U.K. LLB/JD Advantages! What is the LLB Degree? The “B” in LLB (Bachelor of Legal Laws) stands for ‘baccalaureate’. The LLB is an undergraduate professional degree. None of the comparable commonwealth common law countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the U.K. require a university degree for admission to law school. All of the other countries, with the exception of Canada, admit students into LLB degree programs directly out of high school. Canadian law schools require either 2-3 years of university or college equivalent university courses or a 2 year Quebec college CEGEP diploma to qualify for admission. As is the case with all Commonwealth common law countries, a Canadian law degree is an undergraduate degree. The core curriculum is the same in Canadian and U.K. law schools. What is the JD Degree? An increasing number of Canadian law schools are changing the designation of their law degree from LLB to JD. This is a marketing initiative intended to make Canadian LLB degree seem like U.S. JD degree. The curriculum in a Canadian LLB and a Canadian JD in Canadian law schools is exactly the same - the change is in name only. Both are undergraduate degrees. However, the JD degree in the U.S. is a graduate degree. Therefore, the American state bar does not recognize the Canadian JD degree as a graduate degree in legal education. All Canadians intending to emigrate to the U.S. to practice law in a state, other than New York, require a graduate JD. Canadians will have to supplement their LLB/JD with a one year graduate LLM degree (Masters of Legal Laws). A number of U.K. law schools in the Canada Law From Abroad’s Preferred U.K. Law Schools will be offering the JD law degree designation option to those Canadians who have a B.A. and complete the 2 year U.K. accelerated law degree. This JD degree from the U.K. will be recognized as a “true graduate” JD degree, like in the U.S., unlike in Canada. What is the LSAT? Do I need an LSAT score to apply to the U.K.? The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is an aptitude test developed by American law schools as an admission criterion specifically for U.S. law schools. Canadian law schools adopted the LSAT for admissions. U.K. law schools DO NOT use LSAT for admissions! Why is a four year undergraduate degree the norm for Canadian law schools? Canada has too few law schools and too many applicants. The result? Students are forced to be over-qualified for admission. Check this out on the official web site of any Canadian law school. NO Canadian law school requires a prior university degree for admission! What is Accreditation and How does it work? Every foreign law degree must be “accredited” (see LLB Accreditation page for details). In 2008 ‘Fair Access To Regulated Access Act’ (FARPA) was proclaimed in Ontario and mandated 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. In response to FARPA, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC) reexamined its accreditation criteria and in March 2010 mandated that a Canadian or ‘abroad’ LLB/JD law degree include: two years of university or university-equivalent college three years of legal education two years of legal education and 1 year of related masters degree level of study (‘combined’ law degrees). Although U.K. law schools only require a high school diploma for admission, Canada Law From Abroad is recommending that Canadian students meet FLSC’s above criteria to make the accreditation process faster and easier. What are the LLB/JD program options offered in the U.K.? There are Three innovative LLB/JD options in the U.K.! 1. 3 Year U.K. LLB Degree Two years of core law curriculum & one year of electives U.K. Admission Requirements: No LSAT! High school diploma for students wanting to obtain a law degree and qualify to practice in the U.K. or European Community (E.U.) Two years of university or university-equivalent college courses or a college CEGEP diploma to obtain an “approved law degree” for accreditation to qualify to practice in Canada. The two years of post secondary education or a CEGEP can be obtained through a combination of summer school and on-line courses during the duration of the three year LLB degree for high school graduates wanting to opt into a three year LLB degree and obtain an “approved Canadian law degree”. 2. 2 Year U.K. ‘Senior status’ accelerated LLB Degree Two years of core law curriculum & no electives Same program and curriculum as Canadian law school “Combined Degrees”. This option is not offered in Canada. Unlike Canada there is no requirement to spend an additional third year in an unrelated program of study. U.K. Admission Requirements: No LSAT! A four year university degree. The same GPA that is required for a Canadian university program, an academic reference and a personal statement. *NOTE: 2 Year Graduate JD Degree: A number of Canada Law From Abroad’s Preferred U.K. Law Schools are offering Canadian students an optional accelerated ‘Senior Status’ degree program that has a JD designation instead of an LLB. 3. LLM (masters of Legal Laws) - GRADUATE STUDIES LEVEL PRGRAM One calendar year -12 months- of graduate level study with thesis to qualify as a legal expert for work as a consultant, or with a governmental organization or NGO. In the U.K., unlike in Canada, you do not need an LLB/JD to qualify for an LLM. No LSAT. A four year university degree in related program area. e.g. a political science degree meets academic criteria for LLM in International Relations and a criminology degree meets academic criteria for LLM in International Criminal Law, business/economics degree meets academic criteria for LLM financial regulation, health sciences degree meets academic criteria for LLM Medical Law & Ethics. Students can opt for LLM degree as first degree and then decide to take the two year accelerated LLB/JD degree should they decide they want to practice law. One year LLM and two year accelerated LLB/JD “Combined Degree” programs are the same as Canadian law school “Combined Degrees” and meet requirements for three years of legal education for “an approved Canadian law degree”. You will be required to write a minimum number of “Challenge Examinations” for domestic degree. What are the learning benefits of a U.K. law school education? NO LSAT! The U.K. is the birthplace of common law and home to some of the world’s great law schools. Canadian law is based on English common law. U.K. law schools have retained the small lecture/tutorial system. Canadian law schools have the dropped the tutorial system and adopted the large lecture format. In the U.K. you will have the luxury of participating in weekly interactive small group tutorials and having your questions answered by a fully qualified law professor. What are the other benefits of studying in the U.K.? An international education gives you a legal career boost. You will be exposed to European Union Law which will put you on the cutting-edge of the emerging free trade agreement between Canada and the EU. Meet and mingle with students from around the world and be exposed to different cultural perspectives. The U.K. is the gateway to inexpensive trekking to Europe and Asia. do canadian law professors take advantage of a U.K. legal education ? Yes! Approximately 35% of the faculty at Canada’s leading law schools have obtained their penultimate law degree that grants them the ‘legal expert’ (LLM or MA Law degree) status to qualify as law professors in Canadian law schools from top tier U.K. law schools. Canadian law professors seek out the best legal education in the world and so should you! How does a U.K. law school experience compare with an Australian Law School experience? Commonwealth common law degrees from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. are classified as undergraduate degrees internationally. Australian law schools are either regional or national and don’t have the same international law school status as top-tier U.K. law schools. The Australian JD and the U.K. LLB are the same professional degrees. Two year JD programs in Australia are 24 month in duration as opposed to the shorter U.K September to May academic year for two year Senior Status LLB degree programs. The Australian JD law degree is considerably more expensive than the U.K. LLB option. The LLM/LLB three year combined degree option isn’t available. Limited international education and life style experiences in Australia. What are tuition costs of a Canadian and a U.K. LLB? The top law schools in Canada are charging “market based” fees that can be as high as $25,000 a year. In the U.K. Canadian students pay international tuition fees which vary between Canadian $16,000 and $17,000 per year depending on exchange rates. It’s cheaper to study in top-tier law schools in the U.K.! how much ‘time and money’ will i save if i take the 2 year ‘Senior Status’ LLB in the U.K.? Cost of a Canadian LLB 3 year LLB program tuition: $25,000 x 3 = $75,000 Cost of a U.K. LLB 2 year ‘Senior Status’ tuition: $17,000 x 2 = $34,000 That’s a difference of $41,000 YOU SAVE $41,000 AND 1 YEAR BY TAKING THE 2 year ‘senior status’ LLB in the U.K.! how much ‘time and money’ will i save if i take THE 3 year LLB in the U.K.? Cost of a Canadian LLB 4 year undergraduate degree tuition: $7,000 x 4 = $28,000 3 year LLB program tuition: $25,000 x 3 = $75,000 Total estimated Cdn educational costs $103,000 Cost of a U.K. LLB 2 years of university or, 2 years of university-equivalent college $7,000 x 2 = $14,000 3 year LLB tuition: $17,000 x 3 = $51,000 Total estimated U.K. educational costs $65,000 That’s a difference of $38,000 YOU SAVE $38,000 AND 2 YEARS BY TAKING THE 3 YEAR LLB IN THE U.K.! John G. Kelly’s email: johng@canadalawfromabroad.com mailto:johng@canadalawfromabroad.comshapeimage_16_link_0shapeimage_16_link_1

‘U.K. LLB/JD  Advantages’

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