<p>I'm new here and haven't posted before so I'm hoping some one, or many have advice to offer. I have a few questions, so I suppose I'll break them down. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.</p>
<p>I'm starting the process of researching law schools in the US and abroad. I have yet to take (or study for) post-graduate tests, but know they are necessary. But I don't know what the different requirements are between the US and abroad, the UK for example.</p>
<p>1) Is there a different test other than the LSATs which I'll need to apply and be competitive for schools abroad? I'm looking into english speaking countries such as Ireland, Scottland, England, New Zealand and Australia.</p>
<p>2) Do schools abroad offer comparative financial aid to that of US institutions? How competitive is the international financial aid realm for US students?</p>
<p>I'm not looking to litigate, or even work in a big firm, but rather use the JD (or equivalent) for higher education and access into US federal jobs in the future (<10 yrs) which highly regard the degree.</p>
<p>3) Are higher education degrees from international institutions still held to the same regard with US schools if not from a top 10 school like Oxford or Cambridge? </p>
<p>4) Is there a difference in regard between international law and international graduate work such at Criminal Justice/ Criminology?</p>
<p>Your answers might prompt additional questions but these are the moajor ones and will help me narrow my search for US vs Abroad studies. Thank you again.</p>
<p>You should post your question in the Law School Forum. Click on “Discussion Home” in the upper-left of this screen, and then scroll down to find it.</p>
<p>In the US, Law is a graduate level program. In most other English-speaking countries, the first degree in law is an undergraduate program. Graduate level studies in law in those countries may not be equivalent to a typical law degree in the US. You need to contact the Education Officer at the closest Consulate of each of these countries. They will be able to help you find out more information about higher education in their countries.</p>
<p>What I know is that in Europe you indeed get an undergrad law degree (LL.B.) first after which you pursue a master degree (LL.M.). With an undergrad degree in law from Europe you can get into grad schools in the US. However it doesn’t work that way the other way around. You cannot get into grad school in Europe with a undergrad degree from the US.</p>
<p>“You cannot get into grad school in Europe with a undergrad degree from the US.”</p>
<p>Do you mean that you can’t get into a graduate program in law with only an undergraduate degree from the US? I know a number of people who have been admitted to graduate programs in subject areas other than law at European universities with US undergraduate degrees.</p>
<p>Yeah thats true, if you have an undergrad degree (with the right major in some cases) you can still go to grad school in Europe in most other areas but not law. That’s because here in Europe the undergraduate degree in law is only law; therefore a master degree is only 1 year. </p>
<p>It’s just that because the US doesn’t have undergraduate law degrees (the LL.B.) anymore for some reason, you have to first get the J.D. after undergrad and after that you can go to a grad school in Europe to get the LL.M. degree (which is the only degree offered at law schools in Europe generally).</p>
<p>If you want to eventually work in the US, why would you want to get your law degree in another country? Doesn’t make sense, since it will only complicate things. If you’re looking for an experience in another country, plenty of US law schools have study abroad opportunities.</p>
<p>We, if you want to practice law in the US, there’s no way of getting to an other country, it makes no sense. Of course, for international law, it could work, still, in case of law, the best thing if you remain in your country, wherever it is. </p>
<p>Regarding question number 3: NO. With the exception of Oxbridge, there are no other non US universities in the top 10, and even if Cambridge and Oxford are exceptionally good, top notch universities and bears a huge load of prestige worldwide, if you want to practice in the US, than go to Harvard or Yale Law School. That’s simple :)</p>
<p>Simon’s point is that you need a J.D. from a US law school to be accepted into an LLM program in the UK. A B.S or B.A alone are not sufficient for admission purposes.</p>
<p>An LL.B degree from a British university won’t automatically qualify you to practice law neither in the US, nor in the UK.</p>
<p>If you want to become a lawyer in the UK, you’ll have to take an additional vocational course after the LL.B (lasting typically one year) and then undergo a practical training stage under the supervision of a licensed lawyer. That may take one or two additional years beyond the vocational course depending on the type of lawyer you want to become. </p>
<p>On the other hand, in order to practice law in the US, you must normally get a J.D. from an accredited US law school and then pass a state’s bar exam. However, some states like New York allow holders of a 3-year LL.B from a common law country (e.g. Australia or the UK) to take the bar exam without having to attend a US law school. You still need to pass the exam though to be called to the state’s bar. </p>
<p>On your other point of using the LL.B as a qualification to join the U.S federal civil service, I am not sure if a British or Australian undergraduate law degree would give you any particular advantage in that respect over someone who holds any other relevant (4-year) U.S bachelor’s degree. </p>
<p>If you have already earned a B.S or B.A from an American university, it seems to me that going to Law School in the US would be the natural thing to do rather than going back to college in the UK/Australia for a second bachelor’s degree. You might consider going to the UK later for a one-year graduate master’s degree in law (LL.M), but, as explained in previous posts, you would have to earn an American J.D first to be eligible to apply for admission into an LL.M program.</p>