I have practised law and was a law professor for 26 years. One of my primary roles as a college law professor was to develop cutting-edge programs for the professional services market. I have been instrumental in opening doors for students who want to pursue professional legal careers. Providing students with innovative legal educational opportunities is the key to opening these doors.
I am presently a U.K. law degree accreditation expert and advocate. In 2006 I created Canada Law From Abroad to provide an international bridge for Canadian students who are frustrated with the barriers and costs of Canadian law schools with an opportunity to obtain a first-rate legal education in top-tier U.K. law schools, the birthplace of the common law system and home to the great law schools of the world.
I took a leadership role lobbying all political parties in the Ontario government to include The Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) in the ‘Fair Access To Regulated Access Act’ (FARPA). Passage of this legislation in 2008 ensures that the accreditation of ‘abroad’ law degrees must be done in a manner that is “fair and objective” based on the same standards as Canadian law degrees.
‘Abroad’ law degree accreditation is being transformed into a routine process. My advocacy and lobbying has entailed extensive research into both the Canadian and U.K. law degree accreditation processes and constant monitoring of the LSUC accreditation activities to ensure that the accreditation process meets the fairness and objectivity requirements of FARPA.
I continue to advocate for ongoing reform by submitting briefs to the Office the Fairness Commissioner for improvements to the accreditation process. I also regularly challenge the National Committee On Accreditation (NCA), the accreditation agent for all law societies in Canada, on discrepancies between its procedures and what is required to meet the fairness and objectivity of FARPA on behalf of students who retain Canada Law From Abroad as their UCAS representative.
Canadian law is being required to adapt to a global legal regulatory environment. The Canada Law From Abroad mission is to provide Canadian students with the opportunity to obtain an international legal education in the U.K., the hub for innovation in the evolution of the global practice of law and legal services.
Canada’s leading edge international educational research organization, the Canadian Bureau of International Education ( www.cbie.ca ), has recently published a major study, World Learning: Canadian Post-Secondary Students and the Study Abroad Experience, which is instructive and inspiring and fits with Canada Law From Abroad’s mission. The following quote is from this study:
‘John G. Kelly’
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John G. Kelly, President of Canada Law From Abroad,
