Program Information for LSE LL.B. Students

USC Law School has established a dual degree program with the London School of Economics (LSE). For LSE students, this program consists of two years of law study at LSE followed by two years of study at USC Law School. Dual degree program participants will receive an LL.B. degree from the University of London and a J.D. degree from the University of Southern California.

USC Law School is currently ranked 18th by U.S. News & World Report, and is home to seven vibrant leading-edge interdisciplinary research centers. USC Law has produced more than 400 judges and has more than 8,500 alumni worldwide, making us an integral part of the global Trojan network. Visit the USC Law School website at: http://law.usc.edu/

Eligibility

USC Law School’s Graduate & International Programs (G&IP) office administers this dual degree program. Although we are not restricted on the number of USC students who can be admitted to the program, we estimate that 2-3 USC students per year will participate in our dual degree program.

LSE students in their second year of study of the LL.B. program are encouraged to apply. LSE students will spend their first two years at the LSE, during which time they must complete the Law Society/Bar Council core or 'foundation' subjects if they intend to secure a 'qualifying' degree for professional exemption purposes in England and Wales. Students must also have excellent law school records, must be in good standing, and must not be on 'restricted enrollment', in order to be considered for admission to the program.

Academic Calendar

USC Law School's academic year is run on a semester system, with two four-month teaching terms followed by an exam period at the end of each semester. The fall semester begins in late August and ends in mid-December; the spring semester is from early to mid-January through mid-May. The current academic calendar can be found at http://weblaw.usc.edu/academics/calendar.cfm.

Application

The LSE LL.B. students must complete the relevant Dual Degree Program application forms provided by the Law Department at LSE. Please contact Mr. Bradley Barlow at B.Barlow@lse.ac.uk for more information.

At a later stage in the application process, students will also be required to submit USC Law School’s J.D. application form. These forms will be provided by the Law Department at LSE. Please explore and review USC Law School’s website at http://law.usc.edu/ to familiarize yourself with the academic and extra-curricular life at USC before making a decision to apply for this Dual Degree Program.

Please note: Applicants to this program who have taken the LSAT exam previously are REQUIRED to provide USC Law School with their LSAT score(s) and the date(s) on which the test was taken.

Curriculum

Students enrolled in the program will be treated as transfer students to USC Law. As transfer students, non-law courses cannot be taken for J.D. credit. In addition, students cannot enroll in other USC dual degree programs, such as the J.D./M.B.A. dual degree program.

To obtain the J.D. degree from USC Law, participating students must meet the USC Law graduation requirements.

Unit Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 88 total units in law courses.

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 58 units of the 88 unit minimum at USC Law. Students are required to have taken 35 of the 58 units in upper-division, numerically graded courses.

USC Law will grant each student up to 30 units in advanced standing credit for their two years of LL.B. studies at the LSE toward the 88 total unit requirement. If a student is awarded fewer than 30 semester units, the student must enroll in as many units as is necessary to meet the unit requirements. Students must submit their complete, official LSE transcripts for advanced standing credit review. Students will have received passing grades in each course considered for credit.

In addition to the unit requirements described above, students must complete the course requirements, the skills course requirement and the upper division writing requirement to receive the J.D. as provided below.

USC Law Course Requirements

Students will be required to enroll in the following USC Law first-year courses: Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Legal Profession and Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy I. These courses, and any other first-year courses that are taken, do not count toward the 35 numerically-graded unit requirement.

Students will be waived from Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law and Property after review of their complete, official LSE transcripts.

Students will take their remaining courses from amongst USC Law’s law course offerings.

Students must petition to enroll in USC Law School courses whose course titles or whose course content bear similarity to courses that the students have taken previously at the LSE.

Skills Course Requirement

Students will have to complete a course providing instruction in professional skills generally regarded as necessary for the effective and responsible participation in the legal profession. The following types of courses meet this requirement. Please contact the Registrar if you would like to know if a specific course satisfies this requirement:

1. Trial and appellate advocacy courses

2. Courses in alternative methods of dispute resolution

3. Courses involving counseling, interviewing, negotiating, problem solving, and factual investigation

4. Courses involving the drafting of legal documents

5. Any course involving the organization and management of legal work

Upper Division Writing Requirement

ABA accreditation policies require all students to complete one rigorous writing project after the first year of J.D. law studies. Courses taken at the LSE do not satisfy the writing requirement.

The Upper Division Writing Requirement guidelines are as follows:

A student must prepare an original paper or legal brief under the supervision of a full-time member of the faculty. The paper must reflect research, analysis, and writing sufficient in scope and quality in the opinion of the supervising faculty member to justify the award of a passing grade for at least two units of credit (i.e., approximately 100-110 hours work).

Such work must generally be the product of individual effort, but with the approval of the supervising faculty member, a jointly authored product can satisfy the requirement, provided that the separately identifiable contribution of each student would otherwise meet the writing requirement.

No specified number of pages is required (although some faculty supervisors may choose to translate the requirement into pages). Rather, the requirement is framed in terms of the written product and the effort that lies behind it.

Papers that receive high marks are usually those that have been drafted, critiqued, and then rewritten. Adjunct (part-time) faculty are not eligible to supervise written work in satisfaction of the upper-division writing requirement unless prior written permission is given by Dean Altman or the Board of Review. If you wish to have such a request considered, please submit a written proposal to the Registrar.

1. Write a note as a member of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, the Southern California Law Review or the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice.

Please note that, unlike other transfer students who have the opportunity to write on to Law Review upon arrival as they will have completed Legal Research Writing & Advocacy prior to their enrollment at USC Law School, LSE students participating in this dual degree program will be invited to write on to Law Review for a staff position only after the succesfull completion of the first year of studies at USC Law School. They will not, however, have the opportunity to become a board member as they will have only one year left until graduation after completing Legal Research Writing & Advocacy. It is important that students follow Regsitrar procedures at the time they become eligible to write on for Law Review.

2. Complete a numerically graded dissertation or directed research project of 2-units of greater. The independent work must be supervised by a full-time faculty member.

3. Participate in the Hale Moot Court Honors Program

4. Write a term paper for an upper-division course or seminar offered for 2 or more units of credit.

The paper must include ongoing interactive engagement between the professor and the student regarding the writing. To satisfy the requirement in this fashion, the instructor must meet with and review drafts of the term paper with the student before the final paper is submitted.

5. Write a brief for a faculty-supervised clinical course.

A brief for a clinical course may satisfy the writing requirement even if the course is not taken for a numerical grade.

Students must submit the Upper Division Writing Requirement form to the Registrar to receive credit for the writing requirement. The form must be signed by the instructor of the course and the student must submit the form to the Registrar after a substantial portion of the course requirements is completed. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the form is delivered to the Registrar. A student who has questions about whether a particular project may satisfy the requirement should contact the Registrar.

Students must also consult with USC Law School Registrar, Kyle Jones, and Study Abroad Programs Advisor, Professor Edwin M. Smith about educational and professional objectives and to seek advice about curriculum selections.

Legal Writing Fellows Program:

Please note that first year (1L) JD students who commit to participate in their 2L and 3L years, consecutively, are eligible to apply for positions as Legal Writing Fellows. As LLB/JD dual degree students are here for only two years and, as such, cannot commit to a two year participation, they are ineligible for consideration as Legal Writing Fellows.

Curricular Practical Training

As transfer students, LSE-USC LL.B./J.D. students may participate in our fall On-Campus Interview (OCI) program. This may result in an offer at a law firm to work full-time over the summer. However, as an international student, the exchange student will be on an F-1 visa. SEVIS rules require that students in F-1 status secure a work permit in order to work off-campus in the U.S. To secure the work permit, students in F-1 status must enroll in Curricular Practical Training (CPT), which is offered through the university’s Office of International Services.

As a part of CPT, and in order to be eligible to apply for permission to work in an internship that is not a required part of the student’s program of study, F-1 status students must, among other things, ‘be registered for a particular class which requires you to work off-campus; or registered for a directed research unit and have completed a directed research contract with your supervising professor or dean.’

Participating students should note that the associated tuition and fees of any summer Directed Research classes will be the responsibility of the student.

Please refer to the OIS website for more information on the CPT application conditions and requirements: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/OIS/Service/career/cpt.html

Enrollment Options

With appropriate permission from the Registrar, students may also:

Take up to 8 total units of CR/D/F credit in classes normally graded numerically. Only 4 such units may be taken each semester.

CR/D/F Grading Policy:

Most courses at USC Law School are graded numerically. USC Law offers no courses on a "Pass/Fail" basis. Courses which are not graded numerically are graded on a CR/D/F basis. Some courses are graded exclusively on a CR/D/F basis; and some courses are offered to be taken on either basis at the student’s option.

Grades under the CR/D/F option will be entered as CR (passing and satisfactory), 2.0 to 2.3 D (passing but not satisfactory), or 1.9 F (failing). The CR/D/F grading option allows the instructor to award a grade of 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, or 2.3 (passing but not satisfactory) if the student does not warrent a grade of CR.

Graduation Requirements and the CR/D/F Option

As stated above, LSE-USC LL.B./J.D. students must successfully complete at least thirty-five (35) units in upper-division, numerically graded courses taken at USC Law School. Students may take a total of up to eight (8) units on the optional CR/D/F basis from among courses otherwise graded in the normal manner but for which the instructor has authorized this option. (Course descriptions in the registration materials show which courses and seminars have been designated by their instructors as not available for CR/D/F grading.) No more than four (4) such optional CR/D/F units may be taken in one semester. Courses offered exclusively on a CR/D/F basis (e.g., clinical internships and judicial externships) do not count against the four and eight unit limits on optional CR/D/F grading.

Selecting the CR/D/F Grading Option:

During the drop/add period (first two weeks of class), students have freedom in electing numerical grading or CR/D/F grading. To select the CR/D/F grading option, a student must complete the appropriate form in Room 104. As with all important documents, students should keep a copy of the form.

From the end of drop/add until the end of the seventh week of the semester, a student needs the instructor's approval to change the grading option. The petition to change grading to or from the optional CR/D/F must also be approved to ensure that it complies with unit requirements. In a course in which a graded mid-term exam is offered, petitions must be submitted prior to the mid-term. After the seventh week, permission to change the grading option will be granted only in exceptional cases, with approval of both the instructor and Registrar Kyle Jones upon petition of the student setting forth the exigent circumstances that warrant CR/D/F grading. Exceptions to this deadline are rare.

Taking an Exam CR/D/F:

Students are instructed at the time of the exam to mark on the front of the blue book if they are registered for the course on a CR/D/F basis. These exams are not included with the numerically graded exams when the grades are normalized.

CR/D/F and Restricted Enrollment:

Students whose year-end cumulative grade point average is below 2.9 are on "Restricted Enrollment" for the following academic year. Students on Restricted Enrollment are discouraged from electing the CR/D/F grading option in any course that is graded numerically. Please refer to the J.D. Handbook for specific information on the Law School’s Restricted Enrollment policy. http://law.usc.edu/students/handbook/policies/restricted.cfm

Degree Requirements

Grades & Award of J.D. Degree

The USC J.D. degree will be awarded to students who meet the requirements described herein and on the basis of the grades achieved by the student during the two years’ course of study at USC.

Students must carefully monitor their schedules throughout their J.D. studies to insure that they are meeting these requirements.

USC Law School requires that students earn a minimum of a 3.0 GPA (or its equivalent) during their J.D. studies. As a transfer student, you will be expected to maintain this minimum GPA standard while in the J.D. program.

The USC Law School grade point average will be computed only on the work taken at USC.

Students who finish their degrees in London and complete all requirements within six semesters will receive degrees posted with August dates. Students who return to USC Law for a seventh semester to complete degree requirements will receive degrees posted with December dates.

Grades & Award of LL.B. Degree

The LSE LL.B. will be awarded on the basis of the student’s performance on the final (second) year of study at the LSE, and the first year of study at USC Law School, in parity with standard LSE LL.B. students whose degrees are awarded upon the basis of year 2 and year 3 (Part I and II) results. Subject grades awarded during the student’s first year of studies in the USC J.D. program will be weighted and translated so as to fall within the LSE degree-awarding rules.

Transcripts

At the conclusion of the study abroad program, USC will supply an official transcript of results to the student. An official transcript from USC will also be sent directly to the LSE’s Law Department office after the student’s first year of study at USC in order to apply credits toward the LL.B. degree.

The student will also be required to write an evaluation of the dual degree program. The evaluation should be filed with the Graduate & International Programs Office within one month of the student’s completion of the USC J.D. degree and should include the following information:

a) an evaluative description of the overseas institution, the courses taken, the facilities at the institution, and the resources available to visiting students;

b) an analysis of how the dual degree program met the student’s educational and professional objectives; and

c) recommendations for future students interested in this overseas opportunity.

Graduation

Participating LSE students may participate in the J.D. commencement ceremony held in May.

Tuition &Fees

LSE students participating in USC Law School's study abroad program will pay tuition to USC after they have been admitted to the J.D. program. Students will be responsible for all other expenses, including travel, housing, meals, special fees, health insurance, plus medical/dental or other expenses not covered by health insurance, textbooks, clothing, passport and visa costs and all other costs incurred in connection with their studies at USC. The tuition fee for the 2007-2008 academic year was $41,118 and this is likely to rise for 2008-2009. All international students are also required to show proof of medical insurance coverage (either USC’s health insurance plan or an equivalent insurance policy). Insurance fees can be waived if proof of alternative coverage is provided.

LSE students may also be expected to pay some student fees while studying at USC. It is expected that the cost of living in Los Angeles will be somewhat less expensive than the cost of living in London. This may vary considerably year to year dependent upon the exchange rate and other factors.

Housing

A limited number of spaces at USC’s on-campus housing may be available to LSE students. Housing for the general USC student population is limited and spaces usually fill up early in the summer. We anticipate that most LSE dual degree students will opt to rent an apartment in the Los Angeles area in lieu of utilizing USC Housing. The Graduate & International Programs Office at USC Law School will assist exchange program students with any questions they might have about accommodations in Los Angeles during their studies at USC.

Cancellation

USC Law School reserves the right to cancel any course for reasons of insufficient student registration. If changes are announced prior to a student’s departure from London, and the student is unable to identify satisfactory substitute courses, he or she may choose to withdraw from the program. If cancellation occurs after the student has arrived in Los Angeles, substitute courses must be selected and submitted for approval to USC Law School’s Graduate & International Program’s Academic Director.

Policies

USC Rules and Regulations

Students in attendance at USC Law School’s J.D. program must abide by all the rules and regulations of USC.

The J.D. Handbook can be found at: http://law.usc.edu/students/handbook.cfm

It contains material relevant to the everyday life of the student already attending USC Law School. It includes many of the academic policies which govern the activities of students at USC Law; each student is expected to be familiar with these policies, refer to them as needed, and comply with them. Important information is also published in Student Connections. Students are expected to review the Handbook and each edition of Student Connections.

Student Connections is available online at: http://law.usc.edu/sconnect

Additional helpful information, as well as the University's rules and regulations are contained in the University publication, SCampus available online at:http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/

Students are strongly urged to review all of the materials in the J.D. Handbook. Since many Law School policies apply differently to students depending on their year in law school, students who do not review these policies may be unaware of policies of particular interest or relevance to them.

The USC Catalogue is the document of authority for all students and is not superseded by the J.D. Handbook or other bulletins published by the various academic units.

The USC Catalogue is available online at: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2007/

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