Development of legal education in England. Legal education in England and the USA

And getting a legal education in these countries is a correct and well-considered decision. Firstly, British system education as a whole has established itself as one of the highest quality and most thorough on the planet. Secondly, the foundations of British law are very common in the world, in one way or another, the judicial systems in many countries work on them.

In the UK, for Russian students, it is possible to obtain a bachelor's, master's, doctoral degree, you can take an internship or advanced training program, and training is almost always carried out on real cases, real life examples, practices and lectures with well-known specialists are provided. In the process of studying, not only profile knowledge is studied directly in the chosen legal specialty, but also a large number of related disciplines: this makes graduates more qualified and, consequently, in demand on the international labor market.

Below we provide you with a list of the most popular, rated and in-demand universities offering programs of study in the direction of "Jurisprudence":

• (excellent undergraduate programs)
• (focus on doctoral programs and degrees)
• University of Sheffield
• Liverpool John Moore's University
• Kingston University.

The duration of study in a bachelor's program is usually shorter than in Russian universities- from 1 to 3 years. This is due to the fact that students begin to study the basics already in graduation classes. high school (sixth form), having decided on their future specialization, and enter the university already with some knowledge.

The cost of education is quite high, especially at the top universities in Oxbridge: about 13-14 thousand pounds per year, excluding accommodation. However, the investment will pay for itself almost immediately after graduation: a British-style legal education is highly valued in the world, and the vast majority of students find a prestigious and highly paid position almost immediately after graduation.

How to proceed?

The first, and perhaps the most important requirement for foreigners is an impeccable knowledge of English at the native level. Most likely, you will be asked to present a certificate of the international exam TOEFL (from 230) or IELTS (from 7.0). It will also be very useful for foreign students to pass training courses: so you can not only update and update your knowledge, but also replenish the vocabulary of specialized vocabulary, learn specific idioms and grammatical forms typical of the legal field.

Having a certificate of secondary education from an English school will be a big plus: in at least three subjects, the final grade must be at least A. comprehensively prepare foreign students for studying in Britain and other foreign countries.

For gifted and persistent students, there is an opportunity to receive a grant or scholarship for education. If you are unable to get basic higher education(bachelor's degree) abroad - worth completing Russian university, which issues international diplomas, and after that apply to British universities.

When evaluating the prospects for obtainingWestern legal educationtaken into accountThere are many factors, but the main ones are always two:

* Availability of additional career prospects

* cost of education

No one needs to prove that getting a legal education in the USA is an additional competitive advantage over other applicants for a “warm” and well-paid place ...

But the question is: where to go to study?

main feature, which distinguishes American legal education from education in England lies in the practical orientation of the training of lawyers in the United States. An English legal education is certainly very good and prestigious. But the training of lawyers in England is overly academic, to the detriment of the practical orientation.

If your goal is to gain practical knowledge and skills, then American universities are more suitable for you.

legal education in the USA differs from studying in Russia:

a) the volume of the studied material

b) increased requirements from teachers.

Therefore, the main "location" of most students is the library!!! Read: independent and critical work. “Retell on the exam close to the original what the professor said at the lectures” does not work in the USA!!! Think for yourself, argue, prove your opinion!!!

Each course (subject) has a certain number of credits (training units) - an average of 2-3. These are not course grades, but exactly the number of points that this or that course (subject) gives and which must be scored in order to receive a diploma. Minimal amount credits per semester - usually 12, maximum - usually 15-17.

In the United States, lecturing in universities is considered very prestigious. Traditionally, advisors and partners of the largest law firms, as well as acting judges, are involved in lecturing. And this is another “plus” for obtaining an American legal education, aimed not at theory, but at practice.

I must say that in the USA there is no such general course on civil law, which is read in Russia. In the first year, all students are required to study several subjects that can be considered as a definite alternative to the course "Civil Law". In the future, everything depends on the chosen specialization. If a student wants to become a specialist in corporate and commercial law, he goes to the appropriate courses during the second and third years of study. If not, this is where his exposure to courses in corporate and commercial law is limited. Thus, the two main ideas of American legal education are rigid specialization and practical orientation. That. from American universities specialists come out who know their specialization brilliantly.

Diploma and term papers not in the USA. In order to receive an honors degree, it is enough to study well throughout educational process. At the same time, some courses offer the opportunity for students to write and defend written work, but we are talking about written work, for which you can get 1 additional credit, which will be taken into account when calculating the credits required for obtaining a diploma.

The level of presentation of the material also differs significantly from the Russian approach. The main goal of this or that course is to show the practical orientation of the studied material and evaluate, including critically, the economic efficiency and fairness of a particular model proposed by the legislator. In general, the main purpose of study is practical. Theoretical and philosophical subjects, which are taught in excess in Russia, are available here, but are studied only by those who show an interest in them, that is, these courses are optional.

There are three legal degrees:

J.D. (Juris Doctor) - the first law degree in the United States.

It is awarded after the end of the three-year term of study. The main category of students in this category are graduates of American colleges and universities. J.D. degree entitles its owner to engage in almost any kind of activity. legal activity. At the same time, do not forget that if you want to practice law in the United States, you must join the bar, for which entrance examination. In England, an analogue of the American J.D. is the degree LL.B.

The next degree is LL.M. (Legum Magister, Master of Laws).

It should be noted that the LL.M. received mainly by international students who have received a law degree outside the United States. As a rule, holders of J.D. rarely seek an LL.M.

The highest degree in American law schools is S.J.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science).

This degree is awarded on the basis of the preparation and defense of a dissertation, for which 3 to 5 years are allotted, depending on the university.

We, as an educational agency,

we can help our students get their first law degree -

J.D. (Juris Doctor).

It was written above that you can get it after completing a 3-year course of study ... Yes, it is, BUT before this 3-year course, you must complete another 4-year course, which is called “pre-law” ... Thus, the whole “ the road" to the coveted degree takes 7 years ...

Our key partner in the USA - the prestigious University of Massachusetts (campus in Dartmouth near Boston) together with the UMass School of Law Dartmouth offer a 3 + 3 program that allows you to get the coveted degree in law not in 7 years, as usual, but in 6 years!!! Saving a whole year - saving money and time!

So let's say your goal is to get a law degree in the US and you want to get the coveted J.D. (Juris Doctor) at the prestigious University of Massachusetts. What will the enrollment look like?

A foreign student enters the UPP-II program, which is both preparatory for foreigners and the first year of the Bachelor's degree ... You can start studying three times a year: in September, January or May. For admission, the applicant must have completed secondary education and speak English at the level of TOEFL 196/525/69 or IELTS 5.5

At successful completion this first year, the international student is GUARANTEEED to move on to the second year of the Bachelor's program. And, we emphasize - ANY bachelor's program of the university!!! Not necessarily for the pre-law program. The fact is that the first year is quite “general” and lawyers, economists, and engineers study similar specialties in their first year. Therefore, if a student “on the spot” decides that jurisprudence is still “not mine”, then he has a chance to change his specialization. This, by the way, is an additional plus for entering the University of Massachusetts through the UPP-II program.

We look forward to cooperation!

We are happy to answer additional questions!

You can make a request online by filling out the form:

There is good news for all those thinking about legal education in England! The jurisprudence of many countries is based precisely on the British legal core. The quality of legal education is really very high level. One of the important factors influencing this quality is the fact that in most cases, law students are trained using real cases. Theory begins with practice, which cannot but give results.

Solicitor and Barrister

It is worth talking about the ultimate goal first, and then return to education. There are two types of lawyers in England: the solicitor and the barrister. A solicitor deals with many legal matters, but does not litigate or appear before a judge in trials. However, a solicitor can appear in the Supreme Court (the Highest Court of England) and in the Court of Appeal (the Court of Appeal), but provided that there is a special certificate.

To become a solicitor, you need to either get a law degree in England (Bachelor of Laws), or get a bachelor's degree outside of England, and then take a special Graduate Diploma in Law course. In any case, after that, you will need to complete the Legal Practice Course, which lasts 1 year.
This practice is most often obtained through an internship (training contract).

How to get a training contract

This step brings the most problems. There are not a huge number of companies ready to hire an intern, and on average from 30 to 50 people try to get into one place. The fact is that on average for a company, an intern will cost £100,000. For this reason, any law firm that is ready to pay this amount for training an intern must be confident in him. The selection here is very serious.

The first important point is the knowledge of English. His level is needed approximately as follows: IELTS - 7.0, TOEFL - 230. The second step is the critical reasoning test - a test for logical thinking. To tell the truth, on average, a quarter of candidates are eliminated at the testing step. Third, but by no means least important, will be the need to have a conversation with highly qualified lawyers. They can ask different questions: from life positions to opinions on the upcoming deal.

The application for the contract must be submitted in advance, approximately two years before the selection.

Training contract in hand, what's next?

Study and practice. By gaining your experience, you are moving towards becoming a full-fledged independent lawyer.

What does a legal education in England bring?

Naturally, such education brings money. At the very start of work in a law firm, a young specialist will receive in the region of £35,000 - £38,000 per year (slightly more than 2,500,000 rubles). After 5 years of work, the average salary grows by 60% and will be about £82,000 - £87,000 (about 6,500,000 rubles).
It is worth noting that this is the work of a simple lawyer. There is such a thing as a partner. Now, if you managed to become a partner, then the average salary of such a lawyer is £500 - £700 per hour (45,000 rubles).

Directly to education

The goal and results are already clear to us, but how to get to them? The first step is to understand what British education is like and what needs to be done to walk through it as soon as possible.
If you graduated in the Russian Federation, then your path to legal education in England may look like this:

1. Preparation for A-Level
2. Passing the A-Level program itself (2 years)
3. Obtaining a bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Laws / LLB) (2 years)
4. Passage of special courses: for solicitors Legal Practice Course (LPC), for barristers Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) (1 year)
5. Internship: for Training Contract solicitors, for Pupillage barristers (2 years).

The first two points can be avoided if you act on Foundation program to the university, when the first year you are actually at the university preparing to enter this university.
In the case you received in the Russian Federation, or in Britain, but not legal:

1. Obtaining an academic degree Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
2. Further with 4 points, as after high school.

In case you are already

1. 1. Pass special testing: for Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) solicitors, for Bar Transfer Test (BTT) barristers.

Where to study law in England

University of Oxford
Legal programs: 17
Cost: about £13,200 per year. Accommodation around £10,000

University of Cambridge
Law programs: 10. Most of them are geared towards doctoral degrees.
Cost: £14.500 per year. Accommodation £7.000-8.000.

University of Birmingham
Legal programs: 21.
Cost: £14,000 per year. Accommodation - £6.000

University of Sheffield
Legal programs: 21.
Cost: £12,000 per year. Accommodation - £4.000.

Liverpool John Moore's University
Legal programs: 15.
Cost: £10.000. Accommodation at £4.500 per year.

University of Southampton
Legal programs: 10.
Cost: £10,000 per year. Accommodation £6,000.

Kingston University
Legal programs: 51.
Cost: around £10,000 per year. Accommodation £5,000

There are two types of lawyers in England - solicitor and barrister. A barrister is a lawyer who handles court cases, speaks before a judge, prepares documents for court, etc. Solicitors after 1990 also received the right to appear before a judge if they have a special certificate. Although a solicitor (with a certificate) has the right to appear before a judge, there are very few such solicitors and the practice has developed in such a way that barristers are still attracted to appear before a judge (a solicitor cannot appear in court above the High Court level - that is, solicitors are not appear in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of England.

In England (that is, not in Britain, namely in England) in 2008 there were 112.2 thousand solicitors and about 16.5 thousand barristers. From 1997 to 2008 the number of lawyers in England increased by more than 50%. In England it is very easy to check whether a person is a solicitor or not - you just need to drive in the person's data at this link - http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosingandusing/findasolicitor/view=solsearch.law

In the blog, I will cover mainly the activities of the solicitor, since it is the solicitors who are involved in 90% of cases as legal advisers.

In order to become a solicitor, you need to have a law degree. This is either (1) Bachelor of Laws in England (3 years) (LLB) or (2) Bachelor of Anything (maybe not in England) plus a one-year very intensive course (called GDL - Graduate Diploma in Law). Since I have a Ukrainian education, I took the path of "Ukrainian bachelor" plus GDL.

Also, in addition (regardless of whether a person received a bachelor of law in England or a bachelor plus GDL), you still need to take a one-year LPC (Legal Practice Course). That is, in my case it was education in Ukraine plus GDL (year) and LPC (year). GDL and LPC cost around £8,000 and £12,000 respectively.

In addition to legal education, you also need to complete an internship in a law firm (training contract) for two years in 4 different departments for 6 months in each department or 4 months in 6 departments - in each company in different ways. Getting an education is relatively easy. What is really difficult is to get a training contract – today the competition in good companies is about 20-40 people per place. In England, more than half of people with a law degree will never work as lawyers (they won’t even start) because firms have limited quantity places for those who will undergo a training contract (the number of training contracts is several times less than that of graduating lawyers).

If you become a solicitor, then you are required to undergo training throughout your life and receive a certificate every year, which costs a little more than $ 1,600 per year (although if you work for a law firm, then the firm covers these costs). This fee goes to an organization that regulates the activities of lawyers. If you do not have a certificate, but continue to provide services as a soloist, then this is a criminal offense.

The next entry will be about how lawyers are regulated in England - what they can do, what they cannot do, what rules apply in the market.

Abroad. Here in dozens of universities there are many programs for the study of law. You can get a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, as well as choose from advanced training or internship programs. There are many pluses.

First, the foundations of British law are widely used throughout the world. Second, in many universities, students work on real cases, which is, of course, an ideal practice. It remains only to decide on the university. His choice will depend on your tasks and financial capabilities. However, in England at most universities the cost of education is about the same.

Location: Southern England

17 legal programs ( , ) lasting from 8 months to 4 years.

Cost: £13,200 per year on average. Accommodation around £10.000

10 legal programs ( , ). Moreover, if Oxford has more opportunities for those who need a bachelor's degree, then Cambridge is more focused on doctoral degrees. It is no coincidence that this university is considered a supplier Nobel laureates. The duration of training is from 1 to 3 years.

Cost: Slightly higher than Oxford, averaging £14,500 a year. But accommodation will cost less than about £7.000-8.000.

How to apply to Oxbridge?

The most important thing is to know English language no worse than an Englishman (according to IELTS certificates - 7.0, TOEFL - 230). Ideally, it would be nice to finish English school with an "A" grade in at least three subjects and apply.

The second option is to take advantage of an international student scholarship. For example, participants of the Chevening Scholarship can get a master's degree at any university in the UK, including Oxbridge.

The third option is to unlearn in one of Russian schools, which issues international bachelor's degrees, and then set off to storm Oxbridge.

Rivals of Oxbridge

"Red Brick Universities" is an informal term for a group of six prestigious universities England, located in large industrial cities. All of these institutions were previously viewed as "upstarts" compared to Oxbridge. Currently, 6 "red brick universities" are part of the prestigious Russell Group, which accounts for 2/3 of all UK research grants.

Location: Central England

21 legal programs ( , ) lasting from 1 to 4 years.

Cost: Average £14,000 per year. Accommodation - £6.000

Pros: University gives out foreign students. But perhaps the most important advantage is university library. It is one of the largest libraries in the UK. In you can find unique editions including Shakespeare and Dickens.

Location: Northern England

21 legal programs ( , ) lasting from 6 months to 4 years.

Cost: £12,000 per year on average. Accommodation - £4.000.

Pros: the university has representation in different countries ah, including, on the territory former USSR. In addition, the university gives out every year.

Students can be trusted

Among students who came to study in England from different countries, completely different universities are popular. Those in which there are many international programs.

Location: North West England

15 legal programs ( , ) lasting from 1 to 3 years.

Cost: Average: £10,000. But the university offers various scholarship opportunities. In addition, living here is much cheaper than in Oxbridge - a year will cost about £4,500 per year.

Obvious pluses: Liverpool is the third largest city in England (fifth in the UK) and a major commercial and economic center, therefore, there will be many opportunities for practice. Excellent transport links with other cities - airport, port, Railway. In addition, it is considered one of the centers of youth culture, so you definitely won’t be bored in it. Besides, Liverpool is the birthplace of The Beatles!!!

Location: Southern England

10 legal programs ( ,