Exiting IT for a Legal Career

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by sentinel, Jan 6, 2009.

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  1. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    I have finally made the decision to leave a two-decade career in information technology to pursue other interests. Many of the transferable skills will undoubtedly be of great benefit as I embark upon the preparatory steps towards a new career. With any luck my recently acquired digital forensics skills will come into play at some point in the future. A journey of any consequence always begins with that at important first step.
     
  2. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Are you going to be a Lawyer? I plan to attend Law School after earning my Master degree. I want to do Technology Law, but not sure which Law school accept me. Can you sit for the Bar exam with University of London's Bachelor of Law?
     
  3. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Yes, eventually I intend to practice law probably as a sole practitioner or as part of a specialized practice in technology law or involving digital forensics.

    There are a few graduate (masters level) degrees I want to earn that would complement a legal practice.

    The University of London LLB transcript must be evaluated by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) in Canada and they solely determine whether the applicant meets their somewhat byzantine standards. Afterwards, it is necessary to obtain an articling position and write the appropriate examination depending on the jurisdiction of intended practice. Hopefully, by working in a law office as a clerk I will stand a better chance of obtaining an articling position in house as such positions are highly competitive even for on-campus law schools in Canada.

    By the way, UNISA has an LLM with a specialization in Technology Law. However, I recall an LLB/JD being required for admission to the LLM.

    There is a thread on this forum regarding a student who successfully passed the bar exam in MA and was allowed to practice on the basis of a distance education law degree and his outstanding academic performance. New York State is also a bit more enlightened about foreign-earned law degrees and candidates can apply to write the state bar examination. If you are going for an on-campus law degree you probably want to aim for a Tier 1 school to increase employment prospects unless you intend to run your own law firm. The LSAT bibles are the best way to prepare for the LSAT examination.
     
  4. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    Indeed. LSAT books from PowerScore are supposed to be great. I just received the Logic Games Bible last week and just began reading another Logical thinking book to better prep for the LSAT (hope to sit for it either in June or, more likely, October of '09).

    There are excellent LLMs out there which you can attain w/o an LLB. Northumbria University and Queen Mary offer distance LLMs with QM's LLM in LLM in Computer and Communications Law really stirring my interests. I have 11 months left before my degree at FHSU is done, so I have some time to think about it, but if I were a betting man....
     
  5. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Queen Mary's LLM seems to be attractive. Especially, the degree from University of London.
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I just want to say that while I know that lawyers take a lot of flak about their profession, I think that studying the law is very cool and I hope it goes well for you.
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    This is a long way. My wife recently moved into that direction but thought that a law degree was way too long for a middle age person. You are looking at 3 years full time study plus two years legal experience before becoming a lawyer without taking into consideration the bar exam. She decided to go for an Immigration Consultant certificate that is also in law but concentrated only in Immigration.

    Although there is a lot of media focus on digital forensics, most of the work in this field is not really in law firms but insurance fraud and accounting firms. An accounting degree might be faster to get a more suitable for a forensics career rather than a law degree, most companies hire forensics specialists for fraud investigation rather than criminal.

    Just a thought.
     
  8. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    I have no illusions the road ahead will be without its challenges. I have identified a few graduate degrees which combine law and forensics from either an investigative or legal perspective.

    I wish your wife good fortune and happiness in her new career as an immigration consultant. It is not just lawyers who have a bad rep among some members of society.

    My interests overlap the criminal and civil litigation areas where digital forensics and e-discovery come into play. I am also seeking a new career that allows me to be self-employed because I have learned that after many years as an professional IT consultant, not merely in title, I cannot adjust to the lower mental state required of an employee. I have tried a couple times. No offense to all those who were perhaps smart enough to successfully stay an employee and not venture into the dark world of consulting. :D

    The transition via law clerk training is meant as a backup plan as well as a means to acclimate myself with the legal world and hopefully provide further insight into the work law firms typically carry out on a day-to-day basis. I have no illusions about an easy road ahead to become a lawyer.

    The area of fraud investigation and prosecution is not out of the question by any means.

    I expect to live to at least 80 years old so I am barely at the 50% milestone yet. Worst case scenario, I decide not to practice law and take the UoL LLB, instead of on-campus, to complement investigations into fraud, e-discovery, digital forensics, money laundering etc.

    Realistically, I have not even thought about whether I want to sit at the prosecution or defense side of the table. That decision is quite a ways off and not necessarily in my hands.
     
  9. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

    I respectfully disagree with a few points. While private sector forensics tends to deal with some insurance fraud there is a great demand for forensics in the civil law field. Mainly you get cases dealing with divorces but I have seen these requests jump by leaps and bounds in the last few years. I also disagree that there isn't a demand for forensic specialists in the criminal realm. Most state Attorney General's offices have a high tech crime unit and within that unit are trained forensic examiners. I also see lots of local agencies starting their own high tech units and they also employ forensic examiners. This field is broad and spans from e-discovery, data recovery, all the way to child pornography. Of course there are limitations but this is one of the fastest growing fields right now. I truly believe that the demand for forensic examiners in both the private sector and government will grow and continue to do so as people find out our capabilities.

    Oh and good luck Sentinel! Did you get my PM? Let me know if you want that pdf. ;)
     
  10. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

     
  11. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

     
  12. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Are you implying we IT folk are generally dim-witted and unsuited for law schools?
     
  13. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

    Not at all. I was merely saying that someone that is a LEO should know the processes of criminal law which is where someone in IT would lack. By no means am I suggesting that it can't be done. My buddy is probably the geekiest guy I know and he did great. I only meant that LEO's would have a leg up in criminal law. This was a comparison of LEO's and IT specific jobs and not meant as a general guideline for people trying to enter law school. ;)
     
  14. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Not problem. I was pulling your leg.
     
  15. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    ...though that would be the only aspect of law school in which a LEO would have an advantage...
     
  16. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    I read that the University of London Bachelor of Laws degree combined with an ABA-approved LLM, from a US law school, enables one to qualify to write the bar exam for various states. You would have to verify which states allow this option. I think I recall NYS being friendly to foreign-earned LLBs; alot of Canadians with an LLB from a Canadian law school head to Wall Street.
     
  17. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Well I am still pondering whether I want to practice forensics and have a law degree for the legal knowledge OR practice law and specialize in cases involving forensic evidence, specifically digital forensic evidence. I am leaning towards the practise of law but would like to keep my options open. The University of London LLB is good law school preparation at a reasonable monetary cost (approximately CAD8000.00) should I later decide to avoid the NCA process and attend on-campus law school in Canada.

    In any event, a law degree will not hurt me unless merely possessing a law degree transforms me into a monster. Hmmm... No water and no food after midnight for law students. (reference to the movie "The Gremlins")
     
  18. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    The Masters in Forensic Accounting offered by Florida Atlantic University has been added to my list of future potential educational pursuits.
     
  19. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    If anyone can do it, it you Sentinel. I have known you to be a genius, and I don't use that term very often. Not only that, you are a good guy. I wish you the best in everything you do.

    Abner
     
  20. mateo

    mateo New Member

    What is the process, if any, to make an LLM from the U. of London or Northumbria recognized in the US?
    I checked the CHEA Database of Institutions Accredited by Recognized US Accrediting Organizations and none of them appear.
    Has anyone earned an LLM by distance after a JD in the US?
    If so, has it increased your employment options-whether in academia or in actual practice?
    Thanks in advance.
     

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