University of London LL.B Advice Please

Hello there, I am very interested in pursuing a law degree form the University of London. I bought the Bears' Guide book and read the law school section thoroughly.

My goal is to become a practicing attorney and live in California.
I hold a B.A in Legal Studies from the University of California at Berkeley.

Nosborne, a user on this board, said that it was possible to receive the LL.B in 2 years from the University of London provided that you had a B.A from a RA school. Is this possible?

In the Bears' Guide it states that there are 6 states which allow foreign law graduates to petition to practice law without taking the bar exam. There are also 23 states which may allow foreign law graduates to practice law after passing the bar exam, including California.

Should I go ahead and pursue this course of study?

I am just a little unsure of my choice at this stage. I could use a little help from all you experienced people out there.

Thanks

 

meraaraj,

Is there something preventing you from attending a law school in the U.S.?

James

 

I am at the present time recovering from cancer so it is a little hard for me to think about traveling to and from school everyday.
The reason why I didn't like the 'california coreespondance schools' was due to the fact that their pass rates for the baby bar and actual bar are quite unimpressive.

Upon questionoing over 150 law firms in California not one company said that they would hire a graduate from any of these schools. They basically laughed at all the schools and said they were a joke. This made me feel quite inadequate.

This is why I am enquiring about the LL.B from the University of London.

Any help from anyone, I would very much appreciate it.

 

I now see why you were interested in the London program. I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

I was wondering why someone with a Berkeley degree would not just attend a U.S. school since he would surely be accepted by, at a minimum, a few law schools. Its just that when you attend a foreign law school, it unnecessary complicates matters.

I'm sorry I cannot help you, other than point you to a website that contains links to DL Law programs, including the London one. It even has a link to an individual describing her experience with the London LL.B:

http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/dllaw.html

You may also want to read the thread on this board that discussed the London program in some detail:

http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1477&highlight=London+LL.B

James

 

meraaraj,

I was thinking about what I might do if I were in your situation. Perhaps you might consider getting an MBA from a DL school. Because there is no professional governing body for MBAs (unlike for law or medical school graduates), there are many schools that offer DL MBAs that are not a "joke". Then, when you are well again, you can attend a U.S. law school and avoid the unpleasant after effects of having a foreign law degree. Since you have a BA in Legal Studies, I would think that an MBA might help you broaden your knowledge of the legal/business world, which will later be helpful in your legal career (not to mention in getting a job with a law firm). I know that the better, larger law firms in the U.S. certainly look favorably upon those who hold an MBA in addition to a law degree.

Good luck.

James

 

Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it. It would be nice to hear other peoples ideas too (hint, hint)

 

Meraaraj,

James' suggestion is a sound one. I know that this isn't a DL solution however another possibility is to look at schools near you that have joint MBA/JD programs. These schools generally have a more flexible scheduling of classes with more night classes. If in your instance this is impossible and wish to continue with a foreign DL degree you should look at WWW.calbar.org/admissions. Get in touch with a real contact person and explain your situation.

Good Luck,

Warren

 

Meraaraj,

I don't think any informed person would consider the London LL.B. a "joke." Check carefully with the California bar authority to see if they would allow you to take the bar exam (if required) and practice with the external LL.B. from London. If they say it would be acceptable, get it in writing. You should also check the requirements of other states where you might be interested in practicing some day.

James had a good suggestion about using a DL MBA as an intermediate degree between your BA and a residential JD. You could take a similar approach with the LL.B. In the event that the London LL.B. ends up not being acceptable to the bar authority in the state where you want to practice, you would still have a well-regarded law credential. What you would learn about the law would surely help you get through a residential JD program at an ABA-approved school more easily, if you choose to do that once you are feeling better.

Good luck,

Alex

Disclaimer: I am studying for an external M.Sc. at the University of London.

 

Meraaraj,

The URL as I posted is incorrect and will not work with the period on the end. The corrected one is: WWW.calbar.org/admissions

Sorry about that,
Warren

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I appreciate all your comments. Anybody know any well-respected MBA programs offered via distance learning? Thanks.

 

meraaraj,

If you perform a search on this board, I believe you will be able to find that the topic of "well-respected MBA programs offered via distance learning" has been covered fairly well.

If you are looking from the BW or USN&WR "Top 20 MBA programs" point of view, check out the DL programs at Duke and Indiana. The Duke program is expensive, however, and I believe you need managerial experience. Both Duke and Indiana require some residence periods, to the best of my recollection. Another option if you want to stay in the "top school" category is the MA in Management at Rensselaer. There are many other options if you don't mind leaving the Top 20 or 25. Schools such as the University of Florida, the University of Texas system, University of Michigan-Dearborn and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater may suit your needs. Some may require short residence periods, however.

If you are interested in UK schools, the University of London has an MBA in International Management. Heriot-Watt, the University of Warwick, and the University of Leicester also have DL MBA programs. I don't believe any residence period is necessary at these schools.

You might want to look at:
http://www.gradschools.com/listings/distance/bus_admin_distance.html

This site contains most of the U.S.-based MBA DL programs.

James
B.A., J.D. (both non-DL programs)

 

There's a fellow who contributes to a UofL student web site, www.malet.com, who says that he completed the External LLB and was admitted to the California bar on that basis.
Malet.com is a good source of info in general. UofL actually mentions the site in their degree prospectus.
There might be one concern; CA wants at leats two years pre law study followed by four years of law study for correspondence students. I don't know if this applies to LLB students.
Nosborne

 

I just finished reading CA Business and Professional Code section 6060, which seems to be the underlying law governing admission to the CA bar.

http://www.calbar.org/pub250/b/s0080-a.htm

After addressing graduates of full and part-time ABA programs, it offers some alternative tracks. Besides apprenticing with an attorney or a judge, they include non-ABA law schools in two categories, classroom and "correspondence".

As I read it, it seems to exclude all correspondence law programs not authorized or approved by the State of California.

The relevant text is:

 

And, make sure that the person who you had put this in writing has authority to speak for the Bar on such issues. The paper will be useless if you get a "the person who signed this letter was not authorized to sign such a letter, therefore it is worthless" type of response.

Christian

 

Thanks for all the replies people. I guess it will take me a few weeks to explore my options. I'm pretty confused at this stage. I contacted the California bar and nobody returned my call yet.

 

I looked up the address for the Bar and was surprised to learn it is literally a few blocks from my house. I'm going to wander over there and see what they have to offer.

Christian

 

Every lawyer should have a bar near his house, and bar in his house to top up when he gets home, if he ever does...

An LLB from London - how can you effectively learn to be a lawyer from a set of books? Get a real degree the normal way if you are doing law. I wouldn't employ a London LLB - I would want real hands on experience during the learning process - true collegiality and interaction. THAT is the one drawback with DE education ... no personal interaction, no defence before your peers, no collegiality, and for goodness sakes, how could you learn to drink like a real lawyer on your own? Or are Amercian lawyers different? ...teetotallers maybe? ... well not the ones I do business with.