Saratoga has this interesting tid-bit on their website: "Through our written contacts with ten American Bar Association accredited law schools located throughout the United States, our qualified J.D. graduates can continue on for a one year, ABA accredited law degree (LL.M) program which will allow them to take the Bar Exam in states which do not accept graduates with only a law degree from Saratoga University." How is this possible? And, from another posting it seems that the ABA does not accredit LL.M degrees. Is such a continuation for a LL.M possible at Taft and other DL law schools? ------------------ Howard Rodgers
The language is misleading. SOME states permit non-ABA JD holders, such as foreign law graduates, to take the Bar exam if they complete a certain number of law classes at an ABA approved school. These classes may add up to an LLM from a school whose JD program is ABA accredited. In other states, like New Mexico, NO ONE without an ABA JD may take the Bar unless they have practiced law in another jurisdiction for five years or so. A few states, like Montana, are even stricter, requiring an ABA JD no matter what. Don't do this unless you are SURE that the Bar examiners in the state or states where you intend to practice will accept the LLM approach. If you absolutely CANNOT do it any other way, you might look into getting an external LLB from the University of London and then gaining admission to an ABA approved school at the LLM level. Nosborne
Thanks, Nosborne, any thoughts on which school to choose for the LLM approach. The University of London looks great. ------------------ Howard Rodgers
We cover this exact situation in some detail in the Law Schools section of Bears' Guide. Here are six factors to think about. 1. Saratoga has not been willing to say which schools they have this agreement with. 2. Saratoga has had so few (single digit) passes on the Baby Bar and none, I believe, yet on the main bar, so there is probably no one who has used this strategy. 3. British-American University makes the identical claims. Their founder, when I talked to him a couple of years ago, said he had the idea first, and he had visited ever LL.M. granting school in the US in pursuit of this strategy. But he, too, declined to say which ones. 4. It seems odd that no Saratoga or British-American student has revealed any of the names. Perhaps students sign an agreement not to. 5. I believe the only distance LL.M. is through Regent University. But I don't know if they would accept a California-approved, non-AMA J.D. degree. 6. The founder of British-American said that it was his understanding that a person with a non-ABA J.D. and an ABA LL.M. could take the Bar Exam in most states. I believe 49 of 50 was his number, but not certain. John Bear www.degree.net
If you are considering the U of L LLB then ABA LLM approach, visit www.malet.com for more info and maybe even a chance to talk to someone who seems to have done this. I think he got admitted to the California Bar this way. The U of L recommends this site for prospective American students. Widner University advertises its LLM on the site. Nosborne
