FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

Dante09

...and for completeness sake: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0724/1224251230794.html


So how many people do you guys reckon will actually be enrolled to PPC1 this september. 400 seems to be an overestimate??

Legal Exec

Thanx D,

I never seen that in Fridays Times.

I think we're all in a bit of a squeez no matter who spots the bad news first!

Legal Exec

You may be right about the overestimation, there really are serious stories of insolvency doin the rounds all over the profession in Dublin :eek:

Dante09

Any good news out there at all???
Anyone??
How recent is this Beachcroft Dublin office?
http://www.beachcroft.co.uk/office.aspx?id_Content=1091

sarahchristinem

If you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already.[Abraham Lincoln]

legal eagle 1

Awh i love that quote :rolleyes:

Legal Exec

I know two legal execs who are overworked and don't have the time or need to become solrs.

After that- its all lethal & I mean that profoundly!

I don't care if it makes me unpopular or some kind of doom freak in the eyes of anyone here or anywere else because it doesn't matter, when NAMA kicks in and more scandals break about people connected to Michael Lynn the fireworks then will overshadow our little bit of infotainment on this board.....

Dante09

Legal Exec wrote: »

I don't care if it makes me unpopular or some kind of doom freak in the eyes of anyone here or anywere else because it doesn't matter, when NAMA kicks in and more scandals break about people connected to Michael Lynn the fireworks then will overshadow our little bit of infotainment on this board.....

+1

Legal Exec

And on that note of profoundity I'm of to bed, but I'm startin to feel like a know you people- maybe I feckin do!

Or if we find out who we are- I'll say feck all if you don't!

legal eagle 1

Dante09 wrote: »

Any good news out there at all???
Anyone??

The Galway Races are on this week and there is no big posh corporate tent for any of the posh lawyers who use frequent it each year.......they have to mingle with us ordinary folk muhahaha

Dante09

Legal Exec wrote: »

And on that note of profoundity I'm of to bed, but I'm startin to feel like a know you people- maybe I feckin do!

Or if we find out who we are- I'll say feck all if you don't!

Sweet Dreams.

dumbyearbook

Dante09 wrote: »

Sweet Dreams.

and when ya wake stop posting about " the profession " ffs its so annoying, "abound in the profession" nobody talks like that, and all that latin stuff will you give it a rest seriously, its just silly.

Rant finito gratio mortis causa blah balh

dumbyearbook

PS who mods here at all ? take down that stuff about Michael Lynns clients, its making no addition at all.

Dante09

dumbyearbook wrote: »

Rant finito gratio mortis causa blah balh

Heh! .......can i have some more of where that came from??

legal bee

Just looking for advice.

The closing date for applying for the exams is next week and I have started preparing for the exams but ive been called for a second round interview for a job in the legal dept of an insurance company and the salary is good. Id jump at the job if i got it but I probably wont know if I got it or not until after the closing date for the application to do the exams!!!!

What should i do? Ive been out of work since May and I said that I would use my time wisely and do the exams ( I already have three passed) but then this oppurtunity arose! Do the Law Soc take late applications or give refunds? Ive tried to ring them all morning with no reply, nothing new there.

Advice anyone???

Johnny Utah

Legal Exec wrote: »

Hi People,

You should be aware that the above aren't that hard to obtain- the snag is that many solicitors are being paid to tutor/enroll trainees by the trainees or the trainee's family- some of these trainees are experienced legal execs!!

The trainees then work pro bono between the PPC 1 & PPC 2 & recieve tuition.

It's actually this new form of contract that is keeping struggling solicitors going and the trainee's dreams alive.

I don't know if this is good or bad news to some of you but it's certainly happenin, just don't ask me to reveal were as that would breach people's right to privacy....

Just stumbled across the recent posts in this thread. Thanks for letting me know that this is actually going on. I agree with drkpower that this sort of agreement is clearly an illegal contract with the intention to frustrate the training regulations. However, for someone like me with no contacts in law, it may be the only way to get into the profession.


Can you tell; are these trainess likely to be made redundant by their firm when their training contract is finished?

(Or is it a case that prospective trainees have only started to pay for the apprenticeship in the last year, so we will have to wait until 2011/2012 to see how they are dealt with?)

legal eagle 1 wrote: »

I think the major dilemna i'm having with it is i want this soo much and i have tried literally everything to get a training contract so much so that i dont really have much left to try, in fact i have nothing. That said my gut feeling is that this is wrong and i shouldn't even be considering it but, if i don't try than I can't really say i've tried everything. Awh decisions decisions decisions

I'm in a similar position myself. Passed FE1s in Oct 07, and I have been unable to find anything since then. In fact, I even applied to smaller firms before the Fe1 exams, and the overwhelming message from the small practices was that they would only consider candidates that had passed all their exams. So, now I'm stuck in limbo, and I'd consider anything- but at the same time you're leaving yourself open to exploitation.

Dante09 wrote: »

...and for completeness sake: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0724/1224251230794.html

So how many people do you guys reckon will actually be enrolled to PPC1 this september. 400 seems to be an overestimate??

About 200, if they're lucky!

sarahchristinem wrote: »

What would the lump sum be in the region of?

Thank you
___________

Sarah
If I was to do it , I think it would be 50k

_______________

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Legal Exec

dumbyearbook wrote: »

and when ya wake stop posting about " the profession " ffs its so annoying, "abound in the profession" nobody talks like that, and all that latin stuff will you give it a rest seriously, its just silly.

Rant finito gratio mortis causa blah balh

and cheer up- its summer out there

legal eagle 1

I'm in a similar position myself. Passed FE1s in Oct 07, and I have been unable to find anything since then. In fact, I even applied to smaller firms before the Fe1 exams, and the overwhelming message from the small practices was that they would only consider candidates that had passed all their exams. So, now I'm stuck in limbo, and I'd consider anything- but at the same time you're leaving yourself open to exploitation.

Johnny Utah are you tempted to try this i.e approaching a firm and putting money on the table?? Does this whole thing make you feel uneasy like it does me???

Johnny Utah

legal eagle 1 wrote: »

Johnny Utah are you tempted to try this i.e approaching a firm and putting money on the table?? Does this whole thing make you feel uneasy like it does me???

Haven't even considered it tbh. I only learned about this new development today, although I know the practice went on in the good old days.



Does it make me feel uneasy?

Definitely- the trainee is leaving him/herself open to be exploited. The trainee may not receive the requisite training/experience from his solicitor, or may receive no training at all:eek:

Plus, I'd be seriously worried that the firm would have no interest in keeping me on once I qualified. If there's not enough work to take on a trainee on minimum wage, then there's hardly going to be enough work for a newly qualified solicitor in 3 year's time....

legallad

just wondeing what are peoples opinion regarding their future careers. For those of us who have a training contract are you worried that once you qualify you are just going to join the queue of unemployed solicitors? and for those who as of yet do not have a TC how much longer are ye going to persevere with obtaining one?

I hate to be bringing more negativity but i think this is something we should be considering. So if the economy picks up to an acceptable level say in two years what will one do. There will be a saturation of qualified solicitors looking for jobs, but I feel firms will just increase thier intake of college graduates as they provide cheap labour......where will this leave everyone else.

legal eagle 1

for those who as of yet do not have a TC how much longer are ye going to persevere with obtaining one?

In truth I think i'll still perserve at trying to get a training contract until my FE1's expire. I never plan on sitting them again so once they run out of date its game over for Legal Eagle. That said I still have a few years to go, fingers crossed my luck turns

So if the economy picks up to an acceptable level say in two years what will one do. There will be a saturation of qualified solicitors looking for jobs, but I feel firms will just increase thier intake of college graduates as they provide cheap labour......where will this leave everyone else.

By the way everyone is talking, it seems unlikely that this profession will ever get back to anywhere near the way it was during the height of the boom and yes once qualified i do think we all will see a struggle and a lot of competition for jobs. But, most of us here love a challenge and are hardworking and determined and this extra competition etc. will only spur some of us on in to working harder and being the best! Once we kick this recession to the kirb, I think some areas of the law will increase, you will notice that employment law will increase and criminal law is ever on the increase lately.
For some of us here becoming a solicitor is all we want to do so becoming qualified is paramount even if we dont end up practicing it for years to come. Sometimes you just have to keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best;)

Legal Exec

legal eagle 1 wrote: »

In truth I think i'll still perserve at trying to get a training contract until my FE1's expire. I never plan on sitting them again so once they run out of date its game over for Legal Eagle. That said I still have a few years to go, fingers crossed my luck turns

By the way everyone is talking, it seems unlikely that this profession will ever get back to anywhere near the way it was during the height of the boom and yes once qualified i do think we all will see a struggle and a lot of competition for jobs. But, most of us here love a challenge and are hardworking and determined and this extra competition etc. will only spur some of us on in to working harder and being the best! Once we kick this recession to the kirb, I think some areas of the law will increase, you will notice that employment law will increase and criminal law is ever on the increase lately.
For some of us here becoming a solicitor is all we want to do so becoming qualified is paramount even if we dont end up practicing it for years to come. Sometimes you just have to keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best;)

LAST GRIFFITH MANUALS FOR SALE €50- CONST, CONTRACT & EQUITY

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kgalway

I am sitting four in october. tort, const, eu and contract. I have really left it oo late and im only starting this week. could do with any advice or suggestions off people on what are the most important topics to cover as i really dont know where to start!! i have the independent college manuals, and they are good but cover a lot of detail in some areas.

bluerain

Guys, fair play to all of ye for sticking at it. I gave up last year mid-way through the FE1's. Motivation is hard to find without a glimmer of a training contract. And also knowing that there are thousands ahead of me with better degrees/experience. Life is too short.

legal eagle 1

Bluerain......wat are you doing now after giving up on this, have you choosen a different career? is it totally different?

panda142

So the closing date for applications is next week. What happens if I apply for 6, then only sit say 4??

If I dont turn up for 2 I have applied for what can happen?

Thanks

michellemhurchu

I thought due to the recession we'd have more than the 5 years to gain an apprenticeship so I contacted the law school and was told...

I'm afraid that there are no plans to extend the 5 year rule in order to find an apprenticeship.
If you do not think you will be able to find a contract within the time limit or you are pursuing an alternative career for a few years, I would advise you to make an application now to the Education Committee to request that you be given an extension on this. The Committee considers each application on a case by case basis so I couldn't say which way their decision would go.
In your letter I would state the reasons why you are seeking an extension. The next Education Committee will be held on Thursday 24 September 2009 - the closing date for applications is Friday 11 September. There is no application fee for such applications.


well that didn't put me in a good mood!
I'm thinking now of delaying sitting my last one so I can bide some time...

_JOE_

panda142 wrote: »

So the closing date for applications is next week. What happens if I apply for 6, then only sit say 4??

If I dont turn up for 2 I have applied for what can happen?

Thanks

Nothing. It will merely state absent next to the subject when the results are sent out.
You need only sit 4 on your first attempt and are required to pass 3.
Even at that i have seen many do 3/4 and sit there for 40mins on their fourth without writing a word.

PC021

Griffith manuals for sale:
Property 2007-2008 €30
Criminal 2007-2008 €30
Company 2008 €30
Tort 2007 €25

Also Companies Acts 1963 - 2006 studnet ed. Tottel publishing (i used it in last company sitting) €65
Blackstones Statutes EC legislation 2004-2005 €20

First come first served by email only- finearse@gmail.com (excuse the email name!!)

Can arrange to meet cork city centre.

I_hate_FE1s

I'm looking for manuals for Tort, Company, Equity and Contract from a recent sitting at least 2008. I'm living in Dublin too.

Thanks