Law students: drop LLB for U.S.-style JD

From Western News

By Paul Mayne
Thursday, December 6, 2007

With an eye to international employment, Western Law students have voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing their degree from LL.B. to J.D. (Juris Doctor), matching similarly named degrees at U.S. universities.

The J.D. designation is typically regarded as a professional degree, requiring an undergraduate degree as well as a law degree. Outside of Canada, in countries such as the UK and Australia, it is possible to enter an LL.B. program directly from high school. Students feel J.D. would facilitate international employment...

Read more here, and give us your comments on this changeover that more schools are adopting these days. Thanks!

University of Toronto Law school gets a boost

Businessman and lawyer David Asper has donated $7.5-million to establish a centre for the study of constitutional rights in his name at the University of Toronto's faculty of law.

This was from the Globe and Mail site (click here). Unfortunately, you have to pay for the stupid article (I hate that! $5 for an article!), so I don't know the details. Anybody else out there know more? Please comment.

Law is Cool

I just came across a great Canadian Law School Blog and Podcast - Law is Cool (http://lawiscool.com/)

I'm going to copy directly from the About Page, because I was so impressed, and I'm sure they won't mind if I plug them a bit here:

Law Is Cool is a new blog and podcast addressing issues related to law school and the legal field with a Canadian focus.

The contents are intended for three broad audiences:

1) Current and potential law students

2) Graduates reviewing for their bar exam

3) Members of the general public interested in learning more about the law

Law Is Cool is intended to be an exciting and engaging resource for all three groups. This require your participation to make it happen. If you are a first year law student in Canada, feel free to contact us about joining the team.

The Team:

Omar Ha-Redeye has an educational background in nuclear medicine, health administration, and public relations. He has worked in all three fields for several years before deciding to pursue a law degree at the University of Western Ontario.

Thomas Wisdom is a political science major from the University of Toronto and a first year law student at Osgoode Hall.

Ken Saddington is an engineer from Queen’s University, and is starting Law at the University of Western Ontario.

Marie Winfield has a BS Engineering & Public Policy, BA French (Washington University in St. Louis) and an MA French Language & Literature (University of Pennsylvania). She is studying her first year of law at the McGill University in Montreal.

Vimal Baid is a first-year law student at the University of Saskatchewan.

Gail Geronimo studied psychology at York University and is in her first year of law at the University of Ottawa.

Rob Evans has a BAA in psychology from Kwantlen University College in Surrey, B.C. He is starting the LLB/JD joint program at the University of Windsor and University of Detroit Mercy.

Gerard Kennedy studied Canadian Studies, Political Science, Christianity and Culture at the University of Toronto, and is pursuing law at Queen’s Universiy.

Adrian Di Lullo studied political science at Carleton, and is starting law school at Queen’s University this year. Adrian is heading up the international conflict section with a focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Daniel Simard is in the joint LLB and Masters of Environmental Studies at Osgoode Hall and York University, and is currently in his first year of law.

Jacob Kaufman studied History and Economics at Queen’s University, and is currently a first-year law student at the University of Western Ontario.

Kashif Ahmed completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Regina, and is currently in his first year of law at the University of Saskatchewan.

Ajay Gajaria is a fourth-year political science major at the University of Western Ontario. He heads up the support team for the site.

I was really happy to see a publication of this kind. I have added it to my blogroll.

Please let me know if you know of a Law School Blog or Legal Blog that I have not mentioned, or that I don't include in the blogroll. Thanks!

CanadianLawSchool.ca Revamped

I reworked www.CanadianLawSchool.ca today. I plan to post some more resources, cans, news, etc. on that site. You can also find more detailed information about my book, So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh? Law School in Canada (2nd Edition).

My book is now available on Amazon.ca at the lowest price available - $17.83 - 27% off of the retail price of $24.95. It is also available on Amazon.com, but you'll have to pay a bit more - $18.96 - 24% off retail.

I noticed the following on Amazon.ca:

#2 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation
#2 in	Books > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation
#3 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > One-L > Legal Profession

Alternative Careers (nevermind legal)

I have been asked quite a few times about alternative legal careers. However, today, I came across a fairly long-running thread on Lawstudents.ca that asks the question, what would you be if you were not a lawyer. A great question! Most of the posts are nonsense, of course, but I think it is a question worth asking yourself if you are anywhere in the midst of becoming or acting as a lawyer.

In asking myself this question, I came up with the following list in order of most desirable at the top:

1. Professional writer - photographer;
2. Property Developer and Renovator;
3. Law professor;
4. English professor;
5. Publisher;
6. Librarian

That was a fun exercise, and provided for at least some loosening of the career strings. Please post your alternative careers here (no nonsense please - only legitimate careers). Thanks!