Canadian law schools convert the LL.B. degree to J.D. degrees

Copyright © 2009, John Richardson. All Rights Reserved.

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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:

1. 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

2. The J.D. provides the academic qualification to become admitted to the bar in the U.S.

3. 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:http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/5457ed39bc56dbfd852571e900728656/e108170e7921e81285256f95005c0dd1!OpenDocument

These degrees continue to be popular. But, a number of Canadian law schools are now changing their LL.B. degrees to J.D. degrees.

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.

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 changehttp://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.