Ive done this course, back when the exams counted for 100% of your marks!!!
i hear they have changed it this year to make the assignment 50% and exam 50%.
here is what i think other people's perceptions are:
-ppl that know what the LPAB actually is, think its tougher than uni.
-younger people from prestigous law courses will tend to look down on the lpab, because its a diploma.
-people will "baulk" at the high fail rates. but keep entrants are usually not as high a caliber as the prestigous law courses such as the 99.6 at usyd.
here is my perception:
i never studied law at uni, so cant compare directly but i have studied other degrees, and found the dip law "easier" than medicine and actuarial studies, which i'm quite struggling with at the moment.
- i note that my uni law friends had alot of home work every week, and teachers whip your ass if you dont do assignments. with the lpab, there is only 1 or 2 assignments, so when theres no assignments , you have to get your act together. no one is there to whip your ass. because of this, you end up a more motivated individual than an average uni graduate of law.
-after a few years working, no one really cares what degree you came from, so it can end up as a cost effective way to a lucrative career. i worked as a paralegal at mccllelands lawyers, and the boss was a dip law graduate, with 16 lawyers under him and a 500k car. cant be doing too badly. even tho its theoretically possible, I do not know 1 doctor that drives a 500k car.
a bad thing may be that its harder to get your foot in the door right from the begginning into a top tier firm. but after a few years experience, still possible.
- to transfer to another uni mid way, only UNE accepts the hardship you have suffered. usyd and others just fobb you off. but UNE is going through financial hardship so this may change.
all up, i would highly recommend it!