Is there yet a LL.M. Law School Not requirung JD

I know John Bear has addressed at one time this subject of obtaining a LL.M. without having a JD and that at the time he knew of no ABA accredited schools doing so. Any new information on this front?

 

St. Thomas' tax LLM takes people with just a bachelor's if they meet certain criteria (financial planner or tax specialist) and is an online program. But having an LLM alone may not permit you to take your state's bar - check with your state's bar first.

http://www.stu.edu/lawschool/fsllm.htm

 

For a while there appeared to be a teenie, tiny handful of states that were allowing LLM degree-holders who didn't also have a JD to sit for their Bar exams. However, the ABA is very clear to point out that that has always been a mistake borne, in largest measure, out of the acknowledgement that a JD, though it be called "Juris Doctor," is actually an academically lower-level degree than an LLM (which is masters level); and, therefore, the LLM being a higher-level degree, logic dictated that one who had it must be even more qualified than a JD holder. Believe it or not, a few state committees of bar examiners made that mistake and allowed LLM holders to sit for their Bar exams. Most of those states have since realized that mistake and have stopped allowing anyone who doesn't hold at least a JD to qualify.

From the ABA web site:

The American Bar Association’s approval of a law school extends only to the first professional degree in law (J.D.) offered by a law school. ABA approval of a school’s J.D. program provides bar admission authorities, students and the public assurance that the law school’s J.D. program meets the Standards established by the ABA and that graduates of the school have completed an educational program that prepares them for admission to the bar and to participate effectively and responsibly in the legal profession.

ABA approval does not extend to any program supporting any other degree granted by the law school. Rather the content and requirements of those degrees, such as an LL.M., are created by the law school itself and do not reflect any judgment by the ABA regarding the quality of the program. Moreover, admission requirements for such programs vary from school to school, and are not evaluated through the ABA accreditation process. The ABA Accreditation process does not evaluate in any way whether a school’s post-J.D. degree program ensures that students in the program gain the basic knowledge and skills necessary to prepare the student adequately for the practice of law. It is the long-standing position of the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar that no graduate degree is or should be a substitute for the J.D., and that a graduate degree should not be considered the equivalent of the J.D. for bar admission purposes.

 

I think the University of Strathclyde offers an online LL.M. in Internet law, and one former AED regular was able to get into that program without a law degree. I also vaguely recall someone telling me that the University of South Africa's LL.M. programs are open to people who hold bachelor's degrees in somewhat related areas (e.g. perhaps a philosophy degree for the LL.M. in philosophy of law).


Cheers,

 

In some cases, the non-JD holder earns a different degree title, though the program is similar or identical. For instance, a non JD at Denver University earns a Master of Taxation degree while the JD earns the LL.M. in Taxation.