Editing my comment cause I didn‘t read your post fully.
I think the answer is tricky, generally for people who have the grades fall back on something else: application writing, work experience writing, test performance, networking with law firm.
Even if you did not make it past HSF, I feel like you should have made it past the application round once, if you applied to at least 10-12 law firms with
good quality applications. What I am thinking is maybe for other law firms (outside of HSF) you need to improve somewhere outside of grades?
I did graduate from mid tier russell group uni, people who made it to MC and US firms did get a first class law degree. But then again, Jones Day I think is okay with people applying as long as they have 68 overall? So you need to attend events and talk with grad rec to see whether your grades are ok or not. Some US firms do have trainees that did not get a 1st, but you have to go ask grad rec directly.
Silver Circle firms do want high 2:1s so grades wise you would be fine at the initial stage. Only thing is I have noticed
some people with first class degrees (Oxbridge/UCL/LSE/Kings/Warwick) do tend to have multiple offers from: US, MC and SC firms. So in AC, these would be your competition, it wouldn’t mean SC law firms are less competitive per se but more that the law firms is okay with your grades, if that makes sense? So at AC you will need to do exceptionally well.
You can apply to firms outside of MC, SC and US firms too btw. Some NQ at Shoosmiths at one grad event said they rejected a US firm offer as they did not culturally fit with the US firm. So you do have more options outside US, MC and SC, like Mischon de Reya ,
Stephenson Harwood etc
General advice, I would go on LinkedIn and reach out to uni alumni with your current grades/background. Also try and get on law society committee this year or next year, it will help you massively to network with grad rec on a deeper level. Getting a mentor would be good as well, mentors as they are already trainees have networked with other law firms too, they know which law firms are more fixated on grades etc. Reach out to your uni careers service as well.
Alternatively, you can fully aim for getting a 1st class degree next year, but as you wont have time to fully apply for law firms, you will need to have great experience: customer service experience, law experience (mooting, negotiation workshops etc), teamwork experience (sports etc). I would also apply for banking and finance internships, if you don’t have a vac scheme you can say at least you made yourself more commercially aware through working in corporate.
