| Topic Name: |
Harvard/Columbia Law vs Cambridge/Oxford Law |
| Message Name: |
Britain's great... for grad law degrees |
| Date Posted: |
11/04/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
Am a former banker, don't want to practice law, but think I am better off with a law degree than a MBA... want to return to banking...
I have been thinking about the above schools, but can't decide... American or British? I figured that since I don't want to practice it really doesn't make a difference...
I already have a prestigious American undergrad, why not try something different... figure can't go wrong with Cambridge Law or Oxford Law?
thoughts?
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| Message: |
In general, law degrees in Britain are at the bachelor's degree level. After kids do their A and O level exams when they're 18, they go off to law school. Because of this, if you want to practice in the US, you would have to do an LL.M, either at a british or an american institution. I have heard that some universities in Britain are starting to offer J.D. programs, and if this is the case, you would probably do well there, as long as it's a good school. I don't believe Oxford or Cambridge are starting programs such as that one, though. Perhaps LSE?
Get a JD from an american school--it's a lot easier to get a job after graduation in anycase. Even though you want to return to banking, the bottom line is that the first british law degree that you earn would probably be an an undergrad degree (BA from Oxford, LL.B from Cambridge). That would not be as impressive as a JD from Harvard or Yale.
In general, though, Oxford and Cambridge are fantastic places to go for your BCL (Oxford) or LL.M (cambridge)--equivalent degrees, they're just called different things at those universities. The LL.M or BCL are great degrees if you want to specialize within the law. They're great degrees to do after a few years of years of work (post-JD), and you feel like taking a break from the real world.
Hope that helped.
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