Cornell Law School MSLS

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by JoshD, Jun 10, 2021.

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  1. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    It's not bar qualifying, so at that price, why do it even if it's from a well regarded school?
     
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  3. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    It helps to let people know an individual is an Ivy League school material. :D
     
  4. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Based on their website, I guess it is aimed at folks who do not want to practice law but need to know law in their professions. Honestly, I have no idea why someone would want a law type degree without being able to sit for the bar but…I guess there are those folks.
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    1. Get admitted.
    2. Don't enroll.
    3. Frame the acceptance letter.
    4. Save sixty grand. ;)
     
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  6. Futuredegree

    Futuredegree Well-Known Member

    Haha something I would do
     
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  7. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Several very well respected universities are doing similar programs and from what I understand, the programs have been home runs. Understand the question on why study law without going for the bar; but there’s a lot of value there for managers and other professionals, equally valuable as an MBA in many cases.
     
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  8. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    I'm not in the field either, but my understanding is that MLS programs (including those in general law, compliance, contract law, etc.) are a mix of first-year and second-year law courses. They are cash cows for the universities, and the graduates - like a 2nd year law student - generally leave with an improved understanding of the theory but no way to apply it.

    There's been some negative and neutral opinions online:
    I wouldn't get one, but if I worked in a law-adjacent field maybe it would be useful.
     
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  9. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Great information! I have noticed Northwestern and Cornell are just a couple of top law schools with MSLS online offerings. Although I do not understand the application of the degree, it is encouraging seeing top-tier universities begin to offer online degree programs.

    From the very little research I have done, it seems these programs are great for those who may be interested in a role in compliance or another law/regulation heavy department within their company.
     
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  10. Futuredegree

    Futuredegree Well-Known Member

    It would be nice if they had a bridge program where you complete the masters in legal studies and you are able to gain admissions into the law school to complete the JD with a certain amount of credits if not all of them transferring towards the JD degree
     
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  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    That would make too much sense.
     
  12. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    There are an increasing number of JD holders who are working in positions that require neither a JD nor bar admission. Some of them practiced as attorneys at regular law firms. Some worked for government agencies and then when they went private sector got into new industries. And a good many of these people, if they are admitted to the bar at all, may not be admitted to the bar in their state of residence.

    I have a colleague (HR) with a JD and is admitted to the bar in Michigan (we live in NYS). We have a colleague who works as a contract administrator with a JD admitted in (I think) VA, not in New York.

    The bar qualifies you to practice law. That's it. If you have no intention of actually practicing law then bar admission is of no use.

    Meanwhile, having legal training for a person who works with contracts or in human resources is an attractive proposition. These are both areas of industry where legal knowledge is crucial and where your colleagues, at best, are likely to have the ubiquitous MBAs being pumped out of schools that, 10 years ago, didn't even have a business program at all let alone a professional masters program.

    Nearly every job posting I encounter requiring an MBA leaves open another path in with the phrase "or equivalent." Though the MSM is not really equivalent to the typical MBA, it is generally regarded as being "close enough." Likewise, a Masters in Legal Studies would likely fit the bill. It meets the requirement, it is something different (likely in a good way) and it may actually be more relevant to your work than the coursework of an MBA.

    It's a uniquely US centric view that law school = lawyer. In countries that still employ the LLB it is incredibly common to find an LLB graduate working in all manner of real estate and finance where their professional career is informed by their legal training even though they themselves do not practice law. And, honestly, I think it's a trend likely to pick up steam in the U.S. with so many un or under employed attorneys and so many people finding that these non-partner track positions that law firms gracefully offered to the masses are far less enticing than being a real estate agent, HR professional, contract specialist etc who is well versed in law.
     
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  13. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    The problem with "J.D. Advantage" is that the "advantage" is rarely worth three years and a quarter million in student loans.
     
  14. jonlevy

    jonlevy Active Member

    I used to instruct the MSLS program at Kaplan; it was an easy way for government employees to get a Masters without a lot of stress. The course material was not really anything that could be put to practical use in the legal field aside from an overall survey of some topics.
     
  15. jonlevy

    jonlevy Active Member

    Those non lawyer JD degree holders used to be employed as law book salepersons; not sure what they do now that it is all digitized.
     
  16. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    These types of degrees might be good for corporate paralegals or federal government paralegals who want to jump up to GS-9. I wouldn't pay a lot for the degree, though.
     
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  17. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    I wouldn't pay anything for it.
     
  18. dbadribbler

    dbadribbler New Member

    As a non-lawyer, I did toy with the idea once - of pursuing a formal degree in law, that is for business professionals. Some of the exposure I've had in the legal areas at the workplace has been quite intriguing. And this MSLS model seems to fit the bill. If only I had the money for it!
     
  19. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    You DON'T have the money. BILL GATES doesn't have the money if he considered potential return on investment and Gates' father WAS a lawyer after whom the palatial Law School building at the University of Washington is named. Don't even think of doing this. Seriously. DON'T EVEN THINK OF DOING THIS!
     
  20. Suss

    Suss Member

    MSLS and other non-JD law degrees are useful for people who do forensic work. There are many fields that bring people into courtrooms to testify as experts as their regular business, like forensic accounting, forensic genealogy, forensic psychology, even social workers, pathologists/coroners, and criminologists. Earning a masters degree in law is a quick way for the person to understand all kinds of legal issues related to what they are doing. It also offers some credibility when law firms and government agencies are searching for someone who can do the forensic work and testify about it later.

    But there are plenty of high quality institutions that offer better prices than $58K.
     

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