THE MALET STREET GAZETTE
EST. 1998
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EST. 1998 |
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1858-2008 University of London External Programme 150th Birthday Events
Earn Your University of London LL.B Degree Online with ICLS
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The Strict ABA First Law School Degree Rule January 30, 1999 As a London LLB Student and Graduate, you may have to consider applying as an "advanced student" in a JD program to be admitted to the State of your choice. Unlike New York, Ohio, and Maine for example, where 24 credits from an ABA law school may meet their educational requirements, other States like Georgia and New Jersey have strict rules. States like Georgia expressly will not allow you to take their Bar Examination unless you have a US ABA first law degree or a Georgia State Bar Approved Law School law degree. Note the emphasis on "first." This has significant consequences. Such a requirement does not expressly allow you to use either 24 credits from an ABA Law School, or even an ABA LLM. In fact, you could be admitted to the Bar in New York State using your London LLB, practice for years, and still not meet the Georgia Bar's educational rule for their attorney's examination. The latter requires that attorneys too have their first law degree from an ABA law school. Is this fair? Is this just another rule designed to protect the economic interests of Georgia State Attorneys? Whether this is true or not, it does result in fewer attorneys taking the Georgia State Bar, and consequently increasing the fees paid by clients in Georgia. Does this rule help maintain or protect the "quality" of legal services offered in Georgia? These are not academic questions, but real issues that are being addressed today in State and Federal Courts across the US. So, where does this leave the London LLB degree holder? For States like Georgia, you have two options. First, petition the Office of Bar Admission for a waiver from their strict educational ABA first law degree rules. The burden of proof is on you to prove that your educational qualifications merit a waiver from the ABA standard. The odds are that you will not succeed at this; however, you should do this first. If you are denied a waiver, then you have no choice but to apply to a US ABA Law School as a JD candidate. As a JD candidate, some schools will consider your application on a "advanced standing basis," meaning that you will probably need to spend about two years or less completing your JD. Once you complete your JD, you will meet every State's educational requirement in so far as your law school degree is concerned. The moral of this story is - contact your US State Bar Admissions Office before you do anything. Obtain each State's Bar Admission Rules, and read them very carefully. Call the Bar Admissions office and ask questions. Write to them with your questions. Each case is unique, and despite the restrictions outlined above, there can be exceptions. The only true source of accurate information with respect to your academic credentials for meeting a particular State's Bar Admission requirements, is that State's Bar Admission Board. Good Luck!
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