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BAR exam prep - which LLM is the best?

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Ally

Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 2
BAR exam prep - which LLM is the best?
Thu Mar 06, 2008 09:01 PM
Will you please advise me - I come from Poland and would like to be admitted to New York BAR. Which LLM do you think is the best from this perspective? I am choosing between US top law schools - Harvard,Yale, Berkeley, Chicago, NYC, Penn, Stanford.

I will really appreciate any tips.
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susiee

Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Posts: 25
BAR exam prep - which LLM is the best?
Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:03 PM
the llm isn't really meant for preparing students for the bar exam - although it does help in familiarizing you with common law system if you come from a civil law country The point of the llm is to specialize in a particular area of the law and cover it in more depth than you would in your first degree
so it doesn't really matter which llm you take in terms of passing the bar exam - you would still do the Bar Bri course or something similar for a couple of months to help you pass.
having said that there are a couple of courses that would be helpful which you should consider taking when you do your llm:
- corporate law
- criminal procedure + civil procedure
- evidence
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Ally

Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 2
BAR exam prep - which LLM is the best?
Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:41 PM
Thank you for your advice. I am considering doing the BAR prep course anyways. But, as you wrote, a good LLM might also help.
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badkarma56

Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 57
BAR exam prep - which LLM is the best?
Wed Mar 12, 2008 05:05 AM
Thank you for your advice. I am considering doing the BAR prep course anyways. But, as you wrote, a good LLM might also help.


As Susiee suggested, no American LL.M. program will adequately prepare candidates for the rigors of a bar exam. That said, graduation from some LL.M. programs will qualify foreign attorneys to sit for the bar exam in certain U.S. jurisdictions.

I'm an American attorney, and I can assure you that the best "preparation" for any U.S. bar exam is completion of a reputable bar review program (i.e, BarBri, PMBR, etc.). Of course, it goes without saying that you'll need to be well-versed in the fundamentals of American "common law" principles, and the major "substantive" and "procedural" areas of U.S. law (e.g., property, torts, contracts, constitutional law, evidence, civil/criminal procedure, etc.).

I recommend that you consult the bar associations (most state bar associations have informative websites) for the particular jurisdictions that you're interested in moving to following completion of your LL.M. program. Each individual jurisdiction sets its own policy regarding the admission of foreign attorneys to the bar.

[Edited 12 Mar 2008 by badkarma56]
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VA1993

Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 65
BAR exam prep - which LLM is the best?
Wed Mar 12, 2008 09:59 AM
The very fact that a certain LLM program would not let you choose from subjects that you may carry to the bar can be seen as a disadvantage. Also, what is the extent of difference from the Corporate laws you took at your LLM level and the one that you take your bar for?
Also there can be several other subjects that you may take at the LLM level but not for your bar. In the light of this argument, is it not an advantage to opt for a General LLM and pick subjects that you may carry to the bar, other than the fact that you are interested in learning these subjects at the LLM level.
There is no way a foreign LLM student would not enroll for the Barbri and the likes, but a headstart can be crucial here.

I would really appreciate some more comments about this.
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