FE1 Exam Thread (Read 1st post!) NOTICE: YOU MAY SWAP EXAM GRIDS

S12b

Quick query, did many people here pass Constitutional law this sitting????

It was an absolute shocker for me, I could barely answer a single question so I didn't even attempt it and left after the 45 minutes without writing a word.

I wouldn't be particularly bothered if I wasn't prepared but I felt I was very well prepared, just as well as I was for the other 7 exams, all of which I passed first time round......I'm still slightly confused as to how that happened.....how can you prepare the same for 8 exams, cruise through 7 and not be able to answer a single question on your final paper.

Were other people left equally bamboozled by that paper or am I on my own here, ranting and raving like a deranged lunatic????

Pepp1989

S12b wrote: »

Quick query, did many people here pass Constitutional law this sitting????

It was an absolute shocker for me, I could barely answer a single question so I didn't even attempt it and left after the 45 minutes without writing a word.

I wouldn't be particularly bothered if I wasn't prepared but I felt I was very well prepared, just as well as I was for the other 7 exams, all of which I passed first time round......I'm still slightly confused as to how that happened.....how can you prepare the same for 8 exams, cruise through 7 and not be able to answer a single question on your final paper.

Were other people left equally bamboozled by that paper or am I on my own here, ranting and raving like a deranged lunatic????

Ya the paper was very tough. I had prepared well and only that I had knowledge of the Marie Fleming case and also of the rules around a government being objective come election time (McKenna, McCrystle) from a personal interest base I would have undoubtedly failed that exam. Personally, I think the exam favoured different topics on the syllabus this time around. I'm sure you weren't the only one caught out. For every sitting of these exams I think "there's always one". By that I mean there is always one exam that is left-field in the questions that are asked and is a bit of a disaster unless you get lucky or have covered all of the syllabus (Nigh on impossible if you are doing more than two imo!)

Lawstudent007

Could someone please be so kind to inform me as to when the best time might be to apply for jobs in law firms.

Lolers11

S12b wrote: »

Quick query, did many people here pass Constitutional law this sitting????

It was an absolute shocker for me, I could barely answer a single question so I didn't even attempt it and left after the 45 minutes without writing a word.

I wouldn't be particularly bothered if I wasn't prepared but I felt I was very well prepared, just as well as I was for the other 7 exams, all of which I passed first time round......I'm still slightly confused as to how that happened.....how can you prepare the same for 8 exams, cruise through 7 and not be able to answer a single question on your final paper.

Were other people left equally bamboozled by that paper or am I on my own here, ranting and raving like a deranged lunatic????

I felt the exact same. It was my last one and I had prepared almost everything. I still couldn't answer more than 2.5 questions. Managed to blag two more but ended up getting only 41.

Very confused about what I need to do to pass it. Unfortunately the exam report won't shed much light, there is sweet all info in the constitutional one.

vickyplumx

Hey! Any thoughts on criminal ....would an independent manual be good ? Also thinking constitutional too. ... I've heard it's a shocker of a subject but I liked it at undergrad so hopefully that would help....right?! Gonna do contract again and hopefully not make a balls of it 😂

FE1 EXAMS 2013

Hey would anyone have any up to date exam grids for constitutional, company, eu or tort? I have property, criminal, contract and equity that I could help someone out with in return!

sunshine and showers

Lawstudent007 wrote: »

Could someone please be so kind to inform me as to when the best time might be to apply for jobs in law firms.

If you want to work for any of the big firms (Arthur Cox, A&L Goodbody, et al) then you've just missed it. Large top tier, and a number of mid tier, firms run a process each year from September to November (or there abouts) fondly known as the 'Milkrounds' for trainee positions.

Fear not, though, if your dream is to work for one of those companies, as they will be opening their recruitment process for internship programmes around January/February of next year (keep an eye on their websites). Internships can be a fantastic way to get a good feel for a firm, and most of them lead to an opportunity to be considered for a training contract.

If a smaller or boutique firm is your goal, unless their website says they have specific recruitment dates there is no "best time" to apply. Start writing those (preferably a bit personalised) cover letters and send them out. You can send them on spec to companies that interest you or you can keep an eye out on the Law Society jobs page to see who is looking for a trainee for their firm.

Check out this year and previous years' Milkrounds threads in this forum. Also look at the stories of how trainees got their contracts that are up on the Law Society website.

It takes effort and patience, but you'll get there. Good luck!

S12b

vickyplumx wrote: »

Hey! Any thoughts on criminal ....would an independent manual be good ? Also thinking constitutional too. ... I've heard it's a shocker of a subject but I liked it at undergrad so hopefully that would help....right?! Gonna do contract again and hopefully not make a balls of it 😂

Ciaran Patton teaches criminal in Independent and I thought he was brilliant......by far the best lecturer I had. I worked solely from the Independent manual and got 65% so provided you prepare well, that manual is more than adequate.

Pepp1989

S12b wrote: »

Ciaran Patton teaches criminal in Independent and I thought he was brilliant......by far the best lecturer I had. I worked solely from the Independent manual and got 65% so provided you prepare well, that manual is more than adequate.

I'd second this. Excellent lecturer for Criminal

sunshine and showers

I got materials for Criminal, Company, EU and Tort delivered into work yesterday. Everyone was like "oh my god, there are so many books! how will you learn them all!"

I was like, "this is only half of them.....". FML.

cyclestudent

S12b wrote: »

Quick query, did many people here pass Constitutional law this sitting????

It was an absolute shocker for me, I could barely answer a single question so I didn't even attempt it and left after the 45 minutes without writing a word.

I wouldn't be particularly bothered if I wasn't prepared but I felt I was very well prepared, just as well as I was for the other 7 exams, all of which I passed first time round......I'm still slightly confused as to how that happened.....how can you prepare the same for 8 exams, cruise through 7 and not be able to answer a single question on your final paper.

Were other people left equally bamboozled by that paper or am I on my own here, ranting and raving like a deranged lunatic????

I sat constitutional this time - I had passed my first 7 first time but failed constitutional so just had constitutional to focus on for this sitting - had literally covered every topic in the independent manual and still found it to be a very difficult exam. Thankfully I passed (59%).

For me it was definitely the most difficult exam, for a number of reasons - the sheer volume of material, the absolute unpredictability of what will be asked as well as the examiner not exactly being very generous with marking (unlike for example EU where despite the complexity and unpredictability, the examiner is known for being generous with marks.)

I think to pass the exam, you need to cover at least 90% of the material. This year there were totally left of field q's like Art45 and this has been the pattern of the last few years. In addition, an understanding of how different topics intertwine will give you extra material to answer with. Answering 5 q's on point with relevant material is key. He will not give any marks for a great answer that is off point. He has said that you are better giving a basic answer with a few relevant points than a fantastic one that is off point and of little relevance to the q asked.

Apologies for the long answer - hope this helps!

SteJay

Does anyone have any idea of what dates roughly the September/October 2015 sitting of the FE1's will take place? The reason I ask is because I am trying to plan my wedding around this sitting, I have to complete my last two before Dec 2015 or have to start again

I plan to finish them in March but just in case I dont I need to keep the September/October sitting free. The wedding has to take place around this time also due to it being abroad. I rang the Law Society twice but the woman in charge is on holidays, so my emails also went unanswered.

I know its a shot in the dark but maybe someone will have an idea, for what its worth my last 2 are Company and Constitution

cyclestudent

SteJay wrote: »

Does anyone have any idea of what dates roughly the September/October 2015 sitting of the FE1's will take place? The reason I ask is because I am trying to plan my wedding around this sitting, I have to complete my last two before Dec 2015 or have to start again

I plan to finish them in March but just in case I dont I need to keep the September/October sitting free. The wedding has to take place around this time also due to it being abroad. I rang the Law Society twice but the woman in charge is on holidays, so my emails also went unanswered.

I know its a shot in the dark but maybe someone will have an idea, for what its worth my last 2 are Company and Constitution

They are running the march exams next year around the same time that they ran the march exams this year so on that basis, you'd be forgiven for presuming that they are going to run the October exams next year around the same time as this year - I.e last two weeks of September - into first week in October. I have no idea of course, just a shot in the dark!

Daryl Strawberry

Hi all,

Just passed my first 4 exams (Company, Tort, Property, Criminal) exclusively using manuals and sample answers.

I was jsut wondering if anyone found while studying for any of the other four (Const and EU in particular) that there was anything other than manuals and sample answers that they found essential to studying for the exam

Thank you, and congrats for understanding my convoluted question if you have done so

Legal125

Daryl Strawberry wrote: »

Hi all,

Just passed my first 4 exams (Company, Tort, Property, Criminal) exclusively using manuals and sample answers.

I was jsut wondering if anyone found while studying for any of the other four (Const and EU in particular) that there was anything other than manuals and sample answers that they found essential to studying for the exam

Thank you, and congrats for understanding my convoluted question if you have done so

For EU I just used independant manual on it's own pretty much.

And for constitutional - stare decisis - it's a website that reports on all recent decisions. I paid a tenner to have access for a month and it brought me up to speed on all main cases in 2013/2014.

southcounty

Legal125 wrote: »

For EU I just used independant manual on it's own pretty much.

And for constitutional - stare decisis - it's a website that reports on all recent decisions. I paid a tenner to have access for a month and it brought me up to speed on all main cases in 2013/2014.

I did Constitutional in October and passed it using only the Independent Colleges manual and a nutshell so you should be fine.

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Hi All

Would I be completely mad to try and pass 4 FE1s in March, while studying for 2 exams for my LLM in January and working on a thesis due in June? I do not work and only in collage 2-3 days a week? Has anyone done something similar before?

Legal125

Alma Tight Nitty-gritty wrote: »

Hi All

Would I be completely mad to try and pass 4 FE1s in March, while studying for 2 exams for my LLM in January and working on a thesis due in June? I do not work and only in collage 2-3 days a week? Has anyone done something similar before?

I don't think it would be unthinkable. My first set I had the bare 12 weeks and I hadn't done the subjects in a while. As u are in college I imagine the stuff will be fresher for u. Id get the manuals now now and put your plan in place. As a rule leave at least 3-4 weeks before the exam for straight up learning off.
I mean if you are wanting to et them done because you have a TC and need to get them in three then def getting started will take the pressure off u and you will be able to get an understanding of what they entail knowing you have two more sittings.

Pick easier subjects if you want to get the magic three under your belt - property, criminal, contract are prob the shortest in content and then equity or company maybe...

Hope that makes sense / helps

dandadub

Anyone have a list or rated system of what chapters to focus on over others in Company? Thanks

southcounty

Hi guys,

I'm trying to post the link to my ad for FE1 manuals on adverts.ie but it wont allow me to post a link as it says I am a new user even though I'm on this a good while. Anyone have the same problem?

XxMCRxBabyxX

southcounty wrote: »

Hi guys,

I'm trying to post the link to my ad for FE1 manuals on adverts.ie but it wont allow me to post a link as it says I am a new user even though I'm on this a good while. Anyone have the same problem?

You've less than 50 posts so it won't let you. Besides, you can't post links for ads here anymore.


In case people haven't heard. The Companies Bill has passed through all stages and should be signed into law by the end of the month. Going to have to watch that for the exam now! (I was really hoping that it'd wait til after March!)

RCFE15

Hi guys,

Does anyone know when Griffith College are holding a revision day/exam tips day. I have been trying to ring the college but no joy so far!

Also, can anyone attend this course?

Thanks!

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Hi

Just a quick question on the Property exam. I remember hearing somewhere that there is a certain way of studying for it, a hack if you will. Is someone able to give me some advice on this? Also, I only have the DeLondras book from which to study, should I also be buying manuals?

Legal125

RCFE15 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Does anyone know when Griffith College are holding a revision day/exam tips day. I have been trying to ring the college but no joy so far!

Also, can anyone attend this course?

Thanks!

They don't hold random revision days. they hold a revision day per subject nearer to exam time (a week or two before I think) if that's what you mean? Price is 150 per subject and I think subject to demand....
(but not sure on details as I never did any of the courses...)

RCFE15

Legal125 wrote: »

They don't hold random revision days. they hold a revision day per subject nearer to exam time (a week or two before I think) if that's what you mean? Price is 150 per subject and I think subject to demand....
(but not sure on details as I never did any of the courses...)

Thanks you! That's very helpful!!

smeal

Hi guys.. I'm working off the September 2014 Independent Manuals/Lectures and I'm just wondering has there been any massive new cases for Constitutional since then that I will need to know for March?

Lawstudent007

Hi all,

I was wondering whether anyone can tell me what the best approach re EU is. I know it's a large volume of work but for those of you who studies by writing things down and memorising them, like me, how do I approach this exam. Is it fair to say that you just focus on the main cases and try and sum the chapter up to no more than 8 pages or so?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

chops018

Lawstudent007 wrote: »

Hi all,

I was wondering whether anyone can tell me what the best approach re EU is. I know it's a large volume of work but for those of you who studies by writing things down and memorising them, like me, how do I approach this exam. Is it fair to say that you just focus on the main cases and try and sum the chapter up to no more than 8 pages or so?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Sample answers and past papers, with some up to date cases on topics worked for me.

For Constitutional and EU people freak out too much over the volume instead of looking at what's needed.

Example was in Constitutional where you could bring in Seperation of Powers in almost any question. Also, for any question on rights bring in the tests and see if whatever is infringing on the right has a legitimate aim etc etc. (I forget the tests as I passed constitutional and EU March 2013). Maybe it was because I did a lot of EU and Consitutional Law in my masters but I found them to be slightly easier for some reason. Especially in that you have more room for waffle. I answered one constitutional question on freedom of religion with just the constitution.

Midlecat

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

You've less than 50 posts so it won't let you. Besides, you can't post links for ads here anymore.


In case people haven't heard. The Companies Bill has passed through all stages and should be signed into law by the end of the month. Going to have to watch that for the exam now! (I was really hoping that it'd wait til after March!)

Ill be repeating company and I think ill just focus on old stuff for exam, i received this at work yesterday...looks like it wont be June 15 that its commenced and with property pre 2009 was still examined up to last march if i recall correctly.

Chairperson: Dr Thomas B Courtney
Speakers: Nessa Cahill BL, Dr Thomas B Courtney, William Johnston,
Professor Irene Lynch-Fannon, Lyndon MacCann SC
and Daibhi O’Leary


Venue: The Radisson Blu,
St Helens Hotel, Stillorgan Rd,
Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Date: 29 January 2015,
8.30am - 6pm
Cost: €590
(includes lunch, course materials plus a copy of Bloomsbury Professional’s Guide to the Companies Act (RRP €195) plus complementary parking
CPD points are available
for this seminar

The new Companies Act will make the most far-reaching and fundamental changes to Irish company law in two generations, putting forward a radically different approach whereby the private company limited by shares will become the new model company. The Bill seems likely to be enacted in 2014 and commenced on 1 June 2015.
Who better to explain and contextualise the changes to Irish company law than the Bloomsbury Professional company law authors, to whom practitioners turn when they need to understand a point of company law?


To make a booking:

Or contact Jennifer Simpson on +353 (0) 1 6373920
email seminars@bloomsbury.com
Places are at a premium so don’t delay



Seminar programme:

8.30 - 9.00 Registration + refreshments
9.00 - 9.45 The Companies Act 2014: Anatomy of the Act
Dr Thomas B Courtney
9.45 - 11.00 Changes in the basics - constitutions, share capital and governance
Dr Thomas B Courtney
11.00 - 11.30 Morning break
11.30 - 12.30 Changes to re-registration, registers and filings
Daibhi O’Leary
12.30 - 1.30 Taking security, the Summary Approval Procedure and the
registration of charges
William Johnston
1.30 - 2.30 Lunch
2.30 - 3.30 Changes in the law of directors’ duties
Dr Thomas B Courtney
3.30 - 4.15 Corporate Restructuring - schemes, mergers and divisions
Lyndon MacCann, Senior Counsel
4.15 - 4.30 Afternoon break
4.30 - 5.15 Insolvency & Rescue
Professor Irene Lynch-Fanon
5.15 - 6.00 Compliance and enforcement
Nessa Cahill BL

glynner360

Could someone please tell me what topics were on the September sitting for Equity? I have grids up to April and don't want to shell out more money to the Law Society for papers. Cheers.