Ed White - Are you gonna go my way?

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31/01/2012

I am only a handful of sessions away from finishing the core practice modules of the LPC! This is obviously great news. Less good is the fact that I’m also only two weeks away from exams, but you take the rough with the smooth I guess. At these times, it makes sense to reflect a bit on the year so far and give you my impressions of the LPC - which, after all, is the point of this blog. Regular and eagle-eyed readers may have guessed that I have not been overly enamoured with this course, and they’d be right. There is little to no scope for creative thought, and your time will mostly be spent reading sections from statute, writing down lists of forms, learning procedural rules, and developing the world’s most sophisticated filing system to deal with the avalanche of paper that you receive every lesson.

That said, if you are going to do the LPC, there are good reasons to do it at BPP. The standard of teaching is consistently excellent, and on the rare occasions that you come to a lesson having not understood something (usually because your eyes have glazed over trying to assimilate some crushingly boring piece of information), I can almost guarantee that you’ll fully understand it come the end of that lesson. I’ve also met a lot of great people, both in my class and elsewhere on the LPC, who have helped keep me sane! Having said that, you could of course do it at The College of Law, where it is easier.

So would I, all things considered, recommend it? Well…I think perhaps the only way to answer that is to look at the question in a different way. If you want to be a solicitor, you have to do it. However, I would advise, in the strongest possible terms, not to do it without a TC. It’s blindingly expensive, and if you do end up finding it awful, you haven’t got the end goal to look forward to - ie, the job at the end of it! Unless Daddy can foot the bill - and your rent - you’re looking at a very trying, expensive year, with potentially nothing to show for it at the end. If you don’t have the bank of Mum and Dad, and decide to fund the LPC yourself, then you’re a braver man than I am. In any case, be prepared for some boredom. You’ll get it.

Good luck to everyone else with exams in February!
 

Recent comments

• Anonymous | 01/02/2012 19:00 PM

  I disagree with the advice not to do the LPC without a TC. It is obviously a decision which has to be taken very seriously after weighing up all options but don't forget that not all firms which provide TCs sponsor the LPC. In fact, large commercial firms aside, very few do. Not everyone wants to work for a large law firm and those who don't should find a way to make the LPC affordable - gain some work experience, study part-time - it can be done. The blanket advice not to embark on the LPC does not apply to those intending to pursue a career with high street, legal aid or human rights firms.

• Javier Sebastian Eskauriatza | 25/02/2012 16:09 PM

  I have to agree with Anonymous. Take on some debt, make the repayments every month and find the right firm for you...not everyone wants to be at Clifford Chance. If you want a high street law career then you'll be hard pressed to find a law firm that will fund your LPC. In the long term, you will get a TC and you will qualify...but you have to be prepared to put in the hard yards...