Anyone done their lpc?

ames100

Been offered three options for my lpc

college of law- london
bpp- london
anglia ruskin- chelmsford

all have offered me a place but first of all is it worth going straight to lpc in the current climate, i do not have a training contract and tbh i have £3k out of the £11k needed. I have always taken the logical approach you shouldnt accept unless you have a training contract due to job security. Also im not sure which of these institutions is more highly regarded my view so far is bpp but anglia is a lot closer to my house so no rent to pay and courses outside of london are generally cheaper.

i would spend £3600 for 36 weeks of travel to complete a london based lpc.

surely if law firms are cutting staff then it would be highly unwise to go into an lpc atm as these problems arent exactly going to blow over in a year.

some friends have advised a masters but adding that on top would be another £10k- i could do it no problem but its lowering my earning years and increasing my debt and to begin with does a masters really put you that far ahead of the game when i would have thought experience would be paramount

god im out of breath now

Gosia

Hi

I did my LPC in 2004 - at the time it cost just over 8,000 pounds. Like yourself I did not have a training contract secured.

Anyhow five years on - I am still no closer to being a qualified lawyer, and it's not for the lack of trying. During the first 2 /3 years after completing my LPC I was tirelessly applying for TCs and paralegal jobs to no avail.

No doubt I've probobly been quite unlucky, but I know of others in the same boat as me.

Looking back now I've come to live with the fact that I will probobly never qualify however I've now made a good alternative career for myself as a local authority manager. No doubt the earnings aren't as good as I would have been on if I had qualified. However I've since done a Diploma in Management and am now considering doing a Post Grad diploma or a masters in management - hopefully sponsored by work.

I get 30 days of annual leave and am usually home before 5 pm - so personally I know I've made a good choice - as I truly wouldn't have been able to hack the long hours.

I agree some colleges do have better reputations than others, but in truth it's not the same as going to a reputable university. If you do decide to go ahead with the LPC, then I would advise you to do it through the institution closest to home! BBP and College of Law are good - but in some respects they are overrated - especially the London College of Law. I did my LPC at the College of Law in York by the way - where the living costs were reasonable, it had a good night life, the tutors were very good and supportive and it turned out to be one of the most fun years of my life (despite lots of hard work).

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Voyager2002

I doubt if an MA or MSc would help much, unless it were something unusual and important that would make you more attractive to employers than all the other people with a Law Degree and LPC.

(For example, if you had a burning desire to work in employment law and various pieces of evidence to demonstrate that interest, an MBA or something in Human Resource Management might make you the person chosen for a training contract by a firm specialising in that area.)

Two relevant questions: what kind of jobs are open to you now, with your present qualifications? And if you were to complete an LPC but not get a training contract, what opportunities would it open up for you?

And if you decide to do the LPC, compare the pass rates of the various places and find out what happens to most of their graduates.

ames100

Thanks voyager, i tend to have the same view as yourself that unless specialising or wanting to become a lecturer then it is otherwise a short term and expensive distraction for a year.

I have set myself up for a career in law with my extra ciricular activities and work experience. As for what jobs are open to me currently i would just have a degree just like every other graduate and i have looked at graduate places but none appeal and i even applied to the civil service working in a semi- legal area biding my time and accruing the fees till i could afford to go.

As for going as far as the lpc without a training contract im not sure.

Gosia- did doing the lpc open more doors for you in other areas from law you applied in or did you find that a degree would have sufficed?

Voyager2002

Ames: look at local government. Not only do they offer some training contracts, they also have a range of jobs that use some knowledge of the law.

I am sure that there are many other opportunities where you would not be just another graduate, but where your degree would be helpful for the content of the work.

Aliiyn

ames100 wrote: »

Been offered three options for my lpc

college of law- london
bpp- london
anglia ruskin- chelmsford

all have offered me a place but first of all is it worth going straight to lpc in the current climate, i do not have a training contract and tbh i have £3k out of the £11k needed. I have always taken the logical approach you shouldnt accept unless you have a training contract due to job security. Also im not sure which of these institutions is more highly regarded my view so far is bpp but anglia is a lot closer to my house so no rent to pay and courses outside of london are generally cheaper.

i would spend £3600 for 36 weeks of travel to complete a london based lpc.

surely if law firms are cutting staff then it would be highly unwise to go into an lpc atm as these problems arent exactly going to blow over in a year.

some friends have advised a masters but adding that on top would be another £10k- i could do it no problem but its lowering my earning years and increasing my debt and to begin with does a masters really put you that far ahead of the game when i would have thought experience would be paramount

god im out of breath now

If you are unsure about taking on the LPC with sponsorship,I would start by sitting down and critically looking at your academic results, work experience, extra-curriculars and so on. This should help you get a better idea of whether you are realistically going to be offered a training contract at all. At the moment there are many many students currently on the GDL/LPC looking for training contracts and the recession is unlikey to make this situation better. I don't want to sound really mean but if you have less than a 2:1 or a 2:1 in a less "academic" subject/from a less well-known university, you are going to struggle in the current market. It is possible to get a training contract in such circumstances, but it will be tough and you will have to be prepared to accept that you may have spent a lot of money for nothing.

As for the masters, I would avoid doing one unless it directly relates to the subject area you would one day want to practice in. A lot of firms see Masters as either an indication that you are a starry eyed academic (and thus of no practical use in real life) who is only leaving their books to make some money or that you haven't been successful in applications.

If you do decide that the LPC is for you, I would strongly recommend going to a College of Law/BPP. As they are geared towards law, I have found them to have MUCH better career departments/opportunities for internships/mentoring schemes and so on than universities offering the LPC, all of which give you a better chance of getting a TC.

I again apologise if I sound mean/patronising. I don't want to upset anybody, its just I've seen friends in similar situations and I know how difficult a decision it can be. If you want another source of advice I'd try ttp://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=263 (quite a few people in the same boat!) Good luck with whatever you chose:T

ames100

Thanks everyone for the replies,

Aliiyn- you were not patronising at all and i highly value straight talking people lol. not to sound big headed but should be on for a high 2.1, have city firm experience and was the president of the law society last year, been on staff committees again for law. Have been aiming to strategically set myself up for a while as i know im not a typical law student (bookwormy and can reel latin off in the blink of an eye) I fully understand the levels firms require and am under no illusion that i will ever get into a magic circle firm, i just intend on getting as high as i personally can.

Shame that with a recession you dont really get a chance to go for it!

thanks voyager - will look into local gov- advantage of job security i spose!

Aliiyn

ames100 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the replies,

Aliiyn- you were not patronising at all and i highly value straight talking people lol. not to sound big headed but should be on for a high 2.1, have city firm experience and was the president of the law society last year, been on staff committees again for law. Have been aiming to strategically set myself up for a while as i know im not a typical law student (bookwormy and can reel latin off in the blink of an eye) I fully understand the levels firms require and am under no illusion that i will ever get into a magic circle firm, i just intend on getting as high as i personally can.

Shame that with a recession you dont really get a chance to go for it!

thanks voyager - will look into local gov- advantage of job security i spose!

Having seen your background Ames, I would not lose heart! That is a great list of experiences, and I would think you are in as good a position as any other TC applicant (if not a lot better!). I take it you are doing TC applications at the mo; my advice would be to keep going, apply for the LPC and see what comes in Sept. If there is no TC on the horizon, defer the LPC for a year, get a job/more legal experience and then make one more tour of the milk round. In the meantime, keep adding to the CV. Some firms (e.g. Ashurst) do guided tours of the offices which gives you an opportunity to get noticed; every little helps!

Also, I did theology at uni, love archaeology and used to moonlight as an archivist but still got a TC at a top firm. Don't fear at all about bookish and liking latin; just remember that makes you unique and interesting! At some places it even makes you more employable, for instance, one of the vacation scheme nights out at Slaughter and May was a trip to the British Museum! They love the latin!:rotfl:

Gosia

ames100 wrote: »

Thanks voyager, i tend to have the same view as yourself that unless specialising or wanting to become a lecturer then it is otherwise a short term and expensive distraction for a year.

I have set myself up for a career in law with my extra ciricular activities and work experience. As for what jobs are open to me currently i would just have a degree just like every other graduate and i have looked at graduate places but none appeal and i even applied to the civil service working in a semi- legal area biding my time and accruing the fees till i could afford to go.

As for going as far as the lpc without a training contract im not sure.

Gosia- did doing the lpc open more doors for you in other areas from law you applied in or did you find that a degree would have sufficed?

Hi again

Yes I think having done the LPC made me stand out from the crowd, but that's only my personal experience. I started off in insurance claims (where the legal background really did help) and have since been promoted three times.

I do agree with what Aliiyn said about doing a masters - most people that I know who have done well in their careers, have only gone on to do their masters whilst on the job.

ames100

Thanks Aillyn- how do you find your position?

Unfortunatly i am a year out of sync if you see what i mean, due to extra ciricular committments essays, exams, change of course structure ( i know i should have effectivly time managed) i have my lpc place yet have not started to apply for tc as i thought my window of oppurtunity had closed until the round for this year.

I think i have safely ruled out a masters now and it was something which didnt logically sit quite right with me.

Alternativly i was going to go ahead with the lpc and apply for legal aid funding but i dont like the idea of being pinned to one area of the profession, limited in terms of wages and a bit like a snake in the grass - obtaining funding and doing a runner asap! i gather this is quite competative.... what i wouldn't give for a lottery win - is it odd that its not the fact i might not have a job after but that the main obstacle is the money?!

ames100

maybe i will defer for a year logically giving time to raise funds, sit the 'credit crunch' out for a bit and maybe obtain a tc.