Chris Firtouns

Hi,

I would like to study law in the UK and start working somewhere in Europe afterward.

I do not intend to come back to Canada. I have an undergraduate degree in political science and am considering between going to the law school here or in the United Kingdom. Given the fact that I would like to settle in Europe or the UK I would rather go to the law school in England.

However I have some apprehension as far as the quality of the legal education and training in the UK is concerned.

It is frequently stated on the following website that due to the fact that it is a first entry level program, the course load and content in typical British law school is lighter ( 4 subjects per year vs 10 subjects per year here ) compared with a typical Canadian law school.

http://lawstudents.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=22350

Could someone please elaborate on this topic? Is British legal education inferior to Canadian one?

Chris.

iaink

Hmm, I suspect the answer is "No", and have some reservations about allowing this thread to be posted, so if everyone could try and be on their best behaviour I wont have to come back and delete it.

fledermaus

Does it matter which is superior? Surely you study in the country you want to practice in.

dbd33

Not necessarily, if the countries in question are the US and Canada then a degree from one can get you started in the other, so factors such as cost and being able to find a place gain importance. If it's Canada vs. the UK, then, yes, I'd think so, especially since cultivating contacts is so important.

iaink

Makes sense to me, especially in light of peoples experiences here of training in the UK and seeking to move to Canada.

I know British engineering courses are CLEARLY superior

Almost Canadian

I have an English LL.B. but I have also taken equivalent exams in Canada to requalify.

I post on a number of legal fora, mostly, the Canadians believe that their LL.B. is superior due to the fact that one has to have an undergraduate degree before starting the LL.B. They always state that, "One can go to law school from high school in the UK" I try to tell them that this would be impossible as one would need A levels to gain access to the LL.B.

The fact is that most law schools in Canada will accept applications for an LL.B. from undergraduates with only 2 years of University education. One could argue that this is the same as the UK is one accepted that a grade 12 in Canada is the equivalent of the requisite number of passes at GCSE that would be required to progress to A Levels.

I have practised in the legal profession in both Canada and the UK. The Canadian practice is way more academic, the UK practice is way more practical. I believe the training lawyers obtain in the UK is far better than that obtained in Canada. It seems to me that getting into law school is much harder in Canada than it is in the UK but that, once that is achieved, few actually fail to go on to obtain their LL.B. and qualify as a lawyer. Lots of my class in the UK failed to obtain their LL.B. and, of those that did, less than 30% went on to qualify as a lawyer.

There is a huge shortage of law schools in Canada. As a result of this, competition for places at law school is intense and the criteria to achieve is an undergraduate degree. However, even this is skewed somewhat. Most potential LL.B. students in Canada pick an "easier" degree to enable them to obtain top marks as it is only the GPA that is considered. In the UK, the difficulty of the subject taken is also considered so, in my opinion, the top students actually are selected as opposed to those that took the easier course. I accept this is a generalisation.

What I say to those that raise this as an issue is this: look at the lawyers that act in truly international fora. Who did Michael Schumacher instruct for his hearings with the FIA? Which court system arbitrates most marine disputes? Can you name a famous English lawyer? Can you name a famous Canadian one? On the issue of which court system is better, which system overturned the Supreme Court of Canada`s decision on the Famous 5`s "person" case?

If you want to practice in Canada, use the Canadian system. You will know nothing different and will think it is the epitome of excellence. If you want access to the UK system, go to the UK. Many UK lawyers make the transition across relatively easily (by that I mean remain in practice for a long time - passing exams is easy). Very few Canadians make the transition to the larger English law firms after first practising in Canada. Ask yourself why.

I would say that there is little difference between the average Canadian LL.B. student and the UK one.

iaink

An informed reply if ever I saw one. Should I close the thread now before it heads south in the inevitable way things do here....

Almost Canadian

Why do you think it will head south? I was surprised at this when you said it above.

I doubt there are many on here that can express an informed opinion anyway.

iaink

Experience


Little good ever seems to come from threads set up to pit the UK and the Canadian way of doing things against each other, especially with words like "inferior" thrown in...

Souvy

Twat.

dbd33

Do high schools in the UK no longer offer A levels?

Almost Canadian

Thank you for that. So please explain to me, how many posters on here actually know what it is like to practice law in both countries or the relative merits of doing so?

Almost Canadian

I am sure they do. What I meant was, grade 12 is the "norm" for Canadian students unless they go on to further education. GCSEs are the "norm" for UK students unless they, too, go on to further education. Someone with a GCSE education is as likely to obtain a place at a UK law school as a Canadian student with a grade 12 is in Canada.

MikeUK

I think it raises an interesting debate
This could be an opportunity to discuss the merits and pitfalls of the two pre university schooling methods
The UK’s very specialized 6th forms and colleges with the ‘A’ level type out put in a few subjects,
And the North American broad unspecialized high school diploma.

IMHO the UK system sets you up beautifully for university and to a more limited career path if you don’t go on to get your degree.

North America prep’s it kids for many much broader options at this stage in life, with much less emphasis on going to university..

If your thinking of MA’s Msc’s and the like, or a career in law or medicine then I think the UK system if going to do you a favour.
However if its the workplace and rising through the ranks as your choice, then I think the broader skill set of North America may be your friend.

And in my case it was easier to be a geek in the UK streamed approach (especially in a tech college ) as you spend all your time with your peers and under less pressure to conform to the broader social group that seems to have existed in any high school environment I’ve heard about.

Lord Vader

Yes it is and it is not even close.