I'm studying law at 2 Universities:in Poland its my last year.In July'07 I'll obtain Master degree;in Scotland- I'll obtain BA Hons (General Study Law)in July'07(its one year exchange).I would love to practise in IPR law in the UK, however I understand that 1 year in the UK isn't sufficient to acknowledge the common law. In this respect I applied for PgD programme to Edinburgh University. My application was rejected on the grounds that my Polish degree is not sufficient.May you tell me whether is there any point to try to do anything in the direction to do my career here or not, please? My plan was clear but not anymore. I don't know what to do. I sought for advice at my University at Abertay, and I was told that coming back to Poland would be the best solution.The best for who? The UK has highly, if not the highest approach on IPR, and for that reason I would love to do my PgD and start practising here. Thank you for any advice.

There are more than one good law universities in the UK. It might also depend on your grades. What class did you achieve for your BA (Hons)? If not so good, you may consider another master to improve your skills.

I'll obtain my BA in June and for sure award won't be lower than 2.2. In June I'll also obtain Polish MSc in Law and the final award will be high as well. My grades from previous years are not so bad as my home institution gave me the right to do 2 years in 1 because of my high level of grades. I applied for PhD to few Scottish universities and all of them refused and I don't really know why. After the rejection of my PhD application I applied for LLM in Innovation,Technology&Law(taught master degree)but its not what I wanted. My plan was to stay in the UK and practise law but now I don't think so it will work or I don't do right things. I don't know. I'm confused.

hi nefermj
perhaps the problem is exactly what your university said: your polish master doesn't qualify you for PhD study at a british (scottish) university. nor does the british bachelor. it is unfortunate, since in many cases, if they would look at the individual case, they would see that the education is adequate and comparable to a masters here. but they don't, they generalize. and you are stuck.
i guess if you really want to get that PhD, and in Britain, you have to go for a masters first. it's just one extra year. in the long run, considering you will have about 4 years for your PhD, does one extra year really matter so much?

Many thanks for replay. Like I said I've already applied for MSc as it seems to be the only way to access PhD programme. Maybe next year will be better.

nefermj - i think you're quite naive about the reality of the situation in the law market at the moment. for starters, it is only with a 2.1 that you can be considered for a masters degree in law in England, your masters grades have to be above 60% to be admitted to a law PhD, most good law schools pick students with above 65%. regarding practice, you have to do the legal practice course or a similar one, which takes another year and a minimum of a 2.1 unless the firm you are applying to has polish connections or sit the QLT exam which takes a few months, but you still need basic qualifications for entry into the legal profession.

even with all this stuff, your getting a job here to a great extent comes down to the interview - your communication skills etc. if i were you and i really wanted to practice here, i would ensure that i have get at least 65% at this Msc and try applying NOW - coz they recruit a year in advance - for training contracts unless you are doing the QLT. During that year, work on your communication skills. it's very important.

Thanks Jojo.

I know...it's not so easy to get into the law society. Everywhere is more or less the same. With regards to my grades I can assure you that they are above 2.1. The point is that I would love to practise in the UK. R u a layer or a law student? What do you think about my chances practising here?

Hi again.
I was talking with a few Scottish lawyers and they said that my plan is not so bad. I presume that it won't be so easy coz of language etc but I can work it out. Another thing is that I don't want to restrict myself to Scotland. There is so many issues within the EU which are going to be a problem just coz people r moving within Europe. All I want to do is to start in the UK. By the way, the basic Scottish law I'm going to do during this year.I know that it can sound a bit naive but I'll try.