Ok, not to beat a dead horse or cow or dog or whatever you fancy, but with all this jumping back and forth about the LLB v. the JD, no-one really seems to have considered both. The LLB (preferrably, by public opinion at UoL) teaches some critical thinking skills that we lack here in the US along with a special type of dedication required to get through it. However, it has little utility in the US as far as actual practice goes. On the flip side, the JD is what gives us here the tool to enter the workforce, but lacks the appeal of the LLB. So why not do both? Not at the same time, but rather do the LLB and THEN the JD. From my research, the LLB is a fully accredited bachelor's; therefore it will grant you access to an American ABA law school. So get the LLB then apply for admission to an American school and obtain the JD. Best of both worlds. Of course, this will probably work easier on young people who have plenty of time on their hands and have not already gone through several years of school. But I would still argue this as a viable alternative. Etienne
FWIW, I think you would do better as a person, and later as an attorney, with a well-rounded liberal arts BA. Get exposed to many fields as an undergraduate rather than be focused on the law. As many have pointed out, a high percentage of JD's burn-out in the law. It's good to have the intelectual underpinings of a "life" to fall back on in that event.
The must be few people who are actually "alive" in England then. Tertiary studies are usually very specialised. All medicine, or all law, or all engineering, or all economics or all history (although it could be a combination of two related disciplines). Does someone who only reads mathematics have the intelectual underpinnings of a "life"? What about one studies Latin or Ancient Greek exclusively?
<<Ok, not to beat a dead horse or cow or dog or whatever you fancy, but with all this jumping back and forth about the LLB v. the JD, no-one really seems to have considered both.>> One reason is that they're essentially the same. The JD is the first professional degree in law in the US and some other countries, while it's the LLB for the rest of the world; therefore doing both would be redundant and a waste of time and money. American law schools' answer to the dilemma is the LLM, which is intended primarily for those who earned their law degrees outside the United States.
Does anyone know which states in the U.S. allow one to sit for the bar with a foreign LLB, such as one from U of London, if they also have an LLM from an ABA school? I've heard California allows this.
A few states permit this. Go to the section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar at www.abanet.org for a list. BEWARE! The list greatly oversimplifies the requirements! There are a couple of joint J.D./LL.B. programs out there; Univertisy of Toronto? has one with an AMerican law school (I think)...Cambridge University has an arrangement with an American school... Nothing D/L. The most interesting dual professional degree program would be at Lousiana State University where ALL law students spend seven (vice the usual six) full time semesters in residence and receive a J.D. and a B.C.L. There are a handful of Canadian schools that so this as well.
Both KCL and UCL have a joint LLB/JD with Columbia, but only a couple of students each year (as far as I recall it's competitive entry based on second year results) get to go to NYC for two years. It does still mean, though, that somebody from the UK could be getting a Columbia JD at the age of 22. Angela
A J.D. at twenty two MIGHT present an odd problem with the Bar exam in several states such as California or Kansas. These states have specific pre law undergraduate education requirements that such a hairless youth might not be able to meet. Oh, well, New York and New Mexico would be happy with it so who else IS there??
That depends on their views on the LLB. After all, to get into the JD part of the programme, you have to have completed two years of study, so that should get around the California requirements. Whether the LLB would be accepted as a Bachelor's degree (especially as it's awarded at exactly the same time as the JD) is an, um, interesting question. Meeeoooowwww ;-) Having said which, I rather suspect that New York is where such high-fliers have a tendency to end up. Angela
I have a 4 year distance learning LLB, and I have been accepted as an upper year students into the JD program at University of Toronto. So if I go for it in 2 years I will have a Canadian law degree and can take the bar exam in Canada. Plus I didn’t have to writ the LSAT, which is another bonus.
University of Toronto dose not have a joint LLB/JD program. They just have a Canadian JD. The joint programs in Canada, where you can earn both a Canadian and a US law degree are: University of Ottawa & Michigan State University University of Ottawa & American University Osgoode Hall Law School & New York University University of Windsor & University of Detroit Mercy
I've actually been considering the LLB and JD combo. I'm an evening student right now at Georgetown--in the middle of my second semester of 1E. I thought the Air Force was going to allow me to stay in the area for 3 more years and finish, but that's been nixed. I have to move this summer, and will come back to D.C. three years from now and finish (cross my fingers). Georgetown has a 6 year limit on finishing, but will provide a waiver if you have military orders shipping you out. I don't want my legal analytical skills to waste away from not touching the stuff for 3 years, and have really been thinking about getting the LLB from London (Graduate Route) to fill the gap. We'll see--still haven't made a decision yet. Todd
Oh, that IS crummy luck. Another option, if you get to finish your first year at G'town would be to swallow hard and do three years of California D/L law. Your G'town year will exempt you from the FYLEX and your eventual membership in the CA Bar might count for as much as HALF of an ABA J.D. Just a thought. Good luck!
I've definitely thought about the CA D/L route....Northwestern Cal specifically. By membership in the bar counting for half a JD, are you referring to G'town maybe giving me further advanced standing when I come back? So I don't have to go the full last 3 years (and pay it to boot!).
