I have been back a few weeks now and I apologise for the lack of blogging, so expect a long one.
GLS
I finally got the feedback report for the GLS assessment day (note to anyone applying in the future: they say you will receive it by the end of September but this actually means the very last day in September so don't be hanging on every email like I was!).
All in all I scored 20/35. Obviously this isn't particularly great. My strengths were motivation for law and the GLS, collaborative working and delivering at pace. One of my biggest weaknesses (and my lowest mark of 2/5) was for decision making. This is something I am already aware of and am seriously trying to address, but it has definitely brought it home how very important it is that I change in this area.
My writing skills were good and presentation skills also good so not a complete disaster!
University
We have completely settled in to Civil Litigation now with the course being in full swing. I actually quite like it although there is ALOT to do and the 7.5 hours suggested prep time for each workshop falls short. So far, my shortest prep time has been around 9 hours and this week I am already on 8 with still one i-tutorial and a test and feedback to go!
Property Law and Practice (PLP) began last week and I must say it is yet to get me excited. So far we are on the conveyancing procedure and it all just seems dull dull dull. The prep for the coming week is addressing land law issues such as easements, covenants and trusts; it is basically a revision week of the LLB module. Oh the thrill! Anyone getting that I don't like land law??
We also have to choose our remaining two electives this coming week. We did do this last year, but with the change from LPC to LPC LLM some of the modules have also changed and so we need to reselect. This year I was a bit more organised and arranged a meeting with my personal tutor to discuss the options, deciding Private Client was a good choice as this is the area I currently work in and also Commercial Dispute Resolution to add a commercial element to my choices - top decision making right there!
We also need to state our preliminary intentions with regard the LLM dissertation. It is all a bit confusing to be honest and the real sting in the tail is that the LLM is not distinct from the LPC, meaning that the dissertation can bring your LPC mark down (especially considering it is weighted very heavily). In all honesty, my gut is telling me to avoid it like the plague. We are the first year doing it and it does feel like we are all guinea pigs with the tutors themselves not even knowing the answers to some of our questions. With that said, I won't rule it out at this point in time and will see how things look in February when the title choosing and planning process begins.
Work
Work is going really well and I have started doing lone home visits, only to collect documentation but it feels great to have the client contact. I am starting to get to grips with Wills and Probate and it is beginning to feel familiar. The team are fantastic and have thankfully taken me under their wing. Life is good!
