Propping the bar up

So. Ive got my 2.1 and a place on the BVC. Now comes the hard part! Getting through the BVC while searching for that elusive pupillage will be no mean feat so Ill leave you to come to your own conclusions about my sanity. Im aiming to be the Carrie Bradshaw of the lawyer world, answering the tricky questions and focusing on dilemmas and experiences during my life on the BVC. My blog will be completely honest and not sugar coated.

I found theres shed loads of info available for students embarking on the LPC. The BVC, however, is still arguably a bit of a mystery, and for this reason I dont quite know what to expect. My blog will uncover what its really like and hopefully will show that it IS possible to get through the BVC and land yourself a pupillage (*fingers crossed*). Either that or Im going to find myself being sued for libel by BPP after a year of ranting about all things BVC related.

A career at the bar is why I chose to study law at university, and is a long-lived aspiration. Ive always furrowed my own path so it wasnt in my nature to follow the masses onto the LPC. Indeed I cant think of another career that would suit me more than being paid to argue! After my first experience of a mini-pupillage at the tender brace-wearing age of 17 Ive been inspired. Im unapologetically drawn to the old-fashioned, slightly eccentric nature of the profession and the glamour of wearing the wig! I enjoy the butterflies that I get when I moot. The drama that court offers cant be matched, and barristers are never short of dramatic stories to tell.

The winning! Now those of you out there who are as competitive as me will know that its not the taking part that counts, and I want a job that will give me the thrill of the win which makes working hard worthwhile. A barrister once told me that he loves his job because You eat what you kill. I like the thought of being independent and relying on myself for my success.

Talk of the erosion of the bar is off-putting for many who consider the bar. However, they have been saying this for years but the bar still exists, and I believe will remain to do so for the foreseeable future. The GPs of the legal profession will never trump the surgeons, and therell always be a need for specialists. The success statistics are also stacked against me, and theres the fear that I could get in to debt and not get a pupillage. However, the fear of looking back in years to come and wishing that I had had the balls to try far outweighs this.

Im looking forward to the suitcase full of books on my first day at BPP. Despite paying 13k in fees I seem to think of the books as being free, and Ive fooled myself that Im getting a bargain! Hopefully the course will involve more interactive teaching methodsno more falling asleep in lectures for me. Ive been told that within the first 30 seconds of listening to the other BVC students Ill know who will succeed.I had better plan how I am going to fill my first 30 seconds! Im excited that Im gradually getting closer to wearing the wig, and hopefully Ill enjoy the next leg of what has so far been a very enjoyable journey.

Mood: At the moment I am feeling excited and positive.

Quote of the month: Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals, Sydney Smith