Hi,

As a foreign trained lawyer looking for the fastest way to get write my NY bar exams, does anyone know about the "self directed LLM" offered at Thomas Cooley Law school. On the college website it states that,
"To earn the degree, the student must successfully complete 17 knowledge credits and seven skills or ethics credits, and have an overall cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 or better. A student who chooses to focus study on a specific legal area must successfully complete at least 18 credits in that legal subject area to have it designated on the LL.M. diploma".

Would this requirement help one meet the NY bar exam requirement that in order to cure any duration or substantive deficiency one should get at least 20 credits as part of the program of study. So would be it be just a matter of increasing my credits from 17 to 20 at Thomas Cooley or there is a hidden snag somewhere?

Hi Wilkers, To apply to the NY Bar exam 64 of the 83 credit hours must be earned in classroom study. I remember you saying that you earned a degree abroad. If you want to use this combined with the LLM at Cooley you need an LLM at an ABA approved school with a minimum of 24 credits, which Cooley offers. Each credit hour should be the equivalent of a classroom teaching with a minimum of 700 minutes and an instruction time period of instruction consisting of no fewer than two semesters of at least 13 calendar weeks .
You also need 2 credit hours in legal research, writing and analysis
2 credit hours in American legal studies
6 credit hours in other courses that principally focus on subject matter tested on the New York State bar examination
and a maximum of 4 credit hours in clinical courses
No credit is allowed for correspondence courses, on-line courses or distance learning.
I do not know about the details of Cooley's Teaching and curriculum. Why don't you ask them directly? If the selfdirected LLM does not qualify you to sit the ny bar exam their JD program does. They also offer a U.S. Legal Studies for Foreign Attorneys LL.M. program that prepares to Taking the Bar.

Thanks llmadvise, I'll contact the school for more information on the US Legal for Studies for Foreign Attorneys LL.M.