DL Law Degree .... Pragmatic uses??

Speaking of worldwide jurisdictions...

Speaking of worldwide jurisdictions, is there a website IN ENGLISH that details the requirements for admission as a lawyer for every country/state/jurisdiction in the world? This would be fascinating and quite educational. If not, would there be anyone interested in collaborating on such an assignment?

Gregg, I am sorry for not clarifying myself the first time. I must have caused confusion, and it was totally unintentional. Everyone, please forgive me for this stupidity. What I meant was in relation to an ABA graduate vs. a non-ABA graduate's utility in the workfield. I was making the bar a given. I should not have done that. A non-ABA graduate can still move out of his jurisdiction and work as a paralegal/clerk doing everything under the auspices of a lawyer except giving advice and representing clients in court. I meant for this statement to be part of a balance for weighing the Cal DL JD vs the LLB. If one's goal is to become a full-blown "lawyer" in every sense of the word, then he should go to an ABA school. Otherwise, the Cal JD is very good. Again, I am sorry for the confusion.

Steven

 

Good point Nosbourne. A Cal DL degree means no hefty student loan payments upon graduation, hence the ability to take on public interest work and to get more experience that way. A lot of people (me included) are just plain old interested in law, as a field of practice. I'm not looking for a high-powered lifestyle, salary, work environment. Just a chance to work in an intellectually stimulating field where you're valued for your expertise and intelligence.

Nosbourne said:

"Bar admission is really the most imprtant thing. WHERE one obtains one's legal education is secondary"; it matters mostly if one wants an associate position in a major (high paying) firm or to work for the federal government."

That's what I've been most interested to find out. Thanks for that.

As for practicing law in the Caribbean, or in Malta etc... Lawhopes hit the nail on the head. We need a database of various law society requirements worldwide. U of London LL.B. prospectus has the postal addresses of many professional bodies all over the world. But not email. You'd have to write a form letter addressed to each and every one requesting info and stuff. There's like a hundred or so on the list. Whew! That's a lot of stamp licking! I just don't have the time. I've emailed and heard back from BC and Ontario in Canada, Bermuda, Trinidad, and California. It would be a large undertaking to do more. Malet Gazette has info for U of London grads seeking to practice in most major 1st world jurisdictions including Malaysia.

As for my original question, what I've got is this: With respect to the the Cal DL JD. Once you get that Cal bar card, you can sort out your more limited employment options in Calfornia from there. U of London LL.B. looks like a longer route, more school, more training, maybe 2 or 3 more years than the Cal DL JD per se, but in the end, more open doors if you want to be mobile and keep your options open. I think that's right.

thanks, J-Lew

 

I am willing to volunteer to help if there will be some others.

 

Just a word of caution for you, J, don't get too disillusioned about the prestige factor of a U of L external degree-- in most jurisdictions (if not all including the UK), the local bar usually gives little preference to external degree holders. In most cases, firms and chambers prefer traditional law school graduates from their own localities, save Oxbridge, Harvard, Yale and other global big names. Have you any idea how utterly difficult it is for some U of L external LLB students to even obtain summer placements? Without something extraordinary already in your CV or some stellar future accomplishments , an external LLB from U of L probably doesn't get you very far unless you graduate with a 1-1 or 2-1 degree. Not that the quality of the U of L external program is compromised, it's just most firms/chambers would rather have formally trained lawyers with all the hand-on skills that don't usually come with the DL package.


And for the record, I am currently a U of L external LLB student.


Good luck!

 

oh btw, I forgot to mention that although the U of L emphasizes on the equivalence of quality between its internal and external programs, distinguishion still exists on the diploma. In the past, the word "external" would be included to differentiate the external degree from its internal counterpart, but I believe a recent amendment made to the charter of U of L (as noted in the 2003-2004 Regulations) eliminates any mention of external mode of study altogether. What this means is that the certificate an external student receive will be no different from that received by an internal student. In actuality, however, such removal of the word "external" doesn't exactly bring external students on par with internal students-- all internal LLB law students would receive diplomas that indicate their lead college whereas external students, having no lead college to be affiliated with, would only receive a certificate that says University of London on the top.


In the end, whoever in concern would still know you are an external student when he/she reads your diploma.