Top Law Schools

Anyone with experience have any thoughts on these schools. Plenty of programs in the US have partnerships with one or another, or both, but I have little practical knowledge of which program might translate into the best practice. Write if you have any information.

if you are considering doing a program such as the master in economic law at sciences po, be prepared to face opposition when you try to convince your state bar that you completed a first degree in law in france and are thus eligible to sit for the bar (because these type of degrees are technically not a first degree in law)

I am at Sciences Po, not in the law program though. If you consider to work in Paris, I heard Assas alumni dominate here, as Sc Po's Economic Law program is relatively new. But Sc Po is a good school and I am sure if you do well, you will still be up for great career opportunities.

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Thank you for all of your comments. I am aware of several T14 schools that have partnerships in Paris. Columbia and Cornell both have a 2 yr/2 yr program with Paris-Sorbonne (I may be wrong but I've been associating this program with Paris Assas). It's a JD/Master en droit combo. Duke has something similar but with a semester at Assas. All three programs boast theirs enable students to sit for the Paris bar.

I know several schools have a partnership with Sciences-Po too for the Master in Economic Law program. I'm not sure if this one puts students in the same position to sit for the bar or just positions them well to apply for reciprocity after passing the bar in the US.

My plan is to complete a program in both countries, pass the bar in the US and work in NY for a year or two at most before coming back to France. Ultimately, I want to build my career in Paris. I'm looking for the program that would best enable me to do that.

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Congratulations Cesar! We're you accepted by Cornell or Columbia?

Don't worry about the discussion including US schools. I'm interested in the French programs and universities but will be pursuing a JD too. I think it's inevitable to have some sort of discussion about them, unless one were applying directly to the French universities.

My understanding of reciprocity is that anyone can apply, regardless their program of study, but that candidates with a French-language degree were stronger.

Do you have any insight into how Paris-Sorbonne compares to Assas and Sciences Po?

Also, I'm curious (if I wanted to avoid the year or two in NY entirely) if it is possible to apply directly to the barreau de Paris and what the success rates of people in my position are.

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I'm finishing up 3l at Sciences Po (dual degree with UVA)

If you want to learn and practice french law go to Assas (you will learn nothing regarding french civil law at Sciences Po)

If you want to be an American lawyer at an American firm in Paris, then go to Sciences Po b/c of the strong network (and the fact that the program only takes one year instead of two)

You can PM if you'd like.

TFALAWL wrote:I'm finishing up 3l at Sciences Po (dual degree with UVA)

If you want to learn and practice french law go to Assas (you will learn nothing regarding french civil law at Sciences Po)

If you want to be an American lawyer at an American firm in Paris, then go to Sciences Po b/c of the strong network (and the fact that the program only takes one year instead of two)

You can PM if you'd like.

^basically this

Sciences-Po's law school is very new and it still functions largely as a masters program in political economy. The legal education is very international and when its not theory-driven, its focusing on specific international practice areas like arbitration and competition law. So yea, don't go there for french law; Assas is the older, more reputable program domestically, while Sciences Po is the more eminent name abroad and in the states.