Study Law but not a JD

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by andyhutch, May 31, 2005.

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  1. andyhutch

    andyhutch New Member

    I'd like to study law but have no intention of becoming a lawyer. What options do I have? It would be nice if the qualification was at the masters level and RA. I'm not interested in BSL offerings from the California online law schools.

    thanks
     
  2. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    I've heard and read acceptable things about the following schools. I have no first-hand knowledge.

    LA Mission College has an AA degree in Paralegal Studies.

    http://www.lamission.edu/law/

    Kaplan has a BS program in Paralegal Studies.

    http://www.kaplan.edu/ku/kuprograms/default.aspx?ID=School

    California University of Pennsylvania has a great MA program in

    Legal Studies. http://www.cup.edu/
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    There is also the option of the non-bar JD. On the other hand, as DesElms points out in a previous thread, one might as well go for the bar-qualifying JD, as that would allow one the choice of not taking the bar immediately upon graduation if one still didn't want to practice upon completing the degree, but would also allow said individual to take the bar later if he/she ever decided to change his/her mind about practicing law.
     
  4. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    For on line or D/L study where practice isn't an issue, you might consider the University of London's reworked LL.M.

    www.londonexternal.ac.uk

    I am in the old LL.M. program and it is TOUGH. Really, really tough. However, the new program, in addition to being hugely more expensive, has a couple of big advantages:

    -You don't need a first degree in law to get admitted.

    -You are examined in a much more piecemeal fashion than the old program. I have to write final exam papers in two subjects in August. That is the minimum effort allowed.

    Under the new system, each subject is subdivided into four units. You can be examined in as little as a single unit if you wish and exams are held twice each year.

    Right now, being examined in bite-sized pieces looks awfully damned attractive to ME, anyway. My exams amount to EIGHT units and I must pass them ALL AT ONCE. Truthfully, I wouldn't bet money on my chances of passing this time.

    The last advantage is that the student received a Graduate Certificate after five units, a Graduate Diploma after twelve units (I think it is) and the LL.M. after sixteen units. It isn't all or nothing.

    I am seriously considering paying the additional fees but it would be a significant sum, more, maybe, than I can reasonably justify.
     
  5. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    Other then lots of extra info to fill the brain, impressing coworkers at the water cooler, and a quirky entry on your resume/C.V., how would a LL.M. benefit somebody who is not a lawyer?
     
  6. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Why, you can become the Director of the Law Program at an unaccredited school in Switzerland, of course.

    (for the newbies, that's an old a.e.d. joke)
     
  7. DesElms

    DesElms New Member

    I agree with the point that airtorn makes with his question about the usefulness of an LLM if one is not an attorney. That said, an LLM wouldn't necessarily be inappropriate, either.

    But I'll tell ya'... you may not realize it, but, in my opinion, buried in jayncali73's advice was probably the hottest little distance learning masters degree in law/legal studies out there: California University of Pennsylvania's (CUP) Master of Arts in Legal Studies: Law and Public Policy degree. For someone wanting a more generalized program of legal study at the masters level which will not qualify one to take the bar or to practice, but provides the kind of legal education that's almost as good, this program is it. I've looked long and hard at it and I'm tellin' ya', it's hot! Just look at these objectives and the course descriptions. It's a web-based, cohort-based (with cohorts being 30 to 35 students, and cohorts starting three times yearly in January, May and August), 100% distance, fully asynchronous, 36- or 37-hour program; and it's regionally-accredited, to boot. An accredited bachelors with a 3.0 GPA (and no GMAT or GRE) is all that's required for admission. No thesis is required (though one is offered as an elective). And, finally, the cost: Around $10,000 for the whole enchilada (neither expensive nor cheap), plus around $200 to $300 per semester for books.

    There are other non-bar-qualifying legal studies masters programs out there (but many of them with industry-specific concentrations like, for example, "Healthcare Law" or "Insurance Law" and that sort of thing -- some via distance, and some not -- but this CUP program is like no other I've seen. It's a particular favorite of mine; and based on your thread-starting post, I have a feeling it's precisely what you're looking for. I could be wrong, of course... but I'm thinking it's right on the mark.

    If you're interested in international programs (some distance, some not), this link might be helpful.
     
  8. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    DesElms:

    That IS a sweet little program. And, though not exactly cheap, it is much less expensive than the new London program.

    If I were a non lawyer looking for SOME legal training at a more-or-less professional level, I'd consider this little beauty VERY CAREFULLY.

    airtorn:

    The LL.M. typically does one or more of three things:

    -qualify an experienced foreign attorney to advise his clients in American law (or vice versa)

    -qualify a law graduate to teach law at the University level (everywhere but the U.S. which has no such requirement)

    -allow an attorney or law graduate to acquire basic knowledge in a new specialty fairly rapidly.

    I imagine that it would qualify the non lawyers holder to teach law related subjects at the University level though I've never heard of such a thing.
     
  9. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    You know, andyhutch, the problem with studying law with no intention of becoming a lawyer is, if your desire changes, all that time and expense goes for nothing.

    You MIGHT consider doing just the first year of a Bar qualifying program at, say, Taft or NWCU then passing the Baby Bar. It's not a degree, but it surely is solid evidence that you have a professional grade understanding of three fundamental legal subjects: Torts, contracts, and criminal law.

    Then, if you DO get all excited after all, you can finish a Bar qualifying degree without having lost any time or money.
     
  10. agilham

    agilham New Member

    Eh? Total LLM fees for the new regime is £6040, which is a smidgeon under $11,000 at current exchange rates.

    Compared to the fees for the LLM at LSE that's an amazing bargain. Given that UCL (one of the co-sponsors of the new programme) charges £11,750 for foreign students, the external LLM is still great value for money.

    Angela
     
  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Did you read that, given the fact that I have yet to satisfy my tutor with an essay answer, I'm thinking of switching to the new LL.M. program? Maybe I can do a bit better in bite sized pieces!

    I was assuming that the dollar would continue its slide into lirahood.
     
  12. agilham

    agilham New Member

    I heard that one loud and clear down in your LLM update thread.

    Nothing wrong with the lira. It's currently at 2.48 to the pound, so you've only got a little way to go ;-)

    Compared to a guy I once knew who went off from LA to Edinburgh for three years to do his PhD with the dollar at 1.08 to the pound and it promptly bombed down to 1.70, you're doing fine.

    Angela
     
  13. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Didn't I see a post about the College of the Humanities and Sciences offering the Masters in Jurisprudence?
     
  14. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Actually, God bless her, my tutor DID say, "Now, you musn't get discouraged"!

    She's really very good. I'm just having a bit of difficulty adjusting to a very different set of expectations.
     
  15. andyhutch

    andyhutch New Member

    thanks for all the great info
     

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