Higher legal education in the USA and England

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF KALUGA REGION

STATE BUDGETARY PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTION

KALUGA REGION

KALUGA INDUSTRIAL AND PEDAGOGICAL COLLEGE

Report

on the topic: "Higher legal education in the USA and England"

2nd year student

specialty 40.02.02

“Law enforcement”

Kleban Ekaterina

Teacher: Vostryakova Olga Sergeevna

Legal education in the UK: structure and features of training

Law schools and universities in the UK offer fairly short bachelor's degree programs – they last only 1-3 years against a four-year domestic program. This is due to the fact that dense career guidance and the study of specialized disciplines in Britain is already underway in the senior, graduating classes (Sixth Form stage), respectively, children already enter the university with a solid foundation of basic knowledge and skills.

Of course, the cost of studying in the UK, especially in such a popular specialty as law, is very high: for example, to study at Oxbridge and other top national universities, you will have to pay 13-14 thousand pounds (and this is excluding accommodation). But graduates recoup the money spent already in the first years after graduation – such young specialists are very quickly “snapped up” by the best international companies, offering prestigious and highly paid positions.

In addition, the most gifted students have the opportunity to receive a grant or scholarship – this will help significantly reduce costs. A good way to save money is to use the University Pathway transfer program or others: graduate from a university in Russia, get an international diploma and then enter British universities (for example, master's degree programs).

Speaking about admission to law schools in the UK, we note the following key requirements for applicants:

• High level of English – almost at the level of a native speaker: TOEFL from 230 or IELTS from 7.0

• Possession of the necessary academic skills and specialized terminology (for this we will be able to choose effective preparatory courses for you)

• If possible, it is better to complete the program of middle, senior and final grades in an English school in advance: Foundation, A–level or IB. Please note that law faculties and schools are very demanding – at least in three subjects the exam score should be A*-A and not lower.

Universities in the USA: law schools, institutes and higher schools

In the USA, it is law that is considered one of the strongest and most sought-after specialties: it was influenced by the long traditions of American law, a huge number of legal and legal companies and specialists, high educational standards and, in general, high legal literacy of the population.

If you have decided to get a law degree in the USA and have taken care of this issue in advance, it makes sense to graduate from one of the so-called Law Schools. Such schools are part of large and developed universities and prepare high school students in the main disciplines of the legal system. A big plus is that you can enroll in such a school with a diploma or certificate of any specialty; you only need to take a special Pre–Law preparatory course. The topics of Pre-Law can be different: for example, at the University of South Florida there are options for international, judicial, constitutional law, environmental legislation.

The structure and features of the study of law in the USA: at universities and higher law schools themselves, students begin with a bachelor's degree program: the Juris Doctor degree allows you to start legal practice (family, criminal, civil or corporate law). This is followed by a master's course - an LLM degree. You can enroll in a master's degree either immediately after graduating from a bachelor's degree in law, or with another diploma – but having passed special preliminary training and passed the LSAT exam (if you previously studied in a related, but not specialized specialty). 

Юридическое образование в Великобритании: структура и особенности обучения

Юридические школы и вузы Великобритании предлагают достаточно короткие бакалаврские программы – они длятся только 1-3 года против четырехлетней отечественной программы. Это связано с тем, что плотная профориентация и изучение профильных дисциплин в Британии ведется уже в старших, выпускных классах (этап Sixth Form), соответственно, в университет дети уже поступают с прочным фундаментом базовых знаний и навыков.

Конечно, стоимость обучения в Великобритании, особенно на такой востребованной специальности, как юриспруденция, очень высока: так, для учебы в Оксбридже и других топовых национальных университетах придется заплатить 13-14 тысяч фунтов стерлингов (и это без учета проживания). Но выпускники окупают затраченные средства уже в первые годы после выпуска – таких молодых специалистов очень быстро “расхватывают” лучшие международные компании, предлагая престижные и высокооплачиваемые должности.