What follows is an article that I wrote in 2005 about LL.B./J.D. programs. Given that the University of Toronto has changed their degree to a J.D. and Queen's, UBC and Western seem poised to follow, it might be worth reminding you what the LL.B. and J.D. are:

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http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/83303ffe5af03ed585256ae6005379c9/e108170e7921e81285256f95005c0dd1!OpenDocument

Law School Bound

JOINT LL.B./J.D. PROGRAMS - OSGOODE JUMPS IN!
Osgoode Hall Announces LL.B./J.D. Program With NYU Law School
By John Richardson
January 26, 2005
Introduction - Some Definitions

 In order to understand the following article, you will need to know the following definitions.

 LL.B. - A Bachelor of Laws - the three year law degree offered by Canada's common law schools. Common law applies in all Canadian
 provinces except Quebec. In Quebec, McGill is the only school that offers an LL.B.

 JD - Juris Doctor - the three year law degree offered by U.S. law schools.

 ABA - The American Bar Association

 "ABA Approved JD" - A JD approved by the American Bar Association. Those who have earned an "ABA approved JD" can take the bar exam in any U.S. state. Those without an "ABA Approved JD" can take the bar exam in only a small number of states.

What Is The New Osgoode Hall LL.B./JD Program?

 On January 25, 2005 Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, following the lead of the University of Windsor and the University Of Ottawa announced its new LL.B./JD program. The program provides an opportunity for students to earn both a Canadian LL.B. and a U.S. (ABA - American Bar Association approved) JD degree in four years. An "LL.B." is a three year Canadian law degree. A "JD" is a three year U.S. law degree. A "JD" that is `ABA" approved allows U.S. law graduates to take the bar exam in any U.S. state. The program has been structured so that students will do two back-to-back years at Osgoode and two back-to-back years at New York University Law School (NYU). Students will receive both the LL.B. and JD degrees at the end of the fourth year. Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan says that the program is contemplated to accommodate ten to twenty students per year.

 The program is open to both U.S. and Canadian students. The availability of joint LL.B./J.D. programs at Windsor, Ottawa and now Osgoode should stimulate U.S. interest in pursuing Canadian legal studies.

 (According to Dean Monahan, Osgoode is working on an additional program with NYU. This will be a joint LL.B./LL.M. program that can be completed in 3.5 rather than the usual 4 years.)

What Courses Will Students Take?

 Students will continue to take the normal first year at Osgoode Hall. This includes most of the courses that are required in law school. In second year students are free to take electives. In the two years at NYU, students will be free to take a large number of electives. Students will, however, be required to take some specific courses required by the ABA (including U.S. constitutional law and Civil Procedure).

Tuition :

 Two years of tuition fees will be paid to Osgoode (currently about $13,000 Canadian per year) and two years to NYU (currently about $35,000 U.S. per year). According to Dean Monahan, financial aid for the fees at NYU may be available to students in two ways:

 First, through the financial aid program at NYU; and

 Second, through Wall Street firms who will be encouraged to subsidize the difference between Osgoode's tuition fees and the fees charged by NYU.

Internship Opportunities:

 Osgoode will be working with the Canadian Consulate in New York to develop internship opportunities for Osgoode students in New York.

How To Apply:

 What are the logistics of applying to the program? Students can apply as part of their general application to Osgoode Hall Law School. In this case applicants must be accepted to both Osgoode's LL.B. program and the LL.B./J.D. program. Once in the law school, students can apply to the LL.B./J.D. program at the end of their first year. Those who are first year students at Osgoode in the fall of 2005 will be eligible to apply to the program in the spring of 2006 - at the end of their first year.

The Trend Toward Joint LL.B./J.D. Programs

 Long time readers of this newsletter will know how positive I have been toward programs of this type. The fact that Osgoode is following Windsor and Ottawa into this market means that three of the six Canadian law schools now have agreements with U.S. law schools allowing students to graduate with both Canadian and U.S. law degrees. In addition, McGill awards students both civil and common law degrees in three years. Joint law degree programs are getting more and more popular. I think it is likely that the remaining three Ontario law schools (U of T, Queen's and Western) and other Canadian schools will seek to establish similar programs.

 It is interesting to note that approximately four years ago the University of Toronto changed the designation of its law degree from an LL.B. to a JD. Pre-law students should note that the U of T JD is not an ABA approved JD like the JD available from Windsor, Ottawa and Osgoode.

The Value Of Joint LL.B./J.D. Programs

 I see three great benefits.

 First, Dean Monahan suggests that the demand for holders of joint LL.B./JD degrees will be high. It strikes me that, from the perspective of a Canadian law firm, by hiring a graduate of the program, a Canadian law firm is essentially "getting something for nothing." The value will be enhanced if the student also gets himself/herself admitted to a U.S. state bar after graduation. (In fairness it should be noted that it is possible for Canadian law graduates without U.S. law degrees to take the bar in some but not all U.S. states.)

 Second, graduates of the program will have permanent mobility in the U.S. Only those with ABA approved JD degrees have the right to take the bar exam in any U.S. state Third, graduates of the program will have a far superior legal education. There is no question that there is huge amount of business between the U.S. and Canada.

 Tracy Tyler of the Toronto Star commenting on the new program quoted Pamela Wallin as saying that Canada does more trade with the head office of Home Depot in Georgia, than it does with all of France. She also commented that there were about 300 treaties governing trade between the U.S. and Canada. Graduates of the program will be the best positioned lawyers to participate.

 Dean Monahan expects the Osgoode program will appeal to the most outstanding Osgoode applicants - who might have opted to forgo law school in Canada and go to a top tier U.S. law school. The program would give these people the best of both worlds.

How Does The Osgoode LL.B./JD Program Differ From Those Offered By Windsor And Ottawa?

 The theory is the same. All three schools give students the opportunity to achieve both U.S. and Canadian law degrees. The programs at Osgoode and Ottawa take four years (two years at each school). The program at the University Of Windsor has the advantage of taking only three years.) The University Of Windsor and the University Of Detroit are about 20 minutes apart.) Students in the University Of Ottawa's LL.B./JD program pay University of Ottawa tuition fees in each of their four years.

Summary Of Joint LL.B/JD Programs

 University Of Windsor - Partnered with The University Of Detroit - 3 year program

 University Of Ottawa - Partnered with both Michigan State University and with American University in Washington, DC - 4 year program

 Osgoode Hall - Partnered with NYU (New York University Law School) - 4 year program

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