FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

ananas

law86 wrote: »

Hi ananas, I'm doing EU, Constitutional, Equity, Contract and Tort. Making out notes for the ones which aren't fresh in my head, fine-tuning notes from the ones I just took in my final year of the LLB. Tis a mahoooosive pain in the bum, but I'm convinced that they are doable if you can organise your mind and your notes properly (this is as much a motivational speech to myself as it is to you!).

Couple of standard pieces of advice I keep in my head and that I'm sure you've heard a thousand times:

Have a very broad, but not necessarily a deep knowledge of the subjects.

Don't think about the enormity of it, think of it as a series of building blocks, chapter by chapter.

Avail of the homework option with whichever college you are using, you don't have to submit on the week that it is set and the feedback is brilliant.

Eleven weeks to go, chopchop. Less chitchat, more vroomvroom as a French chef I used to work with was fond of saying (very entertaining in a french accent with accompanying hand gestures).

Like I say this is a speech to myself as well as to you.
Very best of luck to you.

Your ideas fascinate me and I wish to subscribe to you newsletter Seriously though, well said I need to get the finger out and stop whinging!
Thanks for all the help, you're a gem

law86

Same goes. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

Mal Practice

ananas wrote: »

Hi guys, I really need some motivation!! I'm absolutely panicking that I haven't left myself enough time- I've started the griffith course online, but I haven't really started making out notes yet. I just need some motivation from people who have done it in a shorter amount of time and passed them. I'm finding it so hard to not feel overwhelmed by the amount of work required.:(

Any motiviational speeches are mucho appreciated

Gave myself five weeks - including the time between exams. Sat five papers, passed four (Constitutional, Company, Property, Criminal), but failed Equity. If you are prepared to do 12 hours a day you'll be just fine. Take a chill pill.

page1

All i can say is - OMG how on earth am i going to remember the names.
Do i have to give the full citation like
Case C-376/98 Germany V European Parliment and Council
PLEASE SAY NO - though i have a feeling what the answer will be.:eek:

Ruby83

page1 wrote: »

All i can say is - OMG how on earth am i going to remember the names.
Do i have to give the full citation like
Case C-376/98 Germany V European Parliment and Council
PLEASE SAY NO - though i have a feeling what the answer will be.:eek:

Just the name of the case is required, not the case number. That is what I have always been told anyway.

law86

Mal Practice wrote: »

Gave myself five weeks - including the time between exams. Sat five papers, passed four (Constitutional, Company, Property, Criminal), but failed Equity. If you are prepared to do 12 hours a day you'll be just fine. Take a chill pill.

You must be very clever and very organised but for the rest of us mere mortals, I'd say get cracking as soon as you can, especially if you're already feeling overwhelmed.

page1

law86 wrote: »

You must be very clever and very organised but for the rest of us mere mortals, I'd say get cracking as soon as you can, especially if you're already feeling overwhelmed.

And unfortunately many of us mere mortals wouldnt get anywhere near 12 hours free time to study a day unless we decided not to sleep anymore.

Ruby83 thanks for the reply, i know in all other subjects the case name was sufficient, but i think i read in one of the examiner reports that he was unhappy about people not citing cases properly.
I have only just started studying it but as far as i can see they will be many cases like Commission v Italy and you would need the case number to distinguish - or will a brief summary of the facts etc suffice?

Ruby83

page1 wrote: »

And unfortunately many of us mere mortals wouldnt get anywhere near 12 hours free time to study a day unless we decided not to sleep anymore.

Ruby83 thanks for the reply, i know in all other subjects the case name was sufficient, but i think i read in one of the examiner reports that he was unhappy about people not citing cases properly.
I have only just started studying it but as far as i can see they will be many cases like Commission v Italy and you would need the case number to distinguish - or will a brief summary of the facts etc suffice?

Surely we can't be expected to learn the citation for each case though!! If anyone else who has done EU did so, please let us know!

page1

Ruby83 wrote: »

Surely we can't be expected to learn the citation for each case though!! If anyone else who has done EU did so, please let us know!

My panicked thoughts exactly. I have searched back through the examiners reports and i can find the comment so maybe i dreamt it??

Im finding it hard enought to remember the directive numbers in the cases let alond the case number as well.

Arsenal1986

God no you don't need the Citations. I don't know of anyone that used them anyway and everyone I know did fine.

Ruby83

What are peoples thoughts on leaving out landlord and tenant law from property? I'm intending to do it but it is a pretty big chapter and doesn't come up on every exam (though it wasn't on the last one so probable this time round and there can be a section in the three part question as well).

ananas

Ruby83 wrote: »

What are peoples thoughts on leaving out landlord and tenant law from property? I'm intending to do it but it is a pretty big chapter and doesn't come up on every exam (though it wasn't on the last one so probable this time round and there can be a section in the three part question as well).

I'm going to leave it out and concentrate on the other topics. It's faaar too big and even though it didn't come up in the last session and it might come up this time, I'm not doing it. I know that people usually leave it out because it's too long.

liam2716

hi guys,

yea think i will leave that topic out.

anyone any idea where to get the changes made by the land 2009 act in relation ti the sylabus -all the law sco will tell me is that "the act is examinable"...others telll me that some of the main bits are still unexaminable.....

for example, os there any pint doing the history short questions any more - a recent examiners reprt clearly stats that these are abolished! and they dont seem 2 appear on the 2010 paper!

im using the 2009 indep winter manual........neither can i see any info in the manual in relational to cohabitation or treasure trove or profit a predre??!!


thanks guys!

Ruby83

liam2716 wrote: »

hi guys,

yea think i will leave that topic out.

anyone any idea where to get the changes made by the land 2009 act in relation ti the sylabus -all the law sco will tell me is that "the act is examinable"...others telll me that some of the main bits are still unexaminable.....

Hi Liam2716..in relation to your LCLRA 2009 query, if you get the explanatory memorandum for the act, this is really helpful and states all of the changes and the reasons. I find this very good. Here is the link: http://www.attorneygeneral.ie/eAct/2009/a2709.pdf
Some of it obviously is not relevant to the property syllabus but alot of it is.

mbee

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has any information on the Griffith one day revision courses for the upcoming FE-1s. Had a look on their website but found nothing.

liam2716

thanks ruby83...... printed it just there! shoudl have thought of that!

mbee......say that myself earlier, they have dates up for th older one...i would imagine that they will update it sonn fo rthe september sitting.

Arsenal1986

I personally wouldnt leave out Landlord and tenant, just because I think its very easy compared to some of the other topics and if it wasn't up last time it nearly definetly will be up in some shape or form this time.

brian__foley

mbee wrote: »

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has any information on the Griffith one day revision courses for the upcoming FE-1s. Had a look on their website but found nothing.

Hi,

The entire gcd.ie domain got a make-over there, and it seems its playing havoc with some of the pro-law pages. There was information up and I'll see what the deal is with them going back up. The one day courses will be going ahead, and timetables are being finalised right now actually.

Regards

Brian

brian__foley

Ruby83 wrote: »

Hi Liam2716..in relation to your LCLRA 2009 query, if you get the explanatory memorandum for the act, this is really helpful and states all of the changes and the reasons. I find this very good. Here is the link: http://www.attorneygeneral.ie/eAct/2009/a2709.pdf
Some of it obviously is not relevant to the property syllabus but alot of it is.

Maddox's commentary is pretty good too and on sale at the minute from Round Hall.

lm_102

I am thinking of doing the FE1s in September. I have a BCL from UCC just finished there and I have all the current notes that 1st and 2nd years got this year. My question is are these enough? Do I really have to go and do another course or buy manuals and handbooks?

karlpilkington

Hey all I was due to sit EU, Crim, Const and Contract last March but missed them due to death in the family, If anyone has copies of the march exam papers in these subjects I'd be very grateful.

Ruby83

lm_102 wrote: »

I am thinking of doing the FE1s in September. I have a BCL from UCC just finished there and I have all the current notes that 1st and 2nd years got this year. My question is are these enough? Do I really have to go and do another course or buy manuals and handbooks?

I'd get the manuals if I were you and study yourself from them. It just makes life that bit easier and the undergrad notes I had were just not enough for the FE1s and the syllabus would be different as well. If you had time and alot of enthusiasm to make up your own notes then fair play but time is pressing on to the next round of exams!
There's a thread on the legal forum with ppl selling manuals and they're not too expensive.
Saying that, the Griffith course is v good too but ur probably a bit late for that given that it started at the beginning of June. They do one day revision courses as well closer to the exam. I haven't done those but will be taking one this year in Constitutional so I don't know how good they are. If they're anything like the courses though, I think they're worth the money.

littlebubble

karlpilkington wrote: »

Hey all I was due to sit EU, Crim, Const and Contract last March but missed them due to death in the family, If anyone has copies of the march exam papers in these subjects I'd be very grateful.

Hi there, I can help you out with one of these, Eu! I sat it myself in March, however it's a bit written on (when i was in the exam like!), but if you want it I can forward it onto you no prob!

randomchild

Hey guys starting to feel the strain now as I attempt my second batch of these exams (only doing three this time so not too bad). In regards to EU law, some people have advised me to ignore Competition Law as the time and effort involved in studying it is not worth the one question it appears on in every exam paper. Is this an advisable course of action?

littlebubble

randomchild wrote: »

Hey guys starting to feel the strain now as I attempt my second batch of these exams (only doing three this time so not too bad). In regards to EU law, some people have advised me to ignore Competition Law as the time and effort involved in studying it is not worth the one question it appears on in every exam paper. Is this an advisable course of action?

yup that's what we were advised too! I also left it out (sat Eu on the last sitting) and was still able to answer 6 questions on the paper. what I'd advise you to do is if you decide to do this you better make sure you've practically everything else covered! especially all of the Eu institutions & sources, gender equality and the 4 freedoms as they're guaranteed.

32minutes

randomchild wrote: »

Hey guys starting to feel the strain now as I attempt my second batch of these exams (only doing three this time so not too bad). In regards to EU law, some people have advised me to ignore Competition Law as the time and effort involved in studying it is not worth the one question it appears on in every exam paper. Is this an advisable course of action?

had the unfortunate pleasure of having to pass EU twice. I thought competition was by the far the easiest and most straightforward topic to study. ART 81 and 82 (not sure if lisbon changed these) are quite long but a guaranteed question that doesn't come up in too complicated a way.

the cases are pretty easy to remember and structured aswell IMO

jibber5000

posted this to the other thread..would be more relevant here!!was thinking of doing the first batch of fe1s in sept october but havnt started studying yet..ive just finished the llb would I be under serious pressure if I just started now?? also ive all college notes but would I need to get the manuals?any advice would be grateful!!

law_lady

jibber5000, I'm studying for my first FE1s and having made a bit of a false start in May for a few weeks, I'm only getting into it properly again now. I'd say from what I see of it, you're not too late to start but you'd want to be seriously dedicated from now on. The fact you did the LLB so recently should mean the concepts are fresh in your head. If you haven't got them already, get manuals and past exam papers as soon as you can and get going. I'm not finding it half as bad as I thought it would be, so far at least, so don't psyche yourself out! Best of luck.

Sarahaw

I'll be sitting criminal contract equity constitutional and company in sept/oct for the first time. I had serious trouble getting motivated to start studying but i'm SLOWLY starting to get into the swing of it now!!

Is anyone else worried by the fact that it seems necessary to cover practically the entire course for each subject? I am finding the sheer volume of material very daunting!!

I'd be really interested to hear how people are preparing for these exams...I just used to write essays for college exams and learn them but that is definitely not possible for the FE1's. Is it just a case of writing bullet point notes on practically every topic or is simply underlining the manuals and learning from there the way to go??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

susanstanley

I am a solicitor and I earn very little money and have huge resposibility, massive stress, and no job security. Don't waste your time and money doing FE1s, take it from me. All of my colleagues regret getting into this awful profession, there are easier less stressful ways of not making a living.