a bad university. Could someone please help? Are these remarks true? Do they even matter?

Please tag whoever and any advice would be much appreciated.

(This post was not intended to offend anyone who attends, intends to attend or has graduated from BPP - I am genuinely just a poor and confused law student who needs some solid advice please!)

Does anyone know what are the selling points of Walker Morris's TC?

Hi,

What are the reasons someone might become a private equity lawyer as opposed to a private equity investment analyst?

Hi all,

I was just wondering when Linklaters are expected to reply, I can't find details of their response window in any emails or on the application portal.

My application is currently "on hold".

Anybody experiencing something similar?

First year LLB student here.
I feel like I'm aiming too high given my circumstances. I did not score well in my A-levels (BCC final grade and A*A*C in AS) and my GCSEs weren't anything amazing either (4Cs, 3Bs, 1A* and a distinction in spoken English). I obviously don't come from a RG university but I don't think the university I attend is that big of an issue at the moment. My main barrier to possibly getting selected for a vacation scheme, let alone a TC, are most likely my grades.

I was considering re-sitting for 2 of my A-level subjects but was advised against it, and even if it was recommended I soon realised that I wouldn't have the time for it due to other things in my personal life. I am strictly going to apply to those firms that don't have a minimum A-level requirement, but even then I feel like they'd have some sort of a bias towards those candidates that have gotten less than an A.
I looked through various trainee solicitors profile's on LinkedIn and most of them have gotten either straight A*s or As, and the rest scored something like AAB or A*AB. I did not see a single trainee from a 'no minimum A-level requirement' firm that had scored lower than that, and I find it very weird because its no different than those firms that do have a minimum requirement.

I feel like I stand no chance when other candidates have such strong grades AND come from notable universities on top of that. I'm trying my best to graduate with a first class degree and I know I have to work harder and earlier than most other candidates due to my grades. I have my winter break right now and managed to intern at high court (albeit not UK's high court) for a month and right after that I'm hoping to intern at a finance company. I need to try and get tons of work experience to make up for my horrid A-level grades and cross my fingers hoping they'd look past it. I'm also purchasing books and using resources to try and improve my legal writing skills, specially since English is not my native language. I'm trying my level best when it comes to work experience, extra-curricular activities and anything else that would be of my benefit, but I really cannot shrug off the feeling that none of this would ever be enough because of my A-level grades.

Of course, I'm not only aiming for MC and SC firms, I'm also looking into much smaller firms where I'm more likely to secure a TC. But as an international student I feel like big international law firms are best suited for me and therefore thats where my main priority lies. I don't know what the purpose of this post really is... maybe I want some motivation, maybe I'd like some suggestions as to how I can stand out more, anything really. I just feel low knowing that there's still a good chance of not even being considered for a vacation scheme all because of my A-level (and perhaps GCSEs) grades. I'm not scared of rejection as much as I'm scared of giving it my all only for it to be of no use in the end.

I am a bit confused regarding how to interpret the following question:
Please outline the reasons why you wish to pursue a career in commercial law at Osborne Clarke.

I was wondering would I need to talk about my motivations for pursuing a career in commercial law first then discuss why I chose Osborne Clarke.

I'm a first year LLB student and want to increase my commercial awareness. Any suggestions on where to start?

I also wanted to know if firms have a preference for candidates who have chosen to study additional modules related to commercial/business law. My uni offers specialised 'commercial law' courses from 2nd year onwards. Asking because I have an interest in international relations and my uni offers Law with IR as well. Conflicted as to which one I should go for, one I have an interest in or one that would practically benefit me?

Hi,

So I am interested in submitting an application for a vacation scheme at a law firm (either today or tomorrow) and the deadline is 6 January. They review applications on a rolling basis.

Is it even worth making the application considering I have left it so late? This is for Mishcon de Reya

Thank you!

Hi guys, any resources or tips for a video interview with Eversheds 'strength-based questions'???

Hi - as of 2025, Dentons are asking for all candidates to undertake SQE 1 and 2 despite candidates like myself already completed/passed the LPC. Does anyone know if all law firms are likely to move this way before the LPC finishes being available in 2030 (not sure if this is exactly right)? It seems strange that there are posts online giving advice on whether to currently study the LPC or SQE still, if firms like Dentons are asking LPC candidates to moreorless study the same of what they did on the LPC. Is there anywhere listing which firms are keeping the LPC route alongside SQE? I financed the LPC myself and did it for 2 years part-time whilst working full-time. I am obviously not going to do the SQE route after studying so hard already to get to this point. Thank you.

thought i absolutely flunked the partner interview bit of the AC but they called me today and a partner also called to say congratulations. literally screaming into pillow rn and doing happy kicks

Hi everyone,

I recently received an interview to a firm for a summer VS. Unfortunately, the interview period is right in the middle of my exam week in early Jan. I attended an open day at the firm, and they mentioned that they were pretty flexible in changing the dates and providing a later interview in late Jan/early Feb if need be, all you had to do was email them to make the request. I would definitely prefer to have a later interview, however, I am unsure if I should email and ask to change because I am worried it will be a bad look on my part as exams are not really extenuating circumstances. I am absolutely prepared to do the interview in my exam week during the times they have provided, but just wanted to ask you all if anyone has been in a similar situation before?

Hi all,

What are some of the ways that some of you deal with the anxiety concerns after a vacation scheme? I've just had one and finding it difficult to focus on work etc even though I know I won't be hearing back until Jan.

Many thanks

Hey all,

I submitted my NRF spring vac scheme application back in October and got an email today stating that it hasn't made it through to the Watson Glaser test. I'm surprised as I've never had this with any other firm before. I was just wondering if there was a reason for this at all. I have the minimum criteria, so I'm unsure why I've not made it through the initial screening. That being said, this would be my third application with them, so if I've hit the limit then fair enough.

If the firm has decided I'm not good enough then fair enough, I'll look for other firms instead but it would be good to know so I don't spend time on that application in the future. Bit disappointing as I was very interested in the firm's work but on we go.

Hi guys,
The deadline for my video interview is 24th December (GMT+00.00).
I have tried to Google whether this means midnight on the 23rd or 24th but can’t find a definitive answer, I don’t want to risk it but the extra time could really help as I have work on the Friday. Can anyone help? Pls

Hi everyone,
I have deadline for my video interview on the 24th December (GMT+00.00).
does this mean I have untill midnight on the 23rd or 24th?
really don’t want to risk it please help

Hey everyone

I am due to take an SHL verbal reasoning test next month. I have completed all Assessment day's practice tests, but when I did SHL's practice test I found the questions much harder. Unfortunately I did not get my results on the SHL practice but I was quite unsure of my answers! Does anyone have recommendations for a good verbal reasoning pack? I was thinking of getting the job test prep one but it's got mixed reviews. Any recommendations would be much appreciated

Hi all!
So, thanks to everyone who helped me and shared their LLM personal statement with me, mine is now done. However, the uni I'm applying to says your personal statement should have a maximum of 4000 characters with spaces included. I'm at 4090 and I don't think I can cut anything else from it. Is it ok to go a bit over the 4k limit? Has someone else been in this situation?

Thank you so much,
Nina.

Background:
Recently it dawned on me that I may never get a TC or a VS, whilst my a-levels were not the best I managed to secure a 2:1 at a Non-Russel group uni. Now I'm currently doing the LPC (Self-funded) however after receiving my first rejection of VS cycles (Second year doing it) putting time and effort into my application and getting it checked for mistakes by the uni I feel somewhat depressed.

I have little to no law-based work experience, I work in CAB as a volunteer receptionist with hopes to be promoted to an advisor, I have also done an online virtual VS however this kind of feels cheap to say as I can't secure a 'real' VS and that's really it, I managed to secure a place in my uni for judicial shadowing for a day however this takes place in a couple of months and I'm not sure what will come from that.

Besides this, I have been constantly applying for a TC and VS since last year, yet I'm receiving rejections left right and centre, every time I think about applying I feel like I'll already be rejected. I've been constantly thinking about it so much and it really makes me feel uneasy, and seeing others excel in my cohort knowing that most of them have a TC and I don't is disheartening. I have no idea where I'm going wrong, I tried to forget about it and focus on myself but I end up thinking about it again.

I decided to take the paralegal route after all this however even then it feels like I'm fighting to get a job. I would really like some advice or help in terms of what I should do, what kind of mindset I should be in and what I can do to overcome this feeling.

Hello Everyone, any tips on how to crack the behavioral based assessment for NRF?

So applying for first year schemes and law firms which apparently don't look at A-levels such as Clifford Chance/Macfarlanes - when filling out the application form, they ask for my grades. I thought they don't look at them? I didn't do so well in my A-levels so just afraid of that impacting my application.

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Hi everyone,

I'm currently thinking about starting the application process for BPP's LPC course beginning in September 2023. Firstly, I wanted to ask whether anyone is aware of there being much of a difference between the LPC which is entirely online versus the 'in-person' LPC which has face-to-face group sessions, particularly in regard to attainment levels and whether law firms have a preference between the two. I am currently leaning towards the online LPC course as I will be self-funding the course and it is significantly cheaper to do online, though I am open to paying more for the in-person LPC if it is more advantageous.

Another question I had was regarding whether it would be worth doing the LLM LPC (12 month course) or rather whether I should just stick to the straight LPC (9 month course). I am currently studying an LLM in International Commercial Law at UCL, so I do wonder whether studying an 'LLM LPC' would be entirely pointless for me as someone who would at that point already have a traditional LLM & does not need to meet SFE post-grad funding requirements. But I am curious as to whether anyone thinks it is worthwhile studying those extra three months for an LLM LPC anyway as the course costs the same regardless of whether you take the LLM modules or not.

Thank you for your advice in advance

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