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I´m going to start a LLB program at a British university this fall and plan to apply to a US-Law School afterwards. I´ve heard that there is a fast-track procedure at Northwestern where you´d only have to study 2 years to receive a JD. Is this true for other law schools as well? Do you have to pass a special test, beside the regular admissions process, to be admitted to the shortened program or is having a LLB enough?

Thank you in advance for any helpful answers.

TheInquirer wrote:I´m going to start a LLB program at a British university this fall and plan to apply to a US-Law School afterwards. I´ve heard that there is a fast-track procedure at Northwestern where you´d only have to study 2 years to receive a JD. Is this true for other law schools as well? Do you have to pass a special test, beside the regular admissions process, to be admitted to the shortened program or is having a LLB enough?

Thank you in advance for any helpful answers.

This is a special program at Northwestern. There are a couple of other schools that do it, but they are very few and not the norm.

Also the Northwestern program pretty much requires a lot of work experience before hand. And while you graduate in 2 years, you take the same number of classes as the three year program. It is just an accelerated program that has you take additional classes in the summer.

Edit: Link for NU program: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/academics/ajd/

Note that you are required to have at least two years of post graduate work experience just to apply. I imagine most people accepted have much more than that, and they prefer that it be non-legal.

Edit: My bad. See below.

Why are you gonna do both? there are quicker ways to qualify in both countries.

Columbia has a duel degree program w several london schools so if youre at any of those then its faster.

GW will give you a year of advanced standing so you can be out in two years (or three PT as I am doing). I went to KCL undergrad law, they had a duel LLB/JD thing going on with Columbia, but I didn't know I wanted to come here at the time you had to apply.

CyLaw wrote:

TheInquirer wrote:I´m going to start a LLB program at a British university this fall and plan to apply to a US-Law School afterwards. I´ve heard that there is a fast-track procedure at Northwestern where you´d only have to study 2 years to receive a JD. Is this true for other law schools as well? Do you have to pass a special test, beside the regular admissions process, to be admitted to the shortened program or is having a LLB enough?

Thank you in advance for any helpful answers.

This is a special program at Northwestern. There are a couple of other schools that do it, but they are very few and not the norm.

Also the Northwestern program pretty much requires a lot of work experience before hand. And while you graduate in 2 years, you take the same number of classes as the three year program. It is just an accelerated program that has you take additional classes in the summer.

Edit: Link for NU program: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/academics/ajd/

Note that you are required to have at least two years of post graduate work experience just to apply. I imagine most people accepted have much more than that, and they prefer that it be non-legal.

This is the program that you meant. The Accelerated JD is different from the 2-year JD for international students. Below is he link for the later.

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/graduate/jd2.html

Thanks for the answers everyone.

I´ll be at UCL, so yes they have a partnership program with Columbia but it´s very hard to get into, apparently. Only two spots every year.

In case I didn´t get into that program and chose to do a LLM instead, how would that affect my employability? Could someone with a British LLB and an American LLM stand a good chance for securing a job at a larger law firm?

TheInquirer wrote:Thanks for the answers everyone.

I´ll be at UCL, so yes they have a partnership program with Columbia but it´s very hard to get into, apparently. Only two spots every year.

In case I didn´t get into that program and chose to do a LLM instead, how would that affect my employability? Could someone with a British LLB and an American LLM stand a good chance for securing a job at a larger law firm?

Hey, I went to UCL too and I'm applying for JDs this cycle. The Columbia program is extremely competitive; my friend who got it was first in our class in first year and the other person was second... needless to say I was frustrated (I'm American, and they were German and Israeli). I would not do an LLM. They are generally considered to be a waste of money, and really don't help employability in the States. It is so good that you are thinking so far ahead. Work your butt off at UCL (and have a great time!), apply for the Columbia program (make sure your first year marks are amazing, if possible), and failing that, begin cultivating good relationships with some of your tutors. I never did, and that is one of my regrets (my LORs might be lukewarm). Some schools like Fordham, Duke and Cornell (and others, though those are the ones I researched) might be willing to give you advanced standing credit of one year for the LLB, so it'll be two years but you have more choices. On the other hand, you might decide, as I did, that an extra year of studying is worth it in exchange for going to the best school possible.

Again, good luck and have fun at UCL! God I miss it there.