Duke or KCL



[Edited by anywaysidek on Jan 23, 2024]

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balloonlaw

That’s a tough one. Where did you do your LLB/JD? Can you be called to the bar in the US without a US LLM?

King’s is slightly better ranked on QS (15th vs 29th) and may have an edge in the UK and Europe. It’s also located in one of the world’s great cities—that may be a pro or con, depending on your view.


Duke is obviously better known in the US and is a member of the T14.

Are you paying sticker for both? Any scholarships? I don’t think Duke is worth it over King’s if you’re self-funding. Outcomes will be similar. Are you planning to do a specialized degree or a general? 

That’s a tough one. Where did you do your LLB/JD? Can you be called to the bar in the US without a US LLM?<br><br>King’s is slightly better ranked on QS (15th vs 29th) and may have an edge in the UK and Europe. It’s also located in one of the world’s great cities—that may be a pro or con, depending on your view.<br><br><br>Duke is obviously better known in the US and is a member of the T14.<br><br>Are you paying sticker for both? Any scholarships? I don’t think Duke is worth it over King’s if you’re self-funding. Outcomes will be similar. Are you planning to do a specialized degree or a general?&nbsp;<br>
quote

That’s a tough one. Where did you do your LLB/JD? Can you be called to the bar in the US without a US LLM?

King’s is slightly better ranked on QS (15th vs 29th) and may have an edge in the UK and Europe. It’s also located in one of the world’s great cities—that may be a pro or con, depending on your view.


Duke is obviously better known in the US and is a member of the T14.

Are you paying sticker for both? Any scholarships? I don’t think Duke is worth it over King’s if you’re self-funding. Outcomes will be similar. Are you planning to do a specialized degree or a general? 


I did an LLB in the Netherlands and I’ll have to self-fund both. Based on Duke scholarships I think they will both end up being the same cost overall.

My LLB is in international law and I dont speak dutch so the dutch bar is also not an option… I would get the DC Bar in the US but ofc after KCL I could also do the SQE…

I would not do a specialization in either. To be honest I am generally very undecided about where I even want to work, so I just want whatever would give the most opti

[quote]That’s a tough one. Where did you do your LLB/JD? Can you be called to the bar in the US without a US LLM?<br><br>King’s is slightly better ranked on QS (15th vs 29th) and may have an edge in the UK and Europe. It’s also located in one of the world’s great cities—that may be a pro or con, depending on your view.<br><br><br>Duke is obviously better known in the US and is a member of the T14.<br><br>Are you paying sticker for both? Any scholarships? I don’t think Duke is worth it over King’s if you’re self-funding. Outcomes will be similar. Are you planning to do a specialized degree or a general?&nbsp;<br> [/quote]<br><br>I did an LLB in the Netherlands and I’ll have to self-fund both. Based on Duke scholarships I think they will both end up being the same cost overall.<br><br>My LLB is in international law and I dont speak dutch so the dutch bar is also not an option… I would get the DC Bar in the US but ofc after KCL I could also do the SQE…<br><br>I would not do a specialization in either. To be honest I am generally very undecided about where I even want to work, so I just want whatever would give the most opti<br>
quote
balloonlaw

That’s a tough one. Where did you do your LLB/JD? Can you be called to the bar in the US without a US LLM?

King’s is slightly better ranked on QS (15th vs 29th) and may have an edge in the UK and Europe. It’s also located in one of the world’s great cities—that may be a pro or con, depending on your view.


Duke is obviously better known in the US and is a member of the T14.

Are you paying sticker for both? Any scholarships? I don’t think Duke is worth it over King’s if you’re self-funding. Outcomes will be similar. Are you planning to do a specialized degree or a general? 


I did an LLB in the Netherlands and I’ll have to self-fund both. Based on Duke scholarships I think they will both end up being the same cost overall.

My LLB is in international law and I dont speak dutch so the dutch bar is also not an option… I would get the DC Bar in the US but ofc after KCL I could also do the SQE…

I would not do a specialization in either. To be honest I am generally very undecided about where I even want to work, so I just want whatever would give the most opti


Got it. If the costs are about the same (are you including col, as London is a lot more expensive than Durham?), the bar/sqe is a wash, specializations are not a factor, and I don’t see you mentioning PhD/SJD goals, then I’d probably go with whatever one instinctively feels better. They both have similar stature in their own countries and are respected by those who know on both sides of the Atlantic. It probably depends on whether you want to establish more of a presence in the US or UK.

One last thing I’ll mention is LLMs for practicing lawyers tend to be more common in Europe. This is fairly rare in the US (outside a few areas like tax) and employers there will likely not care much about it. Hope this helps a little. Good luck with your decision! 

[quote][quote]That’s a tough one. Where did you do your LLB/JD? Can you be called to the bar in the US without a US LLM?<br><br>King’s is slightly better ranked on QS (15th vs 29th) and may have an edge in the UK and Europe. It’s also located in one of the world’s great cities—that may be a pro or con, depending on your view.<br><br><br>Duke is obviously better known in the US and is a member of the T14.<br><br>Are you paying sticker for both? Any scholarships? I don’t think Duke is worth it over King’s if you’re self-funding. Outcomes will be similar. Are you planning to do a specialized degree or a general?&nbsp;<br> [/quote]<br><br>I did an LLB in the Netherlands and I’ll have to self-fund both. Based on Duke scholarships I think they will both end up being the same cost overall.<br><br>My LLB is in international law and I dont speak dutch so the dutch bar is also not an option… I would get the DC Bar in the US but ofc after KCL I could also do the SQE…<br><br>I would not do a specialization in either. To be honest I am generally very undecided about where I even want to work, so I just want whatever would give the most opti<br> [/quote]<br><br>Got it. If the costs are about the same (are you including col, as London is a lot more expensive than Durham?), the bar/sqe is a wash, specializations are not a factor, and I don’t see you mentioning PhD/SJD goals, then I’d probably go with whatever one instinctively feels better. They both have similar stature in their own countries and are respected by those who know on both sides of the Atlantic. It probably depends on whether you want to establish more of a presence in the US or UK.<br><br>One last thing I’ll mention is LLMs for practicing lawyers tend to be more common in Europe. This is fairly rare in the US (outside a few areas like tax) and employers there will likely not care much about it. Hope this helps a little. Good luck with your decision!&nbsp;
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Michael P.

Balloon is making good points here. I would like to add that KCL is definitely more well-known in Europe, so you could potentially find yourself in places like Brussels or Luxembourg after graduation.

Balloon is making good points here. I would like to add that KCL is definitely more well-known in Europe, so you could potentially find yourself in places like Brussels or Luxembourg after graduation.
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