Hey guys.

I need your advice.
I am trying to change career to become a lawyer.

I have been looking into opportunities in UK. I know you can do GDL but I came to know there is this option to do a 1-2 year MA law for a non-law graduates to qualify for practicing law. It is similar to the American/Canadian/ Australian JD degree.

I know the university of law offers such courses - but I am not sure about the institute's reputation and how academic is the program. Yet it is more expensive then e.g. university of Sheffield.

I was wondering if there is any with experience from the University of law - or could provide suggestions which other universities offer such a degree.

Lastly, is there an option to do an online JD provided by American/Canadian/ Australian institutions. Is there JD available with duration of 1-2 years.?


I am looking forward to your helpful advice.

Thank you

Hold on - you need to be more specific here. Where are you planning to practice law, precisely? In England and Wales or in the US? Having a law degree is great day opens doors, but it’s different from being a lawyer. Lawyers have very particular licensing requirements and they do not move across borders well. If you’re not living in a jurisdiction or at least practicing that jurisdiction law, there is not point to getting g that license.

As for online US JDs, there really aren’t any. The only two legitimate law schools with online programs are only part online, about half required on-campus. They say they’re online when they’re not really there just yet. There are a few bootleg JDs from California-based schools that are entirely online, but they’re dodgy and have a very low pass rate and the details of their program and path to the California bar exam are very complicated. Kim Kardashian is doing one, apparently.

[Edited by jwpetterchak on Dec 01, 2019]

Hold on - you need to be more specific here. Where are you planning to practice law, precisely? In England and Wales or in the US? Having a law degree is great day opens doors, but it’s different from being a lawyer. Lawyers have very particular licensing requirements and they do not move across borders well. If you’re not living in a jurisdiction or at least practicing that jurisdiction law, there is no point in getting g that license.

As for online US JDs, there really aren’t any. The only two legitimate law schools with online programs are only part online, about half required on-campus. They say they’re online when they’re not really there just yet. There are a few bootleg JDs from California-based schools that are entirely online, but they’re dodgy and have a very low pass rate and the details of their program and path to the California bar exam are very complicated. Kim Kardashian is doing one, apparently.

I studied in the UK, but I am licensed and practice in New York. A 3-year UK law degree will, in most cases, let you take the NY bar, but not if you do the GDL/LPC because it’s only two years and the LPC isn’t recognized as anything important anyway for the NY regulators. As for the use of the GDL and LPC in the UK for practice, it is kind of up in the air. They’re essentially doing away with that and changing the admission requirements entirely, from what I understand. You don’t really need to do either as of next year- just pass a super exam and do two years of qualifying training or paralegal work or whatever whatever they say. By the time you get around to doing those courses (the GDL especially is a joke in my opinion), they won’t be required, I believe.

Getting the two years of qualifying training in the UK has historically been highly competitive. I’m not sure if it will still be the case in the future.

[Edited by jwpetterchak on Dec 03, 2019]

I studied in the UK, but I am licensed and practice in New York. A 3-year UK law degree will, in most cases, let you take the NY bar, but not if you do the GDL/LPC because it’s only two years and the LPC isn’t recognized as anything important anyway for the NY regulators. As for the use of the GDL and LPC in the UK for practice, it is kind of up in the air. They’re essentially doing away with that and changing the admission requirements entirely, from what I understand. You don’t really need to do either as of next year- just pass a super exam and do two years of qualifying training or paralegal work or whatever whatever they say. By the time you get around to doing those courses (the GDL especially is a joke in my opinion), they won’t be required, I believe.

Getting the two years of qualifying training in the UK has historically been highly competitive. I’m not sure if it will still be the case in the future.

No, I only have an LLB from a UK university and do not have any US JD or LLM, nor will I ever bother. A UK LLB is a three year qualifying law degree and it’s good for the NY bar exam.

The GDL is not remotely comparable to a US JD, in fact I know people who have done it and it’s a bit of a laugh that this is the theoretical foundation to practice law in any country. The GDL is a cakewalk. The LPC is tedious and much of it is of questionable value since it covers many practice areas in such depth and few will ever again revisit these areas in their professional life. I don’t think you can do any LLM without a first law degree anyway.

Hey guys.

I need your advice.
I am trying to change career to become a lawyer.

I have been looking into opportunities in UK. I know you can do GDL but I came to know there is this option to do a 1-2 year MA law for a non-law graduates to qualify for practicing law. It is similar to the American/Canadian/ Australian JD degree.

I know the university of law offers such courses - but I am not sure about the institute's reputation and how academic is the program. Yet it is more expensive then e.g. university of Sheffield.

I was wondering if there is any with experience from the University of law - or could provide suggestions which other universities offer such a degree.

Lastly, is there an option to do an online JD provided by American/Canadian/ Australian institutions. Is there JD available with duration of 1-2 years.?


I am looking forward to your helpful advice.

Thank you

Hey guys.

I need your advice.
I am trying to change career to become a lawyer.

I have been looking into opportunities in UK. I know you can do GDL but I came to know there is this option to do a 1-2 year MA law for a non-law graduates to qualify for practicing law. It is similar to the American/Canadian/ Australian JD degree.

I know the university of law offers such courses - but I am not sure about the institute's reputation and how academic is the program. Yet it is more expensive then e.g. university of Sheffield.

I was wondering if there is any with experience from the University of law - or could provide suggestions which other universities offer such a degree.

Lastly, is there an option to do an online JD provided by American/Canadian/ Australian institutions. Is there JD available with duration of 1-2 years.?


I am looking forward to your helpful advice.

Thank you