hello all,
I need your advice on a very important matter. I want to work in the U.S. in some good law firm and i have now realised that an LL.M. does not take one very far in this regard. I am about to complete 5 yrs of a B.A. LL.B. degree. Do I still need to go for a J.D.? Are there any abridged J.D. courses for foreign trained lawyers? Which schools would be the best? I am sure a lot of students are faced with a similar question.

Only 2 schools in US offer 2 year JDS for foreign trained lawyers.
1) Northwestern
2) Kansas University

Also, it depends if they would give credit for the LLB or not depending on which country the LLB is from. For example, on Kansas Univ website, the following is mentioned.

"For these purposes, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka will typically qualify as common law jurisdictions. (For the foreseeable future, Hong Kong and Macau will also qualify.) A student with an LL.B. from one of these countries would not need to enroll in first-year courses. Decisions about whether certain other countries qualify for these purposes would be made by the Dean or faculty member designated by the Dean as necessary."

Hope that helps. Good luck.

Thank you so much techlaw... But which one would be a better choice if I am to look at recruitments and brand name? I know beggars can't be choosers as there are only 2 law schools offering this kind of program, but I also need to know about the brand value/ recognition of such a degree. 2 years is a lot of time, after all! I need a solid degree!

Obviously Northwestern is the better option. It's a highly respected T-14 law school.

my thanks to both of you! we need more of good samaritans like you guys!

As mentioned earlier on this forum, while Nwstrn and Kansas have formal abridged programmes, they are not the only schools that give credit for a foreign law degree. There are plenty of law schools that grant advanced standing to students who already hold a law degree from a foreign jurisdiction, though they do not formally acknowledge that as a separate degree programme.

Thanks Raj... But how do I find out if there is no formal acknowledgement? Tricky... Trying to contact universities to enquire would be very tedious not to mention difficult for one.

You're right it IS tricky. What you have to do is dig through the frequently asked questions on their websites which tell you that advanced standing may be granted to international students already holding a first law degree. I belive UPenn and Duke say that on their websites. I think, and this is probably true, that most law schools would grant advanced standing in such cases. It's just that unlike Northwestern and Kansas, you would apply just like any other candidate for a JD degree. Then, if they admit you, they would consider whether or not to grant you advanced standing. Your application would be considered alongside all other JD applicants (including domestic applicants). Hence, there is no separate application form or separate designation. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have other questions.