Law in England?

Question

I want to study law in England. I am from the Caribbean. Which subjects do you reccommend i take at A-levels. Top 3 choices..

Answer 1

History, English and Sociology. I like the suggestion to take Psychology, but you need to take into account where are you going to practice after you graduate. In the UK there isn't so much need to perform before a jury and the acting in the courtroom does not bring as much to the table as it does in the US.

Answer 2

I'm not British, but I have studied law in both the UK and USA.  In the States, they generally recommend have a strong background in English and then a well-rounded education.  Friends of mine in the UK who studied law generally studied Politics and history and the like at A-level.  Hope this helps.  I am sure there are plenty of Brits on this board who could advise you better.

Answer 3

Well I'm an English lawyer so I can probably help!  I'd recommend that you stick to academic based subjects and steer away from these 'newer' A-levels such as media studies and psychology as not only will they not give you skills that are particularly relevant for law, but they aren't looked on particularly favourably by good universities and law schools.  

I'd say try and do some essay-based subjects such as history, English or politics as these will help develop your analytic and written communication skills.  Languages are also good as it's becoming increasingly relevant for lawyers to be able to speak more than one language.  I took history, English and German and they helped a lot!

Answer 4

I am currently in my 3rd year year of Law School in the States after moving from the U.K. and as the others have said, try to take courses in essay-based subjects which will test and improve both your critical and analytical skills. I would also try for a communications course such as public speaking with an emphasis on speech delivery, preperation, organization, support and auidence analysis.

Stay away from the *newer* A-levels such as media studies. I would also avoid taking anything law or criminal justice related because most of these classes at A-level standard are not taught by people who work or have worked in this field, furthermore good law schools tend to frown upon these courses as the information learned is not always correct and they want law students to come to class with a clear head so they do not have to knock down the walls which have been built by these courses.

As for specific subjects, I would choose the following: History, Politics, English, Sociology together with some form of public speaking course.

Despite what the person above me wrote, I would also add Psychology to the list of subjects to take. You will find that in todays society more and more people are choosing Psychology in many areas of employment, such as business, medical, sports an law. Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. It is about the learning of perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships.

In addition it also tries to understand the role that all of the above play in social behavior and in social dynamics, while incorporating the underlying physiological and neurological processes into its conceptions of mental functioning.

Psychology also includes many sub-fields of study and application concerned with such areas as human development, sports, health, industry, media, law, and transpersonal psychology.

Psychology is also a great method to improve both your critical thinking and analyitical skills.

Personally my choices would be: History, Politics, English and Psychology combined with a public speaking course.