British Law Student Wants to Move to USA - What to Do?

[SCULTYELUME]

I am a british student in Great Britain just about to start my undergraduate degree at Oxford University (politics, philosophy and economics) in England. When i have finished my degree i intend to qualify as a lawyer.

In england this would entail securing a training contract with a law firm who would then fund me through two years of post grad study. After that i would spend two further years in the firm on a salary of around £32,000 before qualification.

However recently i have been concidering another route and qualifying in the US. I realise this would mean three years at a graduate law school and incurring some serious debt.

In your opinion which option is the most appealing? I would someday like to move to the US to work and i have equal regard for both legal systems.

Also as a overseas student what possibility would there be of financial aid or a merit based scholarships? My parents are moderatley well off but i would feel terribly guilty asking for huge sums of money from them.

Thank you in advance for your comments.

[exoplecal]

It's hard to advise you based solely on the information you have given. Nonetheless, I can guarantee you that getting a law degree in US of A will be a HELLUVA lot more expensive than doing the same in UK.

Further, I'm not clear on your eventual goals- you want to practice in US? For Life? Become a citizen? I mean, if you sorta like the idea but really don't want to give up your life in Britain, then I recommend getting a degree there and get employment in International Law with a firm that does a lot of business in the USA, preferably work that requires you to visit for months at a time. It sounds like you have the kind of connections that would be possible for that. But if you want to STAY in the USA then come here. How you would finance it would be another story. Still, there are scholarships available if you became a citizen especially.

[EMB]

You know that you do not have to complete 3 additional years of study here in the US, New York has reciprocity with England, you can take the bar in New York and go from there!

[lawstudent]

America can still let you join their military reserve as a Brit. They will pay for American JD for you and pay your rent while doing it.

Remember ROTC tends to be nondeployable untill you graduate and even after that you are behind a desk handing out paperwork in a courtroom 99% of the time.

[sada2418]

ou can take the bar in New York and go from there!

Did you mean bar exams? If it so, As i know you should complete 3 years in law school & then do the bar, Then you will get the license to practice as a lawyer. This is what my friend did.