Hi there,

I am currently studying my final year of LLB at The Univerity of Manchester and seeking to practice law in the US after graduation.
I have read the posts concerning JD and LLM programmes, and find it difficult to work out what would, in reality, be best.
I understand that the JD is more recognised by comapnies but wouldnt that mean spending several years more studying and paying a large sum of cash, adding to the debt im already in.
I have also read posts which suggest takin the home 'bar' and then obataining certain qualifications to become an accredited attorney, but once again I find myself stuck in a dilema.
In the UK there is a divisional system, one can either become a barrister by taking the BVC (Bar vBcational Course) or a solictor by taking the LPC (legal Pratice Course), so if I wanted to practice in the US, which would I be obliged to take?

Thank you

If you seriously want to practice law in the US your best bet is to get a JD. With a JD you can take the bar in all 50 states. Also, if your goal is to work for a large US law firm, you will have a better opportunity with a JD. If you come to the US and take an LL.M you will only be allowed to be admitted in a few states. Finally, if you are a licensed attorney in the UK, you can take the bar exam in California without any further legal education. If you want to litigate, I would sit for the barrister license in the UK. However, if you are thinking about taking the California bar as a licensed foreign attorney, I would contact the California bar and confirm that the barrister license and soliciter license are both acceptable.

barrister or solicitor doesn't matter. personally though, i'd take the LPC solicitor route. get a tc with an international firm in london, and then move to the US. if you have pertinent experience eg 2-6 yrs in corporate finance, M&A, securities etc, the world is your oyster and NY will not be a hard move - no LLM necessary, perhaps not even the NY bar for the first few yrs, esp. in transactional fields.

US litigators are more like litigation solicitors in the UK rather than barristers. they rarely try cases, and most of the work is paper-based. there are very few lawyers in the US who are in court day in day out like a UK barrister - maybe DAs (but they're criminal only). few civil litigators here have as much advocacy experience as a UK barrister would.

for myself, i did a full JD at a first tier school (top 50), and have worked as a commercial litigator for a few years. i then sat the QLTT and qualified as an English solicitor. i already had a UK LLB. currently, i am licensed in two states and in England & Wales - BUT, jobs are hard to come by, either here or in the UK.

ironically, i'm now considering doing a UK-based LLM at the likes of Oxford (i wish!), LSE, UCL or Kings.

LLMs from the UK have some of the best job prospects in any given class, and receive offers earliest. If you can get into one of the "top" LLM programs, there's no need to do another three-year degree. Even if you're a fresh grad, there are Magic Circle firms with New York offices and Wall Street firms with London business waiting to snap up UK LLMs from the best schools. For example, Freshfields is just setting up its New York office and is recruiting heavily this year from among LLMs.