[rgsmith91]

Hi,

I have recently graduated from Oxford (non-law). I am about to take a year out, but the end game is a career at the Bar.

I would like, however, to spend some time in education in either the US or Canada prior to beginning my career. I was wondering if anyone could help me with how feasible the following route is:

GDL --> LLM in US/Canada --> BPTC

I am aware that any study abroad is potentially very expensive (I would be hoping to get a scholarship of some sort) and not strictly necessary. However, there is more to life in my view that taking the shortest possible route to pupillage and I'd like to experience life abroad for a while for more reasons that simply my career (although I am sure it would not harm the CV). The nub of my question I suppose is would the top US/Canadian law schools be satisfied with the GDL in terms of entry requirements?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[jacketpotato]

I think you might have problems in the US. The US does not have an equivalent to the GDL; law schools won't be familiar with the concept of a one-year law crash course and might not give it the weight of a full law degree. For example, Harvard requires a full law degree (see http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospecti...ity/index.html).

That said, it is worth doing your research. Perhaps try contacting specific law schools and asking. Different schools will have different admissions policies. Good luck.

[Luckypupil]

After the BPTC, I went to Jamaica to work at a legal firm in Kingston. Because it is a common law system with essentially the same CPR I found that I was very useful. You can study there and do the one year conversion at the Norman Manley School (but you need to do the BPTC first). I had the greatest time of my life out there. Worked hard and partied even harder. If you like Jamaican girls you will have an amazing time. I met Lennox Lewis, Usain Bolt and mixed with the great and the good.

Came back and got pupillage at a commercial set after my first interview!

[Med2Ky]

I gained an LL.M in the US (purely out of personal interest), and am now pursuing a training contract. If you want to do it, go for it (great life experience and lots of fun living in the U.S), but be prepared to DEFEND your decision. One thing I have found in training contract interviews is that because I completed an LL.M in the US, interviewers are now (VERY unfairly) questioning my commitment to UK law/practising in the UK.

Interviewers seem to be convinced that I will 'run off' and owkr in the US- and are NOT quick to accept (or even beleive) my long list of genuine reasons why I: a). Want to work in the UK at a UK firm, b). Do NOT want to work in the US.

I beleive this may be an even greater problem if you intend to go to the UK Bar- it may look even stranger to have studies in the US, and now want to work at the UK bar, bearing in mind less of what you learned in the US may be relevant.

*This is totally my opinion, and dont get the impression I am against getting experience overseas/taking awesome opportunities when they come.

[rgsmith91]

An update if anyone is interested: I've sent some emails around and the vast majority of North American law schools are content with the GDL. Yale and the University of Toronto are the only two that have said it wouldn't be sufficient.

LLM's are generally geared towards international students and most are familiar with the UK system.

[tricia15]

Hi, please share the feedback you got from Canadian schools?