If a student from a say mid to lower tier law school LLB wanted a reasonable chance at having decent access to the legal proffession would an LLM from say Cambridge or the BCL from Oxford make up for the lack of a three LLB at any one of those institutions.

As i am sure many of you know, many firms and chambers seem to recruit almost exclusivley from oxbridge. But then having said that does a one year stint at oxbridge on a masters make up for 3 years undergrad?

Happy to hear your thoughts on this.

Hope this post makes sense.....hope to hear from you all soon....cheerio

if the student graduates with a first or among the top 10% of her LLB class, and then earns a distinction in the BCL, then that will more than compensate for her lack of an oxbridge BA. it will actually reflect her academic prowess and i believe will at the very least put her on par with a student who has a first in oxbridge BA. the standard of the BCL is almost unanimously regarded within and outside oxford as higher than that of an oxbridge BA. it is significantly more intellectually demanding.

i speak from personal experience as i did a mini-pupillage in a barristers chambers in london. the QCs whom i worked with all urged me to do the BCL. (i dont have an oxbridge BA but an LLB). moreover, the fact that many academics in oxford, barristers and QCs, judges and some of the current law lords, took the BCL conclusively proves the reputation of the BCL. also, you may know that there are a couple of leading QCs who dont have an oxbridge BA but who have the BCL. but i suspect the more important question you are asking is whether a BCL will help one to secure a pupillage in a barristers chambers or a magic circle law firm. i think, all factors being equal, getting a distinction, especially with prizes, will help tremendously.

thanks for the reply prii....i think your suspicions are well founded lol....what other good advice came from those QC's you pupilled with?

you may already know this but what i am going to say may be helpful to those who are contemplating to be barristers in the UK. based on my conversations with the barristers, if one doesnt have an oxbridge BA, and if one aims to be a barrister in a leading barristers chambers in london, then one has to get a distinction in the BCL. its virtually necessary. there are exceptions and departures to what i just said but they are rare. unfortunately, the barristers circle (especially in the leading chambers in london) remains extremely elitist. but if one already has a first in BA from oxbridge, then having a distinction in the BCL will distinguish you from the rest and give you the critical edge. but if your goal is to be an academic in a top tier university in the UK, then you should get a BCL and/or DPhil/PhD. but that's more flexible because publications count a lot as well (if not more). hope this helps.