hi everyone,
am considering a move to england and i don't know which is better.Am qualified to practise in my country but for me a move to the UK is imperative and i need some help thanks.PS have been accepted at LSE

It all depends where you are from and what your experience is. If you are not a UK national then it may prove very difficult to land a job, even with the QLTT, in which case you may be better off forging some contacts while doing the LLM at LSE.

However, if you do have UK working rights, and speak near native/fluent English, and have a good law degree from a good law school in a relevant country (Australia, US, Canada, France, Germany etc), coupled with a few years of corporate type work experience gained at an international law firm in a global city (Paris, NY, Frankfurt, Toronto etc) - then, forget the LLM and just apply for a job. You should be able to find a firm to sponsor you.

There's also the Highly Skilled Migrant Worker Program (HSMWP), however, it can be tricky - I think it's not very well thought out at all - since you get 20 points if you are under 28, but 0 if you are over 30! At the same time, you get more points with more years of experience and a high prior salary. The problem here is that few lawyers under 28 are going to be able to score points on experience and salary, while those over 32 are more able to gain points here, but lose out on age. Why the British think professionals in their 30s are too old is beyond me, since the legal profession is one which requires maturity, esp. for dealing with clients! My theory is that the firms just want paper-pushing fodder who don't really need to think for themselves.

Of course, if you are from the EU you are eligible for employment without the need for a work permit or employer sponsorship.

Be warned, young lawyers in the UK are expected to do very mundane work which in other countries would be handled by paralegals and secretaries. This is also true of big firms in the US, Canada etc. However, I have noticed that lawyers in the US - where I've been practising for 5 years now (I'm originally from the UK) - are treated much more like mature professionals than back home.

The QLTT is easy though. Much easier than say a US or German bar exam. It's open book, requires about 50 hrs of study, and can be sat every other month (at least in London) via the College of Law. You could take it before, during or after the LLM.

In sum - do the LSE LLM if you don't have blow-you-out-of-the-water law school academics and a few years big firm corporate experience.

am from nigeria and do not have any work experience but am hoping to qualify as a chartered secretary in the next few months. i don't know what my chances are.

Hello,
the home office of uk does not recognise QLTT as valid UK qualification and la wsocity does not prove that it is UK qualification. it is amoney game.my friends confirmed it that QLTT is not recognised for HSMP .
Please, write to me if you are suffering from QLTT.
browncathy18@yahoo.co.uk