Which of these A-levels are best for a degree in law?

How on Earth do I get into American Law Schools with a British Undergraduate Law Degree??

• Currently studying for my LL.B. at the University of Nottingham (UK). Aspirations of completing an LL.M./JD in a top grad-school in the USA and practicing Law in New York/California (or elsewhere, undecided at the moment). I understand that there is much confusion as to 'GPA' conversions from British Degrees, and I'm lost as by the time I get to Law School I'll already have a Law Degree in another jurisdiction... Are there any simple routes from my current situation into the Law that I wish to practice? Will Graduate Schools in the USA look at me differently if I already have a Law Degree? Will the cost of such an education make it completely non-worthwhile? What recommendations or ideas do people have who've either gone through this, or know someone who has gone through this (or a similar dilemma) or know anything about this at all? Thanks! -M4pk.x

• Answer:

  You have a lot of questions and all of them have simple answers. 1) There is no confusion with GPA conversions for law school. When you apply to law schools in the U.S. you will be required to submit your school transcripts for evaluation using the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service. This is so that your foreign transcripts can be evaluated and the U.S. equivalence of them can be determined to see if you are eligible for law school and if you are, then which year of law school you will be entering. 2) To apply to law school, you will need to check the website for the law schools which you are interested in and obtain the required documentation. The two prerequisites that they require are a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent and LSAT (Law School Admission Test) scores. Beyond that each law school is different, in general you will need two letters of recommendation, a resume and a personal statement for your application - this is standard practice and the normal route to apply for admission. 3) You may have a law degree in the U.K. but in the U.S. an LL.B. holds very little weight since a J.D. is required and is the only law degree worth having if you wish to work and practice law in the U.S. The LL.B. is a Bachelor's in law and Law School in the U.S. is a graduate program, so no you will not be viewed differently, but you may find that your LL.B. will reduce your J.D. requirements by a year, meaning it will take you 24 months to graduate as opposed to 36 months, but this is dependent upon the evaluation by the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service. 4) The worthwhile and the cost depends on your career. If you want to work and practice law in the U.S. then yes, the cost is worthwhile and in the end a J.D. will pay for itself, by this I mean the average starting salary at entry level law firm is around $90,000 and it rises to six figures. Law School will cost you for, three years, around $105,000 or $70,000 for two years, not including living expenses. So yes, if you want to practice in the U.S. then it is more than worth it. 5) Recommendations or ideas. If the cost is a concern to you, then you could complete an LL.M in the U.K after your LL.B. and then you are looking at only doing a minimum of 12 months of law school in the U.S, again this is subject to the evaluation made by the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service, but if they agree with me, then you are only looking at around $35,000 (18,000 pounds) for the 12 months of law school, no including living expenses. However, if you have no desire to practice law in the U.S. then I would scrap the idea of studying for a J.D. here period. If you have any further questions or need clarification, then feel free to contact me directly and I would be more than happy to help.