FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

Gortnakilla12

Thanks a million that's a huge help!!

Ned_led16 wrote: »

At a flash glance you should get 5 questions from the list
-Defamation
-Professional (Medical)
-Economic: (Passing off)
-Vicarious
-Defective product
-Occupiers liability
-Nuisance & RvF
-Trespass
-General negligence


But be careful to read the question! is it general negligence or is it......... cant see how you will get many marks if you bang on about general negligence when thats not the focus!

Lady Law

Hi everyone. At the moment I'm studying for property. Im finding that there is soo much info in this subject can anyone list the main topics of focus for this sitting? Have any of the property law lecturers shared tips or hints worth noting? Any advice would be welcomed at this point. I feel like my head is going to explode!! Thanks in advance.

filosoraptor

Hi guys,

Just found out that I passed my first 3 in light of re-check results & was just wondering if anyone who's finished/nearly there had any advice on what extra subject to take on. I'm definitely doing Company & Constitutional and was leaning towards taking Property on cause I hear its quite short & easy but that'll mean I have 3 exams in consecutive days which I'd prefer to avoid. The same would happen if I take Tort so basically I'm wondering is it worth taking on EU and constitutional at the same time as well as company just for the sake of avoiding 3 consecutive days??

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

chopser

If it was me I would do anything to avoid having three consecutive days of exams. Why are you defintiely picking company and constitutional?

Ned_led16

Lady Law wrote: »

Hi everyone. At the moment I'm studying for property. Im finding that there is soo much info in this subject can anyone list the main topics of focus for this sitting? Have any of the property law lecturers shared tips or hints worth noting? Any advice would be welcomed at this point. I feel like my head is going to explode!! Thanks in advance.

Adverse possession
Succession x 2 maybe three
Mortgages
Easements
Co-ownership
Family property
Licenses (res tenancy act also)
Treasure trove (seriously doubt it but you couldnt possibly leave it out)
(cohabitants act 2010)

Gotta have 5 q's... But i suppose just cause a ferrari has always been faster than an audi doesnt mean that wont change! but we all know the ferrari is the fastest... sorry for stupid analogies... bit p*ssed of with these exams!

JCJCJC

Ned_led16 wrote: »

At a flash glance you should get 5 questions from the list
-Defamation
-Professional (Medical)
-Economic: (Passing off)
-Vicarious
-Defective product
-Occupiers liability
-Nuisance & RvF
-Trespass
-General negligence


But be careful to read the question! is it general negligence or is it......... cant see how you will get many marks if you bang on about general negligence when thats not the focus!

That's a reasonable list. I'd add animal torts, it's a short and easy topic, only a handful of cases and Acts and it has come up. If it does come up it's a dead-easy question if you've read anything at all.
On negligence, GCD's lecturer Keith Spence BL advised that if you're not sure which species of negligence is at issue in a problem and your back is to the wall for a fifth question, 'bang it into' general negligence, show that you know the principles and cases and you'll still get something for it. Having said that, med neg has been litigated, the cases aren't too difficult to read and understand. Have a knowledge of nervous shock too if you're reading the med cases.

JCJCJC

birdie89 wrote: »

hey guys...im using a 2009/2010 GDC manual for criminal for this sitting in March. Just wondering if anyone knows of any major updates or new acts/legislation which may not feature in this outdated manual???
thanks:D

You should check the syllabus for 2009 and compare with the current one to be really sure. I don't think you have much to worry about really. I passed criminal last October and an IC 09/10 manual was my main text, I also did the GCD one-day refresher the previous Spring. I didn't pass it by much, but I passed and that's all that matters.

The recent Act dealing with the use of reasonable force against intruders probably became law after the current FE1 syllabus was issued so it shouldn't feature, but just beware of essays on law reform in that area, if it comes up you could usefully mention that the Act is now the law.

JCJCJC

filosoraptor wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just found out that I passed my first 3 in light of re-check results & was just wondering if anyone who's finished/nearly there had any advice on what extra subject to take on. I'm definitely doing Company & Constitutional and was leaning towards taking Property on cause I hear its quite short & easy but that'll mean I have 3 exams in consecutive days which I'd prefer to avoid. The same would happen if I take Tort so basically I'm wondering is it worth taking on EU and constitutional at the same time as well as company just for the sake of avoiding 3 consecutive days??

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

EU, Company and Constitutional sounds like a lot of work to me, I would think they are the biggest and broadest syllabi. It depends on what you're good at. I'm down to my last two, which are company and EU, and I'm finding them a struggle.

On a separate note entirely - guys, could we get back to using the subject field here on boards please? It's a major convenience.

JC

garethj

If anybody has one of these (an upto date Independent Colleges one) please PM me. I have grids for all other subjects and sample answers for most. Thanks

filosoraptor

chopser wrote: »

If it was me I would do anything to avoid having three consecutive days of exams. Why are you defintiely picking company and constitutional?

Cause constitutional was my fourth choice from my 1st sitting and I took on Company as a fifth subject when I thought I would have to repeat them all. Having 3 in-a-row was unavoidable when I thought I was gonna have to sit 5 but now that its not I'd love to avoid it. From the sounds of things though I think I'd probably be better off just taking property and dealing with the 3 consecutive days. At least it'll all be over in a blur this time!!

Would you agree with this JCJCJC? From what I gather Property is quite short and easy (by comparison to Tort & Eu anyway)??

JCJCJC

filosoraptor wrote: »

Cause constitutional was my fourth choice from my 1st sitting and I took on Company as a fifth subject when I thought I would have to repeat them all. Having 3 in-a-row was unavoidable when I thought I was gonna have to sit 5 but now that its not I'd love to avoid it. From the sounds of things though I think I'd probably be better off just taking property and dealing with the 3 consecutive days. At least it'll all be over in a blur this time!!

Would you agree with this JCJCJC? From what I gather Property is quite short and easy (by comparison to Tort & Eu anyway)??

This isn't a mathematical science, as they say. What one of us finds easy might be very difficult for another. I'm ok on property, was good at it in college and did a Final Year Project on adverse possession etc so I wouldn't be afraid of the exam, but I would personally find Tort ok too - in fact, I've passed Tort twice in the FE1s due to only getting two at the first attempt. Property has good banker topics, you get two succession questions and one on adverse possession usually. After that, you make a selection from a lucky-bag of topics and that's where the grid comes in useful, things like Treasure Trove are easy and quick to study and if the question comes up you'll be delighted. You can really use the cross-over knowledge by saying stuff like 'Webb v Ireland was a landmark case that established not only the state of the law on buried objects simpliciter, but also dealt with important points of law in relation to matters including sovereignty and promissory estoppel'. You are then showing that you know the case and the subject well.

For me, EU is a nightmare, but I accept that many people find it straightforward, and more luck to them. I'm here right now grappling with procedures before the EU courts. Awful stuff.

JC

Charlie D

garethj wrote: »

If anybody has one of these (an upto date Independent Colleges one) please PM me. I have grids for all other subjects and sample answers for most. Thanks

PM sent to you.

UberStressed

Hey - does anyone have an exam grid for company or property they would be willing to share? I have one for constitutional if that is any good for a swap!

moonbino

Hi everyone. Hope the studying is going well. Would I be ok just working the 2009, 2010 and 2011 past papers? Or do I need more? Barely staying awake as it is. Haha. Thanks :-)

Keane91

Hi, this is slightly off topic, but I had planned to sit the 4 subjects in March i've studied a bit but I wouldn't be set for probably 1 of the exams even with study until March, anyway I was offered an internship in a law firm on a full time basis and I don't think I could get enough study in before the exams with all 4 subjects between working and travelling to work.
I'm just wondering would people think it would be a good idea to go ahead and just do the 4 FE-1's and reject the internship or to take on an extra 1 or 2 subjects for the October sitting and have an some experience under my belt?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

moonbino

Keane91 wrote: »

Hi, this is slightly off topic, but I had planned to sit the 4 subjects in March i've studied a bit but I wouldn't be set for probably 1 of the exams even with study until March, anyway I was offered an internship in a law firm on a full time basis and I don't think I could get enough study in before the exams with all 4 subjects between working and travelling to work.
I'm just wondering would people think it would be a good idea to go ahead and just do the 4 FE-1's and reject the internship or to take on an extra 1 or 2 subjects for the October sitting and have an some experience under my belt?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

KEEP THE INTERNSHIP!!! Trust me you need it. It will help secure a TC whether with this firm or not.

Only sitting the FE1s for the first time in March so I'm probably not the best person to give advice on what's doable at this stage. If you could do 3 with a ghost 4th then try them March and you could do the other 5 October. If you really don't think you can manage it with work then attempt 5 or 6 in October and the rest March 2013. But start studying from now since you won't have much time in your day due to the internship. Whatever you do do the internship at least for a short period. Congrats and good luck!

colonel1

Keane91 wrote: »

Hi, this is slightly off topic, but I had planned to sit the 4 subjects in March i've studied a bit but I wouldn't be set for probably 1 of the exams even with study until March, anyway I was offered an internship in a law firm on a full time basis and I don't think I could get enough study in before the exams with all 4 subjects between working and travelling to work.
I'm just wondering would people think it would be a good idea to go ahead and just do the 4 FE-1's and reject the internship or to take on an extra 1 or 2 subjects for the October sitting and have an some experience under my belt?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

I agree with Moonbino, take the internship, especially as you aren't fully prepared to sit the exams in March. The exams are pretty tough, but you have plenty of time to do them later. For now, just focus on the internship as you will gain invaluable experience; it will look great on the CV + you won't [as I have discovered to my cost] get a training contract without some practical legal experience.

I would also suggest that when you do decide to sit the FE1s that you aim to pass all four subjects at the one sitting, rather than aiming to pass three and write your name on the 4th paper. Many people, including myself, have been caught with the pass 3 and write your name on a 4th paper strategy.

Oh and congrats on getting the internship, and if it is in LK Shields, then very well done indeed [as they are paid internships + it looks like a great firm].

Good luck:D

Amre17

Hi all,

Booking the hotel for the big exams today.. I stayed in the red cow the last time but it's just far too expensive for me this time around ( i think its quite unfair that the law society wouldn't bother negotiating a decent room rate for those of us travelling up from the country especially since they did away with the cork venue ) but anyway my question is for those who stayed in the ibis - how long of a walk is it over to the red cow the morning of the exam? And what are the food facilities like? Or are there any other hotels close by that people would recommend?

Many thanks in advance..

evercloserunion

I was just thinking about this the other day: It costs €110 per exam to sit them, and if the examnination numbers are anything to go by, there are close to 1000 applicants each sitting. Assuming the average number of exams sat by each student per sitting is 3, that means the Law Society is taking in close to €330,000 per sitting, or €660,000 per year.

Is this an accurate estimate, and if so, what the hell do you think they do with that money? Surely the exams don't cost that much to run?

birdie89

Amre17 wrote: »

Hi all,

Booking the hotel for the big exams today.. I stayed in the red cow the last time but it's just far too expensive for me this time around ( i think its quite unfair that the law society wouldn't bother negotiating a decent room rate for those of us travelling up from the country especially since they did away with the cork venue ) but anyway my question is for those who stayed in the ibis - how long of a walk is it over to the red cow the morning of the exam? And what are the food facilities like? Or are there any other hotels close by that people would recommend?

Many thanks in advance..

ten minute walk. I stayed there before the October sitting. didnt eat but i Know there was a restaurant and room service.

Charlie D

If anybody is booking the Red Cow, I found the best deal for room only was with e-bookers and plus if you enter the code METEORHOTELS you get 10% off.

RebelScorned

I stayed in the Ibis for my last two batches of exams. The rooms are grand, not luxury but you don't need luxury, they have decent desks, nice shower, etc. and it is always so quiet. The food imo was awful however, I only ate there the first night, the rest of the time i drove into Clondalkin to get food. The breakfast is ok but the meals are very poor- from memory they had things like lasagne, curry, chicken kievs, etc.

That said, I will prob book the ibis for my final exams in March, it's only €41 a night and its a nice 10-15 min walk in the morning to steady the nerves i find. If you are bringing a car with you and coming from the south (I drove from Cork), it is an absolute doddle to get to, you don't actually have to go near the Red Cow interchange. If you are bringing a car, you can eat in Clondalkin, its only 5 min drive, don't know how long it takes to walk. Alternatively, you can get a good lunch in the Moran before you head back from an exam if you have one the next day, or if you are really desperate, dominos will deliver to the ibis!

t2340

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone knows has there been any significant changes in the Constitutional manual. I'm working off a 2009 Griffith manual. If anyone has any advice that would be great. Cheers

JCJCJC

RebelScorned wrote: »

I stayed in the Ibis for my last two batches of exams. The rooms are grand, not luxury but you don't need luxury, they have decent desks, nice shower, etc. and it is always so quiet. The food imo was awful however, I only ate there the first night, the rest of the time i drove into Clondalkin to get food. The breakfast is ok but the meals are very poor- from memory they had things like lasagne, curry, chicken kievs, etc.

That said, I will prob book the ibis for my final exams in March, it's only €41 a night and its a nice 10-15 min walk in the morning to steady the nerves i find. If you are bringing a car with you and coming from the south (I drove from Cork), it is an absolute doddle to get to, you don't actually have to go near the Red Cow interchange. If you are bringing a car, you can eat in Clondalkin, its only 5 min drive, don't know how long it takes to walk. Alternatively, you can get a good lunch in the Moran before you head back from an exam if you have one the next day, or if you are really desperate, dominos will deliver to the ibis!

That's about right on all points, but the walk across if anything is even less than ten minutes. I drove to the RC last March, and somewhat underestimated the morning traffic, I was 6 miles out per the satnav with half-an-hour to go and locked solid in stopped traffic. I made it on time, but I could really have done without the additional stress.
The lunch in the Red Cow is grand, good decent pub carvery lunch. All jokes aside, the pint in the Ibis isn't the best, for those who care about such matters!
If you're driving from the South, you'll be on the M7, to get into the Red Cow you have to go well past it towards the city, swing 180 deg around the next big complicated junction just past a huge Woodie's DIY and watch carefully for the hotel entrance on the way back out, you'll have to be in the bus lane to spot it.

If you are driving that morning, bring stuff like lucozade, mars bars and whatever you like in that line to get a big sugar fix after the journey. I don't normally ever eat that kind of stuff but on exam days I do, you do need the boost. Allow additional time if you have to get Acts or EU Treaties checked in on the morning, and bring a bag to put your stuff in while the exam is on.

JC

JCJCJC

Keane91 wrote: »

Hi, this is slightly off topic, but I had planned to sit the 4 subjects in March i've studied a bit but I wouldn't be set for probably 1 of the exams even with study until March, anyway I was offered an internship in a law firm on a full time basis and I don't think I could get enough study in before the exams with all 4 subjects between working and travelling to work.
I'm just wondering would people think it would be a good idea to go ahead and just do the 4 FE-1's and reject the internship or to take on an extra 1 or 2 subjects for the October sitting and have an some experience under my belt?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

Absolutely take the internship, and dress to impress, look, speak, write, act and behave like a lawyer at all times. Don't read boards.ie all day on their computers and don't take pictures of your behind with the photocopier at the Christmas party - make the right impression at all times, you might get the TC there and a reference at worst. Work your butt off to get your FE1s and ask those lawyers for help, show them past papers etc and get their take on the questions.

JCJCJC

t2340 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone knows has there been any significant changes in the Constitutional manual. I'm working off a 2009 Griffith manual. If anyone has any advice that would be great. Cheers

The manual should be still fairly ok on most areas, but there was a lot of constitutional case law in 2010 and 2011 - your examiner said that 2010 was 'a bumper year' for constitutional cases, so you need to supplement the manual with fresh law, in my humble...

randomuser77

JCJCJC wrote: »

The manual should be still fairly ok on most areas, but there was a lot of constitutional case law in 2010 and 2011 - your examiner said that 2010 was 'a bumper year' for constitutional cases, so you need to supplement the manual with fresh law, in my humble...

Don't suppose you could suggest specific cases or areas that are worth updating?

Miss_F

Hello all hope the study is going well.

Currently iam studying for 3 exams for March and leaving Company as my 4th as I dont think I will have time to get all I need covered. Just wondering if anyone could tell me what last minute topics I should study for Company if I do get time ???

Thanks

moonbino

I am doing Criminal, Property, Tort and Equity but I want to drop Equity and do Contract instead. Can someone please recommend a topics list for Contract. Thanks! Very desperate here!

Miss_F

moonbino wrote: »

I am doing Criminal, Property, Tort and Equity but I want to drop Equity and do Contract instead. Can someone please recommend a topics list for Contract. Thanks! Very desperate here!

Iam also doing Contract not a whole lot to leave out here but in my opinion main topics would be:

Offer & Acceptance
Consideration
Estoppel
Capacity (comes up a fair bit usually regarding children)
Privity
Misrepresentation
Mistake
Illegality
Discharge
Remedies

Thats just my opinion and what iam doing others may have a different view.