I'm a U.S. citizen finishing up my undergraduate work and I would really like to get a law degree (preferably, but not necessarily, in international law) from somewhere in Great Britain. I was wondering if there were any schools that offered J.D. degrees in that part of the world or joint degrees as I would probably like to come back and practice law in the United States.
Higher Education (University +) - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I am a retired attorney in the USA. I do not think that the J.D. title is used in Britain. I think they use an equivalent, but I am not sure what it is called. You will need to find out the name of the British law degree before you can do further research on courses to pursue. If you take your degree in Britain, you will probably be at a disadvantage in passing the bar exam in many American states. Although our law is based on English Common Law and the best US law schools do not teach "toward" the bar exam, it is my impression that British legal education is different enough that you will not learn some American subjects or the American approach to them. It is also my recollection that part of the British law study program is given in undergraduate school and that part is a practical clerkship in a law office. Most importantly, most, if not all, US states require people sitting for their bar exam to have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association or by the State Bar of the particular state. I do not know if any British law schools have this approval. You might look at the ABA website or phone them. What I would recommend is that you look for a US law school which has a formal program which allows you to study law for a semester or two in Britain and counts this study towards your US degree. Most of these schools will probably be among the more difficult for admission. You can probably get some leads on Google or from the ABA. Please feel free to email me if you need further information. Although I do not know anything more about studying in Britain than I have told you, I can tell you a lot about studying law in the US.
