Exam Results

I've just had the results for the most recent set of law exams I undertook and I'm pleased to say I passed. This has come as a massive relief as my transition from science to law has not been a smooth one. In short, I went from being a very able biologist to a mediocre (at best) law student. I freely admit that part of the problem was my attitude; I had been a student for 5 years by the point I started my law studies and I was fed up of it. Getting a job was utmost in my mind but I thought then, as I do now, that some form of professional qualification would make the process of starting a career easier. I also thought I could ride out the recession in law school and again ease the passage on to the career ladder.

Unfortunately, I struggled to get into the legal way of thinking. It's hard to properly articulate how I felt and to an extent feel about it. To start with I railed against the fact that we had to cite sources all the time be it cases or statute. Let's be honest, unless it's an extremely obscure point of law other lawyers will know it and clients won't care. To my mind, it's as ludicrous as a doctor citing the particular textbook that a procedure is described in. Be that as it may, I played the game. The other main problem was that I really struggled to relate to the material. As an undergraduate, biology suited my way of thinking so discussion was always relatively straightforward. With law, I have always felt that a true understanding and associated overview has been just beyond my reach so I have had to do a lot of compartmentalising and parrot learning. This feeling has lessened in my recent courses as they have focused on the practical application of law and I always learn better when there is some sort of outcome to work towards but I have found it extremely frustrating in the past.  Finally, I have difficulty with the concept of lawyers. In essence, see the job as profiting from the misery of others which isn't exactly an attractive concept. This wasn't helped by one module handbook having the first chapter on fees and the second on uneven paving slabs. These sort of things give lawyers a bad name (although I do realise there is also a lot of potential to do good as well). The result of these feelings was that I usually played for par in exams and on occasion didn't make it. Going from getting excellent results at Uni. to hovering either side of the pass mark at law school was hard and gave my confidence a hell of a battering. The results today have gone a long way to restoring it; not only did I pass but I got good marks. In addition, my exam timetable was horrendous so it was nice to get through despite adverse circumstances.

These results haven't really changed the way I feel about law but they have restored my confidence in my intellectual ability, my ability to pick up new subjects and my ability to adapt to unfamiliar frameworks. It's also reassuring that two of them were in the areas I was considering specialising in should I follow a legal career.

Now comes the decision. I still have one resit to go before I get this qualification. The timing of this means that should I decide to become a lawyer, I won't be able to start the on-the-job training until September next year at the earliest. This means I will be getting a job of some sort. At the moment my main priority is finding something that not only engages my brain but also gives me enough to live on and start paying my parents back the money they have lent me. They are being saintly about repayments and not putting any pressure on me but the fact remains I have borrowed a lot of money and I want to pay it back as soon as possible (also my mother wants to retire soon and if paying them back lets her do this then it's the least I can do... although again, to their eternal credit, they have never even hinted at the, "after all we've done for you" line). As a result, it's unlikely that what I will be working in for the next year or so will be in the legal sector. It maybe that I enjoy whatever this is so much that I choose to make it my career, it maybe that I don't like it and decide to make law my career. Whichever way it goes the whole process is bloody daunting at the moment.

Either way, these thoughts are for later. Right now, I have poured myself a large dram of my favourite malt and am contemplating a cigar. Now is a time for enjoying the relief of passing and maybe allowing myself to fee a tiny wee bit pleased with myself.

Sliante

JR