On further reflection over this post, I'd have to agree with Daz with regard to the FE-1's and how little their application is to practise. It appears that we've forgotten the run of ourselves here. We have to face facts. As far as the FE-1s are concerned...we are all at the same level. Regardless of our backgrounds be it Law Degree, Music Degree or no degree whatsoever - to the Law Society we are nothing more than your exam number which you put down on the front of that green sheet be it in the RDS or down below in Neptune. So upon reflection in this post, rather than argure merely over who should enter the golden gates, maybe we should instead reflect upon the following facts and how best to get around it:
(1) There are approximately 1,200 Solicitors currently on the Dole. (2) 700 newly qualified Solicitors are set to come out of the Law School this year. (3) We are experiencing a world recession / depression. These are the facts, the Law Society knows this and has recently announced a support centre for unemployed Solicitors advising them of how to find work abroad etc. In my opinion, FE-1 students are the last of the problems that The Law Society are thinking about at the moment. I'm afraid this is the sad reality. If you are a Law Graduate then you are fortunate in that you can apply to other jurisdictions and sit a one / two year diploma course and then gain entry into the Law Society of that jurisdiction (UK and Canada come to mind). So where then for the hopeful FE-1 student? The answer is commitment and stamina. Adjustments indeed have to be made. working 2 jobs etc...if that is the case then so be it. It is an unfair system but the problem is that even if the Law Society were to limit the FE-1's to just Law Graduates and/or non - law graduates with a diploma in law, the market would still be swamped in light of the facts I pointed out above. I always like to treat the role of Solicitor to that of Doctor wherin you are providing a service for your client. You are assisting your client with their legal issues just as a Doctor assists his patient with their medical issues. If you are a medical student who wishes to become a doctor, you must have at least 7 years training. Law also requires the same level of training (indeed if not more). Now that I've finished my analogy look at how the medical profession is doing during these troubled times? Why isn't it the same for Solicitors? The obvious answer to that is the collapse of the building boom and the financial institutions that faciliated this boom. So those Solicitors have to go back to the Law Society and obtain training for other areas of Law apart from Conveyancing. I'm certain that other areas of Law have to pick up in the next few months, Liquidations, Debt Collection etc. Although I have simplified the above reasoning as if it were for the mind of a 5 year old (and I apologise in advance if this sounds patronising to say the least) but as for the FE-1 Student all you can do is plough on. If you are in this for the quick buck then forget it! You will have to go back to the pre - boom years where Apprentices worked for nothing more than IR£60 a week (€100). I agree this is harsh but this was reality back then and it appears that this may be the reality that we will shall have to face. So if you're in this for the long haul then you will succeed. Look on it as a part of your training. For the record, I come from a "disadvantaged background" and wasn't afforded the luxury of using the Law Library as my science lab (i.e. I had to study Law by night). Despite my years working as a legal executive I will have to take a cut in my wages during my apprenticeship or attend Law School and go to work straight after. I look on this as similar to a Junior Doctor. So in response to Paudie looking for a better system, the only way I'm afraid is to just get in the door first. i.e. pass the FE-1's and beg for an apprenticeship somewhere. I don't think forming a cohesive voice will do us much good as the Law Society will just ignore us as we are merely applicants and not members of the Law School, then again I am open to the contrary. Maybe a support group would be a better idea... On Apr 4, 1:56 pm, Daz <[email protected]> wrote: > I don't really come on here anymore but sometimes out of habit I have > a check. I'm very surprised at the tone of the law graduates thus > far. Just because times are tough for everyone doesn't mean we should > go back to the way things were and make law a closed shop again. > > The FE-1s level the playing field for all. A non-graduate who can > complete the FE-1s is just as worthy as anybody else to do law. The > law graduates should find the FE-1s easy anyway so I don't see any > harm in making them do them. I disagree totally with the idea that > one has to have an educational qualification in law in order to work > in that area. Those are the kind of sentiments I'd expect from the > recently graduated law students, i.e. those who haven't really been in > the workplace as of yet. > > As an apprentice solicitor with no law background who has worked his > **se off for the FE-1s and to get an apprenticeship (not to mention > working my **se off in my apprenticeship) I have barely used the > knowledge from my FE-1s in my time in work. EVERYTHING I have learnt > has been on the job training. Sure there are some bits and pieces > from the FE-1s which may have filled in the blanks for me but not to > any great extent. > > I think it's just a reflection on some of the people here that they're > complaining about non-law graduates. It's very easy to blame your own > failures on the system that;s in place or on the non-law graduates > taking your apprenticeships but I think it's a bit of a cop-out. The > market is very competitive at the moment. There are too many > potential apprentices out there and not enough apprenticeships. That > just means everybody has to work that bit harder to secure a > position. Do unpaid work experience. Take a job in the post room of > a law firm. Just because you have a degree does not mean you're > automatically entitled to walk into a job at €50,000 a year. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "FE-1 Study Group" group. 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