Canadian law schools convert LL.B. to J.D.
Canadian law schools convert the LL.B. degree to J.D. degrees
Copyright © 2009, John Richardson. All Rights Reserved.
Those of you who are considering law school in North America must understand what North American law degrees are, how they relate to the process of becoming a lawyer, and the difference between an ABA (American Bar Association) approved J.D. and a non-ABA approved J.D. Furthermore, you should understand how the joint LL.B./J.D. programs work at Canadian law schools (For an article on LL.B./J.D. programs in general see: http://www.prep.com/LW.pdf)
This article should be seen as an update to an article I wrote a number of years about “How To Become A Lawyer In North America” which appears here:
http://www.trininetwork.com/news/lawart3.htm
North American Common Law Degrees
All of the U.S. states and Canadian provinces (with the exception of Louisiana and Quebec) are based on the “common law” tradition. Quebec and Louisiana are based on the “civil” law tradition. This article will focus on the common law degrees. In the United States law schools award the J.D. (Juris Doctor). Canada is part of the British Commonwealth. Canadian law schools, until recently, have awarded the LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws).
More On The LLB.? – The Role It Plays Towards Becoming A Lawyer
The LL.B. degree is a designation which means “Bachelor of Laws”. It is the basic law degree which has been offered by law schools in the British Commonwealth. It is by definition an undergraduate degree. In the U.K., it is common for students to study law as an undergraduate subject. Canada has 15 law schools which traditionally offered the LL.B. degree. After earning this degree, students would use this degree as the academic qualification to complete the licensing process to become a lawyer in a Canadian province.
More On The J.D. – The Role It Plays Towards Becoming A Lawyer
The J.D. degree is a designation which means “Juris Doctor”. An interesting article about the origins of the J.D. may be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor#Canada
It is important to recognize:
- In the U.S., the J.D. is a graduate degree. People attend law school in the U.S. after having earned a bachelors degree; and
- The J.D. provides the academic qualification to become admitted to the bar in the U.S.
- There is a difference between a J.D. that is “ABA approved” and a J.D. that is not “ABA” approved. An “ABA Approved” J.D. will allow one to take the bar exam in any U.S. state. A J.D. that is NOT “ABA Approved” will NOT allow one to take the bar exam in any state, but will normally allow one to take the bar exam in some U.S. states.
Canadian law schools and the J.D. degree – Joint LLB./J.D. Programs
Over the last decade, three Canadian law schools (Windsor, Ottawa and Osgoode) have partnered with U.S. law schools to offer a joint LL.B./J.D. program. In each case, the students would earn two degrees:
- a Canadian LL.B. degree
- a U.S. J.D. degree which is ABA approved.
For an earlier article I wrote on these degrees see:
The key point is that graduates of Canadian LL.B./J.D. programs earn a J.D. from a U.S. law school that is ABA approved.
These degrees continue to be popular.
A number of Canadian law schools are now changing their LL.B. degrees to J.D. degrees. This change should be seen as an “LL.B.” with a name change.
Canadian law schools – converting the LL.B. to the J.D.
When a Canadian law school changes from the LL.B. to the J.D. (which they all are or will), it should be seen as an “LL.B. with a name change. A J.D. from a Canadian law school is not an “ABA Approved” J.D. In other words a Canadian J.D. degree will not allow one to take the bar exam in any U.S. state. (There are some U.S. states which will allow Canadian law graduates – whether an LL.B. or J.D.) – to take their bar exam.)
Three points are important:
1. Again to be clear – a J.D. from a Canadian law school is NOT ABA approved and therefore will not allow one to take the bar exam in any U.S. state.
2. Graduates of Canadian LLB./J.D. programs will have earned an ABA approved J.D. from an American law school in addition to a Canadian law degree from a Canadian law school. Because they will have an ABA approved J.D. from an American law school, they will be able to take the bar exam in any U.S. state.
3. A Canadian law school that has an LL.B./J.D. program (I am thinking specifically of Osgoode) who then changes their LL.B to a J.D. will be in exactly the same position as in “2″ above. Specifically graduates will earn a non-ABA approved J.D. from Osgoode and an ABA approved J.D. from NYU.
Why are Canadian law schools converting the J.D.?
It is the view of many Canadian law schools that the J.D. is better regarded internationally. Although I am unwilling to express an opinion on that, I will refer you to the following articles:
http://www.globecampus.ca/in-the-news/globecampusreport/why-change-to-a-jd-degree/
Queen’s – Rationale for change
http://law.queensu.ca/students/lss/jdProposal.html
Canadian Lawyer reports that Dalhousie is also considering the change from LL.B. to J.D.
What Canadian law schools have converted to the J.D.?
At the present time the following schools have converted their LLB. degrees to J.D. degrees:
- University of Toronto
- Queen’s
- Osgoode
- University of British Columbia
Those considering the transition include:
- University of Western Ontario
- University of Calgary
- Dahousie
McGill - change under consideration:
http://mcgilljd.blogspot.com/
Note also the following Facebook group which makes it clear that the University of Calgary is also making the switch to the J.D.
Osgoode – change under consideration:
http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/58912001c091cdc8852569300055bbf9/6fb85805a130278385257401006bbab2!OpenDocument
University of British Columbia – Change made:
http://www.law.ubc.ca/news/2008/sept/09_02_2008_jd.html
Western – change made:
http://www.law.uwo.ca/News/Sept_08/JD.html
My prediction – it won’t be long until the LL.B. has become extinct in Canada.
Is it just me or are there contradictions within this section please? Thank you.
Canadian law schools – converting the LL.B. to the J.D.
When a Canadian law school changes from the LL.B. to the J.D. (which they all are or will), it should be seen as an “LL.B. with a name change. A J.D. from a Canadian law school is not an “ABA Approved” J.D. In other words a Canadian J.D. degree will not allow one to take the bar exam in any U.S. state. (There are some U.S. states which will allow Canadian law graduates – whether an LL.B. or J.D.) – to take their bar exam.)
Hence, graduates of Canadian LLB./J.D. programs will have earned an ABA approved J.D. in addition to a Canadian law degree.
Hello Heather:
Thanks very much for your comment. I see why you think the paragrah may be confusing. I have rewritten the paragraph to clarify.
Hope this is an improvemment and is now clear.
The key point is that LL.B./J.D. programs allow one to earn two law degrees from both an American law school and a Candadian law school.
John Richardson
http://www.lawschoolbound.org
Almost all Canadian law schools have changed, or are in the process of changing, or are seriously contemplating a change to the JD from the factual mistake of history where in England one could go directly to law school from high school (similar to the MB for medical schools in England instead of the MD). In Canada, and in most of the Common Law countries, a college degree or its equivalent is required before entry to law school. As such, a second bachelors (i.e., LLB) is not the same as a post-bachelors law program. Additionally, there is substantially greater study (about twice as many credits) in law school than a masters program. Therefore, a professional doctorate is more appropriate. Lastly, the very first doctorate (nearly 1000 years ago) was in law. Lawyers have a rightful place to claim a doctorate, both practically and historically.
Thanks for your interesting comment. Do you know where one would have earned that first doctorate in law?
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