Law school in Asia? Forum

Rosebud08 · Post by **Rosebud08** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 6:09 am

Long time TLS lurker here...I have a unique situation that I hope to get some advice on. I was anticipating starting law school in fall 15 but my husband's employer offered him a 3 year assignment in Shanghai beginning April 2014. I will have a job there as well so I'll have something to do there as well but I don't want to wait another 3 years to start law school. Unfortunately though, I'm not seeing a whole lot of options to get around that. I've tried researching joint China-US law schools in Shanghai but not having much luck. I've also considered the possibility of starting my first year at an EU school in China during the last year of my assignment and transferring back but I'm not seeing any programs for that either. I'm hoping someone on TLS might have some ideas on programs or creative solutions I can consider.

bombombom · Post by **bombombom** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 6:29 am

Rosebud08 wrote:Long time TLS lurker here...I have a unique situation that I hope to get some advice on. I was anticipating starting law school in fall 15 but my husband's employer offered him a 3 year assignment in Shanghai beginning April 2014. I will have a job there as well so I'll have something to do there as well but I don't want to wait another 3 years to start law school. Unfortunately though, I'm not seeing a whole lot of options to get around that. I've tried researching joint China-US law schools in Shanghai but not having much luck. I've also considered the possibility of starting my first year at an EU school in China during the last year of my assignment and transferring back but I'm not seeing any programs for that either. I'm hoping someone on TLS might have some ideas on programs or creative solutions I can consider.

Are you a Chinese now in China？ If you really want to study law abroad, you'd better apply some law schools according to your score. I dont think transfer is a good idea. LLM program right？

NapoleonXV · Post by **NapoleonXV** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:35 am

Chinese law schools are entirely different from US law schools, and you have to take gao kao (National College Entrance Examination) to study law at undergraduate level.

I would actually recommend Peking University School of Transnational Law. it is located in Shenzhen in the Southern part of China. It is a four year programme and upon graduation you will get JD and JM (Chinese master in law degree). The faculty is quite nice, though it is a new school. Link: http://stl.pku.edu.cn/en/

I am not sure about admissions, etc. but you may have a look at the website.

Hope this helps

TheSpanishMain · Post by **TheSpanishMain** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:23 am

I don't understand. You're hoping to go to law school in China and then practice law in the United States? Or stay in China?

Even if there were a joint program with a US law school, I can't imagine it's designed the way you're thinking. It's probably just an agreement where students can do a semester abroad. I can't imagine it's intended for someone to spend the entire three years there.

I think your only option is to wait three years, really.

Rosebud08 · Post by **Rosebud08** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:09 pm

Sorry I should clarify, I am American working for a MNC and I would be practicing law in the US after graduation. Once I get to China, if I found the right program, I could quit my job and attend law school full time with my husband supporting me.

NapoleonXV · Post by **NapoleonXV** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:12 pm

Rosebud08 wrote:Sorry I should clarify, I am American working for a MNC and I would be practicing law in the US after graduation. Once I get to China, if I found the right program, I could quit my job and attend law school full time with my husband supporting me.

FYI the PKU programme I linked to is the only programme in China that will qualify you for a bar exam

TigerDude · Post by **TigerDude** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:37 pm

from the link:

Q: Can students from Peking University School of Transnational Law apply for the U.S bar exam to be a U.S lawyer?
A: In order to be admitted to practice law in many states in the U.S., a candidate must have graduated from a school that has been accredited by the American Bar Association. STL has not been accredited by the American Bar Association at this time. The Dean, faculty, and administration of STL are continually apprised of the Standards and Rules of Procedure for the Approval of Law Schools by the American Bar Association. STL is determined to devote all necessary resources and take all necessary steps to present a program of legal education that will qualify for approval by the American Bar Association. However, STL makes no representation to any applicant that it will be approved by the American Bar Association prior to the graduation of any matriculating student.

Captainunaccountable · Post by **Captainunaccountable** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:37 pm

Check out NYU's International Business Law program in Singapore. They're partnered with University of Singapore. This is looking pretty cool actually.
http://www.law.nyu.edu/llmjsd/llmsingapore

Tekrul · Post by **Tekrul** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:39 pm

Nyu also has a thing in Shanghai. http://www.law.nyu.edu/global/globalopp ... d/shanghai

But it's only a semester, and the last semester at that. So by the time you'd get to shanghai, your husband would be ending his 3 year assignment.

Captainunaccountable · Post by **Captainunaccountable** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:49 pm

Tekrul wrote:Nyu also has a thing in Shanghai. http://www.law.nyu.edu/global/globalopp ... d/shanghai

But it's only a semester, and the last semester at that. So by the time you'd get to shanghai, your husband would be ending his 3 year assignment.

That's a semester abroad program, different then what I provided. Back off.

TheSpanishMain · Post by **TheSpanishMain** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:51 pm

Even if you could find one that would let you take the bar, how are you going to look for a US job in China? There's not going to be any OCI, internships, or real connections you can make, unless your current employer will guarantee you a job as a lawyer once you pass the bar.

TheSpanishMain · Post by **TheSpanishMain** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:39 pm

Captainunaccountable wrote:
Tekrul wrote:Nyu also has a thing in Shanghai. http://www.law.nyu.edu/global/globalopp ... d/shanghai

But it's only a semester, and the last semester at that. So by the time you'd get to shanghai, your husband would be ending his 3 year assignment.
That's a semester abroad program, different then what I provided. Back off.

"Back off"? Dude, calm down.

Going to a law school in China to practice in the US is not smart. Employers will have no idea who you are, since you won't have spent your summers with them. They'll have never heard of your school. You'll have no alumni base to lean on. Why would they hire you instead of one of the many, many other students looking for work that they've actually spent the summers with?

Rosebud08 · Post by **Rosebud08** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:05 pm

@ thespanishmain

All good points. I was looking to see if an American university has partnered with a Chinese university to offer an accredited JD. I know there are American university programs that do this with a multitude of other degrees - of course there would be a lot of complications with going to an unknown Chinese university. I don't think it would be impossible to summer at a firm in China as there are plenty of American firms in Shanghai and their work is done in English. I realize what I am trying to do is unconventional but I'd love to work in-house at a MNC so I was hoping to use my time in China to my advantage. Just exploring ideas on how to get where I want to go without waiting another 3 years before even beginning LS.

kobe1020 · Post by **kobe1020** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:07 am

actually a degree from PKU does NOT grant you a bar exam eligibility.

my friend went there the inaugural year graduated last year, working for a fairly big English law firm in Hongkong right now for a decent salary. Still, he is coming to US for LLM program in order to take the bar here. The program indeed has some of the top faculties and it was designed to earn the student the eligibility for bar exam upon graduation BUT obviously it didn't achieve its original purpose.

OP if you want to go there, remember the program is 4 years not 3.

I'm sure the school does OCI and decent large/multinational firms will participate. However, although possible, it is highly unlikely that you will find a law firm job at the local firm (including China Mainland and HK) that is willing to transfer you to their US office. Plus you will have to pass the bar to practice in America.

So as good as PKU program might look from the website, this program is probably not the one for you OP.

sparty99 · Post by **sparty99** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:50 am

Rosebud08 wrote:Long time TLS lurker here...I have a unique situation that I hope to get some advice on. I was anticipating starting law school in fall 15 but my husband's employer offered him a 3 year assignment in Shanghai beginning April 2014. I will have a job there as well so I'll have something to do there as well but I don't want to wait another 3 years to start law school. Unfortunately though, I'm not seeing a whole lot of options to get around that. I've tried researching joint China-US law schools in Shanghai but not having much luck. I've also considered the possibility of starting my first year at an EU school in China during the last year of my assignment and transferring back but I'm not seeing any programs for that either. I'm hoping someone on TLS might have some ideas on programs or creative solutions I can consider.

You need to wait another three years or leave at year two and go back to USA while your husband stays in China for his last year.

heythatslife · Post by **heythatslife** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:17 am

If you're dead set on becoming a lawyer and you want to practice in the US, then I think the best thing you can do for the next 3 years is to prepare thoroughly for the LSAT, kill the test, and then go to a good law school in the US.

If you go to a China-based school, it's possible that you'd get a job but you'll almost certainly be pigeonholed into this area for the rest of your career.

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