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Open Letter to Alumni Regarding LLB vs. JD Issue
Open Letter to Alumni Regarding LLB vs. JD Issue
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Office of Advancement
Osgoode Hall Law School
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 |
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Dear Fellow Alumni:
I am writing to you to seek your input on an issue that is currently under consideration by the Law School. This issue is whether Osgoode should change its degree designation from an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) to a JD (Juris Doctor).
There appears to be a growing trend amongst law schools in Canada, Australia and Japan to do away with the traditional LLB degree and replace it with the JD degree. A bachelor's degree is commonly understood as a first and undergraduate degree (e.g. BA, BSc, BComm, etc). However, admission to a bachelor of laws program in Canada is generally not granted straight from high school (as is the case in England and other Commonwealth countries). In most cases, some form of post-secondary education is required before admission to a Canadian LLB program will be granted. Osgoode's new admissions policy requires that students complete three years of undergraduate education before becoming eligible for admission to the Law School.
The JD was introduced in the United States to acknowledge that those who hold the degree have first completed a period of post-secondary education. The JD designation acknowledges that law is a second level entry degree. That is, the JD is not a first degree, but neither is it a graduate degree.
In 2001, the University of Toronto Faculty of Law voted to adopt the JD designation. Graduates of the U of T now receive a JD and their alumni may elect to convert their LLB degree to a JD. In December of 2007, the University of British Columbia also adopted the JD. The Faculty Council of Queen's University Faculty of Law approved the change in October of 2007 and it is proceeding to their University Senate for final approval. In the past number of years, law schools in Australia and Japan have also abandoned the LLB in favour of offering the JD.
In the fall of 2007, Dean Monahan asked the Academic Policy Committee (APC) to undertake a review of the issue. The Dean met with representatives of Student Caucus and asked them to consult with the Osgoode student body. Student Caucus is holding a referendum on March 10 to 13, 2008. Following that referendum, APC will review this issue and prepare a recommendation for consideration by Osgoode Faculty Council. If Faculty Council were to vote in favour of the change, the issue would then go to the York University Senate. Please note, should the conversion to a JD be approved, all alumni would have the opportunity, at their option, to convert their LLB to a JD.
APC wants to hear the views of alumni before any substantive debate on the issue takes place. I am therefore asking you to respond to the following question: "Would you favour Osgoode retaining the LLB degree designation or changing to the JD, and why?" Your views are valued and will be of great assistance in this decision. Please send your replies to alumni@osgoode.yorku.ca by, Monday, March 17, 2008. All responses will be kept confidential.
Sincerely,
Andrew Evangelista '92
President, Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association |
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