Which Juris Doctor Program is the best in HK?

Juris Doctor Hku

City U is better i think
學歷

撇除海外律師以aptitude test入行外，大多數香港人晉身律政行列不離法律深造證書(Postgraduate Certificate of Law, PCLL)一途。現香港有香港大學(HKU)及香港城市大學City U)提供PCLL課程，香港中文大學(CUHK)會於2008年加入。

現入讀PCLL可有三條途徑：

1)法學士(Legum Baccalaureus, LLB)：主要為CUHK、City U及HKU，除此以外最普遍者為倫敦大學校外課程(London U External)，近年香港公開大學亦夥同Nottingham Trent University舉辦，然以學校質素計絕非良好選擇。

2)英國法律專業共同試(Common Professional Exam, CPE)：遠古時HKU好像也搞過(不大肯定)，現最多應考者為經HKU Space合辦之Manchester Metropolitan University CPE課程，香港公開大學與Nottingham Trent University亦有提供合辦之CPE。

3)法學「博士」(Juris Doctor, JD)：可別給名字中的"Doctor"給蒙了，JD絕對不等同PhD(有關詳情請參閱下文之美利堅大帝國部份)。

JD特色為入學者須持有第一學位，繼City U開辦後CUHK亦加入提供JD之行列。

一如大多數學校收生政策，PCLL申請人若以僅僅合格之成績極難入讀。以LLB為例，若無二級榮譽上等(2:1)則難以保證能得入讀PCLL。

當然修讀法律未必成為執業律師，而以CPE出身而成為出色律師的大不乏人。然考慮其他行業對有關資歷的認識，當投身法律以外行業時LLB、JD畢業為一專業學位，相對比CPE有利一點。

近來兩會亦推出一德政：海外法學學歷持有人(包括上文提到本地大學與海外學校合辦之課程)於2008年起在申請PCLL前須通過轉制課程(Conversion programme)，進一步保障香港學生之利益。

Personally I think CityU's JD is better b'cos CityU's Law School has more than 15 years' history but the CUHK's law school has less then one year history. The CU's faculties including the dean are actually from the CityU.

Although it is true that Form 7 leavers prefer CUHK, CityU has much better ranking in research in particular in the areas of science, engineering and computing according to a recent survey conducted by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. I can tell you that the CityU's LLM and JSD in International Economic Law and Chinese and Comparative Law and its MA in Commercial Arbitration are still leading the CU

Please be reminded that all CityU JD courses are conducted in the University's Kowloon Tong campus which are supported by a world class law library and superb accommodations but the CU JD course are all taught at an office block in Central.

The CityU JD is also more "international" than the CU counterpart. There are large no. of students from Mainland China, Germany and many other counteries studying for the JD, LLM and JSD at the CityU. The CU law students (including the JD) are still very local.

If you have a first degree, you can choose to study the 9 paper post-graduate LLB at the HKU or externally with the London U. The basic different between the post-grad LLB and JD is that the latter is much more demanding than the former. To obtain a JD, you need to submit a JD dissertation and take several elective courses from the LL.M list which are not required for the LL.B.

However, I have to say that JD is a professional law program. You cannot use the prefix Dr. before your name after graduation.

If you wanna to be a lawyer, I think the LLB is better as it is cheaper and faster. You need to do the P.C.LL anyway. However, if do not want to be a lawyer (e.g. you are an investment banker or accountant), JD should be the better choice.