In most cases, foreign law graduates seeking admission to the bar in the United States will find that their LL.B. law degree does not meet the basic admission requirements of most states, so they cannot pass the bar exam. Therefore, the pursuit of the double degree today, at least for school leavers, should above all indicate that one can be well versed in two disciplines. Unlike specialized distinctions, a second degree is obtained separately within the prescribed time frame. The principle of the double degree is rarely reversed; Just as an arts or science degree may provide an exemption from the full academic (non-professional) requirements of a subsequent law degree, a law degree may provide an exemption from all the academic requirements of a subsequent art or science degree. [ref. In this case, the second degree is more likely to be taken as a self-funded older student, possibly part-time. Upon completion of the LL.B. degree (or equivalent), graduates are generally qualified to apply for membership in the Bar Association or the Bar. Eligibility for membership may be subject to successful completion of professional examinations. A student may need to acquire an additional qualification at postgraduate level, such as an internship and the Legal Practice Course or the Professional Bar Course in England and Wales or the Postgraduate Certificate in Law in Hong Kong. In South Africa, the LL.B. is offered at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
[28] [29] [30] Since 1996, it has been the one and only universal legal qualification for the practice of law, replacing the existing degrees of B.Juris and B.Proc. [31] The bachelor`s program, offered since 1998, requires a four-year program of study. At the postgraduate level, the programme usually lasts three years. Several South African universities offer BA and BCom degrees with a focus on law, and these graduates will then complete a two-year postgraduate programme. Some universities also offer a one-year program for BProc degree holders. [32] A single LL.B. (Hons) Sharia and Law degree was introduced by the International Islamic University, Islamabad. The particularity of this course is the comparative study of Islamic law and common law. A similar program can be found in Malaysia as that offered by the International Islamic University Malaysia[47] and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. [48] The Baccalaureate-LL.B. may differ from this structure. According to the university, the program includes only legal subjects[34] or human subjects in order to prepare graduates for a «broad» legal education.
[33] Some undergraduate programs do not offer electives. Credits in English and Afrikaans are also often included. [34] Along with Latin, these were «subjects prescribed by law,»[35] and were generally entry requirements for the LL.B., as they were studied as undergraduate modules. Similarly, Roman law was once a preliminary course, whereas it is now offered as an option in postal and undergraduate studies. The Bachelor of Laws (abbreviated LL.B., LLB or rarely, Ll.B.) is a Bachelor of Laws generally offered after three or more years of college education followed by three years of law school. The United States offers the LL.B. Although some universities have introduced Bachelor of Science degrees in law with programs that include courses in constitutional law, tort law, and criminal law. The Master of Science of Laws (MSL) is also offered at select universities accredited by the American Bar Association. During the LL.B. was awarded at Yale University until 1971, since then, all universities in the United States have awarded the J.D. professional doctorate,[49][50] which later became the generally standardized degree in most states as a mandatory requirement to pass the bar exam before practicing law.
[51] Many law schools converted their core law programs from LL.B. to J.D. in the 1960s, allowing former LL.B. graduates to obtain the new doctoral degrees retroactively by returning their LL.B. in exchange for a J.D. degree. [52] [53] Yale graduates who earned a Bachelor of Laws degree before 1971 were also allowed to change their degree to JD, although many did not take advantage of this option and chose to retain their LL.B. Degree. [50] In addition, some Canadian universities with a common law faculty have entered into an agreement with a Canadian university with a Quebec civil law faculty that allows students to obtain a law degree at home in three years and a law degree in exchange in the fourth year. The «LL.» in the degree abbreviation is derived from the genitive plural legum (from lex, legis f., law), so «LL.B.» means legum baccalaureus in Latin. The Civil Law in Canada program lasts three years.
The program of study for the first degree in Quebec civil law (called LL.B., B.C.L. or LL.L.) is a first-degree program. Like other first admission programs in Quebec, it requires a college diploma to be admitted. Faculties of law offering B.C.L., LL.B. or LL.L. degrees in civil law include McGill University, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, Université Laval and Université d`Ottawa. As a result of the Bologna Process, many universities of applied sciences and some traditional universities in Germany have recently introduced LL.B. study programs to replace the Diplom-Wirtschaftsjurist degree. The LL.B.
is a three- or four-year full-time law degree. Unlike courses leading to the Staatsexamen – the master`s programme in professional law in Germany – most LL.B. programmes focus on private law and may include a component of business education. Graduates of LL.B. programs may pursue the LL.M. program and, in some cases, pass the first state examination after one or more additional years of law study in order to qualify for the practice of law in Germany. Note that the structure of the bachelor`s program will be reviewed. The problems identified are: graduates of these programs are less prepared for the profession than those aspiring to the LLB; Only 20% of participants complete the program within four years; Only about 50% of graduates here enter the legal profession. [36] In addition, there are those who question the academic standard of the new degree. [37] Some universities have since dropped out of the program; [38] In other cases, students must first register as arts, commerce or natural sciences students – with law subjects in the first year – and in the second year, only those who meet certain criteria can opt for the four-year Bachelor of Laws.
[39] In India, legal education has traditionally been offered in the form of a three-year university degree conferring the title of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B./B.L.), which requires prospective students to hold a bachelor`s degree in any subject from a recognized institution. European Union law allows EU citizens holding an LL.B. degrees from an EU member state, e.g. Ireland, France or Spain, who have been practising as lawyers in one of these countries for three years or more in order to practise in any other member state. The procedure for obtaining the respective national licence is regulated by the Member State and therefore varies from country to country, and there may be temporary restrictions in some cases, but each EU member must apply the relevant EU directives to its own national legislation. This «double degree» system was once an alternative route to the old bachelor`s degree (now obsolete), but students had to have independent funds to complete the second degree. The current Scottish LL.B. degree, a direct entry bachelor`s degree, meets all professional requirements when combined with the Diploma in Legal Practice.
The diploma was introduced around 1980; Previously, all professional examinations were taken as part of the degree itself (or as part of a previous non-legal degree), which limited the scope of academic study. The four universities under the aegis of the National University of Ireland (NUI) award the Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.). These are University College Cork, University College Dublin, NUI Maynooth and NUIG. Four Irish universities and two Northern Irish universities (University of Dublin; NUIG; Queen`s University Belfast; the University of Limerick; The National University of Ireland, Maynooth[42] and the University of Ulster) award an LL.B.