Hey!

I'm currently in my final year of study of LLB. I wish to work in the States for at least 5-6 years. From all the information I have gathered from this wonderful forum and otherwise, suggests that I should go for a JD. While that sounds great, I cannot for the life of me take LSAT coz I know I would score pathetically ( as I always do at competitive exams). That being said I'm a top student and rank in top 2% of my class at a university which is in 18th position in my country.

Apparently, it is possible to shift to JD from an LLM but most of them do not confer you with a LLM degree. Could you suggest some universities which allow LLM degree to be retained after the transfer. I know University of Pennsylvania does. Any other? Also from my credentials is it possible for me to get an admission in UPenn??

Guys... Cmon ... Anyone ??? Would reallyyyy appreciate some thoughts :-)

Hi. From what i know there are a few options for you. First you could try to apply for the JD in the US (based on your LLB - without the need for the LLM). But as you said you dont want to attempt the LSAT that would not be a realistic option for you. But if you did change your mind and did the LSAT and applied for a US JD they would consider your LLB as a first degree only. As this is an undergraduate law degree you won't earn any transfer credits, etc. So it be another 3 years doing the JD before you could take the US Bar and work in the US. And getting a work visa post graduation is not gauranteed.

Second (assuming your LLB is from a UK univiersity) you could graduate the LLB, finish the LPC and then apply for training contracts. Once you were qualified in the UK (finished the training contract) you would need to do an LLM in a US law school, then take the US Bar and could then work in a US law firm. So thats another 4 years of school, training contract, etc after you finish the LLB before you could work in the US. And its no gaurantee you will get a training contract. So if you can't then you could not take the US Bar and thus could not work in the US.

Or third, you could finish the LLb (since your almost done now anyway). And then do what I am doing. You could get a JD from a UK university. The College of Law (CoL) of england & whales is doing the first Uk JD.....its brand new. But the big benefits of it for you are that its only 2 1/2 years (not 3 like in the US), its half what the US JD will cost and is approved by the NY Bar and taught by NorthWestern law school faculty (#10 law school in the US) but taught at the CoL london campus. The 2 schools are collaborating on the JD programme. But the JD will be from the CoL. So once you finish the CoL JD you could then just fly out to NY and take the Bar. So that would be the quickest, cheapest way for you to reach the goal of working in the US.....of 2 1/2 years on the CoL JD + 6 months Bar prep at Bar/Bri = 3 yrs from now to have a JD and be working in the US.

Plus, it has a built in back-up plan. That if the US wont give you a work visa, you will still have the US Bar you took and can fly back to the UK and take the QLTS (UK Bar transfer exam). If you already passed a Bar somewhere else, the UK lets you side-step the 2 yr training contract and you can just take a new written exam (Like the US has) to pass the UK Bar and work in the UK. And the years spent on the CoL JD would be sufficient to let you apply for a Graduate Visa in the UK to give you 2 yrs to work or look for work in the UK after getting the JD. And from there you would have alot of options of re-applying for a longer work visa, etc.

See this thread on the topic on the Discussion Board for the UK for more info on this....... "the reputation of College of Law (of England and Wales)". It has alot of info on the CoL JD.

Good luck.

Wow! First of all thank you soo much for giving so much information. I really regret telling you that I'm an Indian law student and will be a qualified lawyer (bar member) in June next year, i.e. 2011. I don't need another route to take the NY bar or California bar, for that matter. I will be eligible to do so in 6 months. That being said, I think you have provided a very useful information for UK lawyers especially. I'm sure any of them reading this post would appreciate your thoughts very much :-)

All I wanted to know was which LLM programs would allow me to shift to the JD programs, if possible with advance standing.

One thing you mentioned interests me - is it really that difficult to get a work visa once you are a qualified jd with bar membership in the US? Wouldn't some law firm (at least mid sized) hire and sponsor you, if you are a strong candidate?

No worries. I misunderstood....thought you were on your LLb now, etc. Best of luck on the Bar! As for the JD/LLM transfer i am not sure. But i think NorthWestern has some programmes that may interest you. As for the work visa.....since 9/11 the US has cracked down alot of immigration. And all i would say is its something you would need consider before spending so much time, money, etc. There is no gaurantee the firms in the US would sponsor you.

But not to say its not possible.....just impossible to predict if they will. But in life no harm no foul right?

All i was mentioning before was that if your are thinking of what to do.....if....the US firms don't grant you a visa.....was to consider the UK as a back-up.

There is a new transfer exam in the UK called the QLTS that if you have pased a Bar (like india, US, etc) you can transfer that to the UK. Just need to pass the QLTS exams. And i think the Indian Bar exempts you from some of the tests. So would only have to sit a few of them.

And the UK is much more open to granting visa's to asian students, lawyers, etc.

Atleast thats been my experience.

Just some food for thought. Never hurts to have back-up plans.

Good luck....with it all.

Thank you for being so positive. As you mentioned, it is easier to take QLTS and qualify as a UK solicitor. But, would that really guarantee a job in this market? Since you are studying with an English university currently, what are your views on this? Do you think that a foreign attorney with only a license to practice, and no additional degrees like LLB or LLM will find employment with the good (or at least middle range) firms?