Hello all, I'm new to this site. I am an America student. I'm about to graduate with my US Bachelor's degree. I am looking into law s chools in the UK with the idea of eventually practicing law in the UK. I am looking at the University City College of London. My concern is that if I go to the UK take the two year course in the Gradaute Entry LLB, and then either the BVC or the LPC, that I won't be able to secure pupalige, or a sponsorship from a UK law firm. With the immigration requirements being as they are, I don't want to go over there only to come back to the States to have to go to more school just to take the Bar, say in D.C. I realize this site is concerning LLM programs. But I wasn't sure where else to turn to. Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks for the time!

I would imagine that you would be better to do a JD then your bar exams then try and get a job in the UK. One of the things that I would check out is whether a 2 year LLB will qualifiy you to sit the NY bar which a 3 year degree will because it would be a way of ensuring you had somewhere to qualify if it all went wrong in the UK. You could also apply straight to do the GDL then the LPC and then look to get a job without doing the LLB at all. To be honest the best thing you could do is contact the schools you are interested in applying to explain who you are and ask if they could put you in contact with any students or graduates they have who have taken a similar route.

Am I crazy for wanting to go to another country and study law with the idea of sucureing a job afterward? I mean, I could go over to the UK, do the course, and not even get sponsored. I could come back here and have trouble getting a job because I don't have a JD. I am not sure what to do, and need to decide so that I can take the nessecary courses. Whatever other advice would be great. Thanks!

Quick question. Could anyone please teel me the reputation of City University London? Are they a good school? I don't really know much about them? Thanks, whatever information would be very helpful!

If I were you I wouldn't even touch City University, London with a barge pole.

I am having diifculity finding a university with a Graduate Entry LLB program. Any advice, does any know of any others with that program in England??? Thanks! It's diifcult finding these things online and learning about the schools reputations. Any advice is well appreciated.

USAN'UK,

There are a few Graduate LLB programmes in the UK, I believe Queen Marys offers one, as does Bristol. I am studying at City University on the GE LLB, and we have a number of North American students on the course. It is relatively small, numbering around 40 in all, however the students are a diverse and interesting bunch.

Of course, as a student, your primary concern will be the quality of the education. I believe City offers a decent and interesting syllabus, with a number of unusual and engaging electives. The comment by 'Sunil' that he would not touch City with a barge pole is not particularly helpful, although I will concede that as an undergrad education provider City University certainly has a long way to go.

What you must bear in mind is that you are essentially entering grad school. For postgraduate, professional orientated studies, such as Finance, Law and Heathcare, City has a very robust reputation.

In terms of facilities, City is fairly good, moreover it has merged with Inns of Court School of Law, an institution with an excellent reputation. In terms of value for money [Bristol is far more expensive as a course provider] and location, City is unrivalled.

If you are keen on studying in the UK, and London in particular, I would advise you take a close look at Queen Marys and City, both of which have solid reputations. A relevant footnote is that Queen Marys is part of the University of London, while City is not.

Alternatively, if you believe you have the grades and the drive, you can apply to do an LLB in two years at Oxford University.

Thanks for the help. SInce you are in City, would mind answering a couple of questions for me. Do think it's unrealistic for me to go to England in the hopes of eventually getting a job with a law firm there, being an American and all. Thanks for the help!

You could also apply to Cambridge

College of Law in London is exclusively teaching law courses. Maybe you should also enquire about their courses.

http://www.college-of-law.co.uk/prospective_students/default-32.html

Hope this helps...

Second Sunil's advice.

Steer clear of City University.

In fact if you check past posts(posted, I think, last year) on LLM Guide forum, some disgruntled ex-students (doing law courses at City) had talked about their total disillusionment of their time spent doing law course at City Univ.

Do also go through this past thread:

http://www.llm-guide.com/board/6558/rss

I think things got so bad in this discussion(6588) that a staff member Dr Riley of City Univ. had to intervene to defend the 'reputation'? of City University.

In fact, someone had very recently commented that City Univ is 'Z' tier or something...

In regards to applying to Oxford, do I need to take the LNAT to apply for that program, I couldn't find it online. Also, in regards to concerns about City, I thaught that I saw it was ranked 23 by that Times UK article, is that correct? Furthermore, with applying to Cambridge, do I need to take the LNAT?? I have no idea what is on this exam, is it much like the US LSAT?? Thanks for all the help and suggestions!!

USAN'UK

Before I go any further, I want to make it clear I'm not engaging in a debate about the reputation of City University. The regrettable intervention by Mr Riley was well-intentioned however it failed to mend any fences. Furthermore, as a City student myself it is likely I will be perceived as biased. So I won't waste time on that and instead try and answer your question.

As I previously mentioned, there are a number of North Americans on the course, this has been a trend year on year. My feeling is that most employers will see City as a university which provides you with vocational training. My intention in doing the 2 year LLB was to save time, money and to learn a little more than I would on a straightforward conversion course.

In London at least, City has a good reputation because of the people it attracts, in particular on the conversion course. It is a step on the way to qualifiying, much like the LPC. The advantage of the 2 year LLB is that it allows employers to see you engaging with law on a different level, and allows you to demonstrate your interest and potential through particular electives.

It doesn't matter that you're American! London is an international city, and its law firms want to achieve an international profile. This means they must endeavour to recruit from outside the UK. My honest opinion is that if you have the funds, and the grades, you should do a JD at a good school in the states. Most people are cognisant of the fact that legal training in the US is of a different calibre to the UK. You can always pop over here to do your LPC.

However if you are committed to studying in the UK and want to do a 2 year Graduate LLB, there are few options. City is a forerunner simply because its been running the course for so long, and because of the excellence of its conversion course. Study here, and graduate in the top quarter of the class and you'll be fine. This is providing that you have a good bachelors degree from a well-reputed university in the US.

P.S. Apropos Oxbridge - I'm not sure about the entry requirements for international students although I expect that you would not have to take the UK equivalent of LNAT. I can't be certain on this, but I'm pretty sure that if they offer you a place on an accelerated LLB, it will not be on the basis of such a test. Rather, it will be predicated on your transcript and interview, both of which will have to be appropriately impressive.

In relation to your question about rankings, which in my view are entirely fatuous [sorry], City was indeed ranked something like 23rd. Moreover it was ranked 5th this year for graduate prospects by the Times Good University Guide. Hope that helps.

I am an ex-student of City University and to be honest, I don't have very pleasant memories of the time spend at City Univ.

Indifferent management that is unresponsive to the complaints and grievances of students, average teaching quality and placement service cell, to put it mildly, not very helpful when you contact them.

Moreover, they are also pretty indifferent to the suggestions and feedback of alumini.

So unlike the gentleman Ollyll who is at presently studying at City, I am afraid I would not be as enthusiastic about recommending City Univ. You would be wasting both your time and money at that place.

Wait, so the US JD is precieved to be better in comparison to other law degrees? There could be a debate on this either way, but in general. Which is happening, are more people coming to the US for a JD or are more US people going to other countries to practice law?? Is there a trend, if so what is the cause of this trend?

Ok, quick question. Does anyone know the reputations of these following schools??

Quenn Mary, external program for the graduate LLB

University of Leeds, 2 year LLB

University of Kent, 2 year LLB

and finally the University of Aberdeen 2 year LLB

I just don't know anything about these colleges, any information would be great. Thanks again for all the help!!!

USAN'UK:

It may be a little perverse to say that you are lucky to discover how complex a law career can be before actually applying to law school, but here's another consideration for you anyway.

The QLTT, if you have not already discovered it, is the "Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test" (or something like that), but the basic idea is that after a certain time in practice in a foreign jurisdiction (e.g., 5 years), a lawyer is able to sit the QLTT and qualify in, for example, the U.K. Other members of the board may be able to correct me if I am mistaken or may add their expertise.

As an American law student, I really don't know how the U.S. J.D. is perceived in the U.K. or how successful Americans are applying to U.K. firms. I do know that if you go to an ABA school in the U.S., you can sit any U.S. bar exam. If I had serious concerns about Americans getting a job in the U.K, then I would be inclined to take the QLTT.

The best advice I could give you would be to apply to 2 and 3 year programs in the U.K. and the U.S. and just take your best option at the time. If you get into Harvard but for some reason don't manage much success with your U.K. applications (I can't imagine that circumstance would actually confront anyone), then I think most people wouldn't really have too tough a decision to just do the 3 year Harvard program.

Finally, from an American perspective, I would say:

1. Aberdeen
2. Leeds
3. Kent
and finally, because you say you want to do Queen Mary's External Programme:
4. Queen Mary. Otherwise, I might put the "non-External Programme" at Queen Mary second on that list, which I admit to basing purely on name recognition.

Good luck!

P.Martini

Hello all, I'm new to this site. I am an America student. I'm about to graduate with my US Bachelor's degree. I am looking into law s chools in the UK with the idea of eventually practicing law in the UK. I am looking at the University City College of London. My concern is that if I go to the UK take the two year course in the Gradaute Entry LLB, and then either the BVC or the LPC, that I won't be able to secure pupalige, or a sponsorship from a UK law firm. With the immigration requirements being as they are, I don't want to go over there only to come back to the States to have to go to more school just to take the Bar, say in D.C. I realize this site is concerning LLM programs. But I wasn't sure where else to turn to. Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks for the time!

Check out the MA in Legal Studies at the University of Bristol.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/law/pgdegrees/taughtdegrees/llm-advanced-study/ma-legal-studies.html

Let me tell you all one thing...particularly those who are coming out of India to do an LLM with the hope of starting an international career in law, that it is next to impossible to find jobs if you are not a candidate from European community member states in the legal sector. I was in a stable job in Mumbai, came out to internationalise my career, did LLM in Europe and came to UK to do PhD and also pass the solicitors exam with the hope of getting a job in UK or Europe but it is not possible. There is a covert racial discrimination against non-EC members. The immigration laws are also very tough and it is next to impossible to get work permits for LLMs etc. So think twice or as many times as you need to before you leave everyhting to come and do an LLM etc and before wasting your or your father's hard earned money. The opportunities in India are abundant and would get even better. LLM from these European and UK universities hardly count in job market unless u want to pursue an academic career but that too is ver discriminatory in its present form and unless of course just for the sake of staying in UK/Europe, you are prepared to anything.