D. FEATURE – JOINT LL.B./J.D. PROGRAMS – OSGOODE JUMPS IN!
Osgoode Hall
Announces LL.B./J.D. Program With NYU Law School
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.)
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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.
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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 in three years. 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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