FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

brian__foley

Heineken pants wrote: »

Is anybody sure about the date of the results for the oct sitting? I think its usually around the date that griffith start back...?

GCD is back as of last week - and no results in sight that I know of. I certainly remember it taking a while last time around (i.e. June) and it was about three weeks into when people were asking for advice in relation to re-checks etc.

Ruby83

Criminal law manual for sale. Cork area, April 09 version.

Jev/N

Jev/N wrote: »

I will (hopefully) have 4 manuals for sale within the next few weeks, depending on results.

They are contract, equity, company and property

edit: These are Independent Colleges Summer '09 manuals

PC021

I have all the FE1's and am getting no where with the search for an apprenticeship-
Getting totally disenheartened-even thinking of packing it in altogether.
Really don't know what to do...anyone else as lost as I am?!

Joanne337

Jev/N wrote: »

edit: These are Independent Colleges Summer '09 manuals

Hi, I'm looking for Contract one, if you can keep me in mind when you get the exams!!

colonel1

Hi there,


First of all, congrats on getting all 8 Fe1s, that is an achievement in itself:D I am not in your position, as I have yet to get any Fe1s, however I would say that if you really want to be a solicitor then you shouldn't give up just yet. Try not to settle and get trapped in any old job for the sake of it, believe me you will regret it if you do. That is easy for me to say of course, best of luck and I don't know when you got the Fe1s etc. But you have , as you know, 5 years to get an apprencticeship from the time you pass all 8 Fe1s, and hopefully the economy will pick up again. Is there anything you can do in the interim, a course or something? Or can you seek advice from old lecturers or whatever? What about the bar? I know more expense, but it is worth considering.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

PC021 wrote: »

I have all the FE1's and am getting no where with the search for an apprenticeship-
Getting totally disenheartened-even thinking of packing it in altogether.
Really don't know what to do...anyone else as lost as I am?!

PC021

hey thanks for replying-
Well it took me 2 years to do them-
I know I've 5 years alright so maybe someting will come up in the mean time apprenticeship wise-
I can't see myself doing the bar at all!!I did have a think about the New York Bar exams alright but sure we'll see...
Best of luck when you start the FE1's!!Any idea when you will?

dats_right

PC021 wrote: »

hey thanks for replying-
I did have a think about the New York Bar exams alright but sure we'll see...

This back door method of qualifying as a solicitor has recently been curtailed by the Law Society. From now on NY qualified attorneys will have to practice in NY for six months before being able to qualify here via the QLTT.

shaneybaby

dats_right wrote: »

This back door method of qualifying as a solicitor has recently been curtailed by the Law Society. From now on NY qualified attorneys will have to practice in NY for six months before being able to qualify here via the QLTT.

?? Really. any linky?

http://www.lawsociety.ie/en/pages/Public-Becoming-a-Solicitor-CMS/QUALIFYING-FROM-OUTSIDE-IRELAND-REPUBLIC/QLTT-FAQS/
The Society has entered into reciprocal agreements with:

* The State Bar of New York
* The State Bar of California
* The Sate Bar of Pennsylvania
* The Law Society of New Zealand
* The Law Society of NSW

In the case of New York, California, New Zealand and NSW, attorneys from these jurisdictions are required to take a Transfer Test before being admitted as solicitors. Attorneys from Pennsylvania are required to have had five years post qualification experience in Pennsylvania before being eligible to take our Transfer Test.

legallad

what is with all the incorrect spellings and omission of some words in summer 2008 independent college company law manual, are the rest of their manuals like this??! surely they proof read these things before printing them?

colonel1

You are welcome PCO21. Keep plugging away anyway, though that sounds glib. Are you applying everywhere or just top 5/10 or whatever? It doesn't matter how long it takes to do the exams once they are done within the law society time frame. I understand re the bar, the thought of having to stand up in court all the time in front of a judge would terrify me , though the self employed aspect of it would appeal.

I sat 1 Fe1, company, in the last sitting, and the whole thing was a disaster as I only focused on 3 papers instead of the 4. Bad strategy if you do a terrible paper out of your 3! I am aiming to try again in March, so am typing up my notes in readiness. Hopefully I will get some time off work! You live and learn. Have a good weekend.

PC021 wrote: »

hey thanks for replying-
Well it took me 2 years to do them-
I know I've 5 years alright so maybe someting will come up in the mean time apprenticeship wise-
I can't see myself doing the bar at all!!I did have a think about the New York Bar exams alright but sure we'll see...
Best of luck when you start the FE1's!!Any idea when you will?

dats_right

shaneybaby wrote: »

?? Really. any linky?

Yep, was reported in this month's Law Society Gazette (at p50), regarding the Law Scoiety Council meeting of the 25th September, it states:

Motion: section 44 order
‘That this Council approves the Solicitors Acts 1954 to 2008 (Section
44) Order 2009.’
Proposed: James O’Sullivan
Seconded: Michelle Ní Longáin
Michelle Ní Longáin explained that the proposed order related to the reciprocal recognition of qualifications for the profession of attorney in the states of New York and California. The order confirmed that an attorney qualified in New York or California could be admitted as an Irish solicitor on the corresponding conditions under which Irish solicitors could be admitted to practice in New York or California. In addition, the order required such applicants to attend at a law firm in New York or California for a period of six months prior to their admission as a solicitor in Ireland. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform had indicated their approval for the content of the order, as required in the Solicitors Acts. The Council approved the motion.

gatorade

legallad wrote: »

what is with all the incorrect spellings and omission of some words in summer 2008 independent college company law manual, are the rest of their manuals like this??! surely they proof read these things before printing them?

Its literally in all of them! Notably Constitutional and Tort. I was surprised when the administrator told me that they had only updated the Constitutional book. I was like really? Tort is full of grammatical errors.

That said I do like Indo. as an FE 1 course. Its very exam focused.

Jicked

Does anyone know what five cases came up in the October EU exam's casenote question? Trying to make out a grid of what has come up in previous years to see if there's any repeat, will stick it up on here if any wants it

femstar123

Hi guys, just recently moved here from the UK and sat 4 exams in d last FE1 sitting and i have been trying for ages to get a job in the legal field as a paralegal or something like dat but cant seem to find any such thing except being a legal executive which in itself requires even further exams and studies etc...

my question really is; what other roles cld i do as a law graduate while sitting my FE1s? i had thot i cld get a job in law firms/solicitor's offices or any other company where my law degree cld be useful while i sit my FE1s without being a legal exec/ secretary?

i am currently working in retail and i fear it cld affect my chances of getting a TC in a law firm.....

any ideas anyone?

shaneybaby

dats_right wrote: »

Yep, was reported in this month's Law Society Gazette (at p50), regarding the Law Scoiety Council meeting of the 25th September, it states:

Sound for that. looks like the website needs updating (do coucil meeting resolutions come in to place immediately?) anyways could cause problems for people.

brian__foley

Jicked wrote: »

Does anyone know what five cases came up in the October EU exam's casenote question? Trying to make out a grid of what has come up in previous years to see if there's any repeat, will stick it up on here if any wants it

- Commission v Council (“ERTA”) [1971] ECR 263;A
- Amministrazione deel Finanze dello Stato v Simmenthal [1978] ECR 629;
- Brasserie du pecheur v Germany and Factortame iii [1996] ECR I-1029;
- Schmidberger v Austria [2003] ECR I-5659;
- Commission v Council (Validity of Framework Decision 2003/80/JHA [2005] ECR I-7879;
- Metock and Others [2008] ECR I-NYR (Judgement of 25/07/2008);
- Microsoft v Commission [2007] ECR II-3601.

brian__foley

femstar123 wrote: »

Hi guys, just recently moved here from the UK and sat 4 exams in d last FE1 sitting and i have been trying for ages to get a job in the legal field as a paralegal or something like dat but cant seem to find any such thing except being a legal executive which in itself requires even further exams and studies etc...

my question really is; what other roles cld i do as a law graduate while sitting my FE1s? i had thot i cld get a job in law firms/solicitor's offices or any other company where my law degree cld be useful while i sit my FE1s without being a legal exec/ secretary?

i am currently working in retail and i fear it cld affect my chances of getting a TC in a law firm.....

any ideas anyone?

I've known of many, many colleagues and friends etc who have used legal background (i.e. third level) to obtain positions in NGO's, government department, state agencies, non-legal but commercial service firms, airlines, fashion houses, political parties etc before being qualified (some never even qualified as either solicitor or barrister). Such positions would be as competitive as the next, but there are opportunities out there without profesional qualification, but it would depend on what else your c.v. has to say about you.

Amigonia

* que butterflies (evil ones though) and anxiety*

I'm getting antcy now... just thinking about results makes me get all shakey and panicky. They say the week of the 30th Nov, so all this week and next week..... bane!

So calculating the 2 weeks i'll need to sum the courage to tell my boss i didn't pass any of the FIVE I sat... oh... i figure i'll get fired around Christmas!

Anyone else having the attacks?!

shaneybaby

Amigonia wrote: »

* que butterflies (evil ones though) and anxiety*

I'm getting antcy now... just thinking about results makes me get all shakey and panicky. They say the week of the 30th Nov, so all this week and next week..... bane!

So calculating the 2 weeks i'll need to sum the courage to tell my boss i didn't pass any of the FIVE I sat... oh... i figure i'll get fired around Christmas!

Anyone else having the attacks?!

I find that if i sit on my hands the heebygeebies tend to ease off after about an hour.

brian__foley

shaneybaby wrote: »

I find that if i sit on my hands the heebygeebies tend to ease off after about an hour.

Too many jokes possible here.

colonel1

Hopefully you will get some if not all 5 of your exams Amigonia:D

Amigonia wrote: »

* que butterflies (evil ones though) and anxiety*

I'm getting antcy now... just thinking about results makes me get all shakey and panicky. They say the week of the 30th Nov, so all this week and next week..... bane!

So calculating the 2 weeks i'll need to sum the courage to tell my boss i didn't pass any of the FIVE I sat... oh... i figure i'll get fired around Christmas!

Anyone else having the attacks?!

hession.law

i find the more you read this thread the more you doubt yourself! if you have put in the work and answered the questions in front of you, you should have nothing to worry about.....

Dandelion6

I'm having dreams at least once a week about failing... in one dream I only got a 10 on one of the exams!! At least I'm pretty sure it won't be that bad...

Cole

Chilliflake wrote: »

...I am 37 and am wondering whether in fact I should even be bothering with them at all at my age...If I don't get all eight in April, I'll be 39 starting Blackhall in 2011.. The oldest swinger in town.

But I'm desperate to change career and this is what I have wanted to do since I was in school. Plus, I still have another 28 years to work and I can't bear to continue in my current job for the rest of my days..!

Has there ever been an instance of an old fogie doing the PPC1??

colonel1 wrote: »

I am 37 too [and I know of at least one other person who is the same age as us] , so you won't be the oldest person in Blackhall in 2011:D I share your concerns re age, but nothing ventured nothing gained.

Another 37 year old here who is seriously considering starting the FE1s in March/April, but with the same concerns regarding my age.

It's not the studying (law graduate this year) or working alongside those much younger than me, it's the practical concern as to whether obtaining an apprenticeship will be even harder as I'm approaching 40.

Any other 'older' FE1'ers/apprentices out there or anyone else with any views?

Dandelion6

Cole wrote: »

It's not the studying (law graduate this year) or working alongside those much younger than me, it's the practical concern as to whether obtaining an apprenticeship will be even harder as I'm approaching 40.

Any other 'older' FE1'ers/apprentices out there or anyone else with any views?

I'm 39. Thought about it too but decided it's silly to not do what I want to do just because of the possibility of that problem.

Might depend on what type of law firm you want to train at, though. The bigger ones seem to be to me not terribly welcoming to people who aren't young recent grads, but I'm not sure that's true for the smaller more specialised firms.

enry

Cole wrote: »

Another 37 year old here who is seriously considering starting the FE1s in March/April, but with the same concerns regarding my age.

It's not the studying (law graduate this year) or working alongside those much younger than me, it's the practical concern as to whether obtaining an apprenticeship will be even harder as I'm approaching 40.

Any other 'older' FE1'ers/apprentices out there or anyone else with any views?

around 10 percent of those on ppc1 are over thirty and if you were 40 starting now you coulds add 15 years to your age and you would still not be the oldest in the place.

25 years of a working life left seems like a long time.

Cole

I agree with you Dandelion6 and enry. If you really want to do something, regardless of age, go for it. I generally pay no attention to my age, it's just that the difficulty in obtaining apprenticeships now seems incredibly hard and wonder will the age factor be an additional hurdle...making it next to impossible (in the current climate)

Dandelion6 wrote: »

The bigger ones seem to be to me not terribly welcoming to people who aren't young recent grads, but I'm not sure that's true for the smaller more specialised firms.

This would be my perception also, have you had any practical experience of this?

shaneybaby

Cole wrote: »

I agree with you Dandelion6 and enry. If you really want to do something, regardless of age, go for it. I generally pay no attention to my age, it's just that the difficulty in obtaining apprenticeships now seems incredibly hard and wonder will the age factor be an additional hurdle...making it next to impossible (in the current climate)

This would be my perception also, have you had any practical experience of this?

I'm the youngest apprentice in my current firm of the last four that have come in and i'm in my (very) late twenties. We would be considered a specialist firm and all of us have had prior experience in the industry in question. Experience outside of the office in a prior life is important.

colonel1

Hurrah it is great to know that I'm not the only thirty something wannabe solicitor on here. Discrimination on the grounds of age is illegal, though it is amazing how many people worry about it [including myself].
I am focusing on just getting my Fe1s for now and I will worry about apprencticeships later. Hopefully the economy will pick up at some stage in the next few years. Age would be no object to a career at the bar, one of the advantages of being a barrister:D

Cole wrote: »

I agree with you Dandelion6 and enry. If you really want to do something, regardless of age, go for it. I generally pay no attention to my age, it's just that the difficulty in obtaining apprenticeships now seems incredibly hard and wonder will the age factor be an additional hurdle...making it next to impossible (in the current climate)

This would be my perception also, have you had any practical experience of this?