J.D. Proposal Wins Broad Faculty Support

Members of the J.D. Committee who worked on the J.D. Report and advocated on behalf of students: (front row l-r) Christina Dao, Law '08, Jeff Fung, Law '08, Lauren Wihak, Law '08, (back row l-r) Nick Staubitz, Law '09, David Kramer, Law '08.

Queen's Law students may soon graduate with a new name for their degree.

On October 19, 2007, the school's Faculty Board passed a motion asking the University Senate to change the designation of the initial law degree at Queen's from a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) to a Juris Doctor (J.D.). The motion is the result of a student-led initiative beginning in 2005 to change the name of the degree.

"The students are extremely happy and grateful to the members of Faculty Board for their overwhelming support in passing the J.D. motion," said Law Students' Society (LSS) President Jeff Fung, Law '08. "This is great news for students."

"Consultation with students, alumni and other stakeholders will take place as we prepare material for the Senate," added David Kramer, Law '08, a member of the Faculty Board, the University Senate and the student committee that researched the J.D. "This is one important step in the right direction."

If this Faculty Board motion is ratified by the Senate, students currently enrolled at Queen's Law will be allowed to choose whether to graduate with an LL.B. or a J.D., and alumni will be able to exchange their LL.B.s for J.D.s, should they wish. For two years after the date of the Senate's decision, the Faculty will cover the cost of reissuing diplomas; thereafter, an administrative fee may be charged.

Why propose the J.D.?

The purpose of the change, according to Jeff, is to "communicate clearly the value of our degree." A J.D. is recognized in the international legal community as a second-entry professional degree program that provides a high-quality legal education.

On the other hand, the LL.B. designation is used in many common law countries to indicate an entry-level law program that admits students immediately after secondary school. Canada is one of the few countries in the world that use the LL.B. designation for a "second-entry" professional law degree program, meaning students must have prior post-secondary education. This practice has the unfortunate result, in countries outside of Canada, of understating the value of a Canadian legal education.

In Canada, applicants to law school must complete at least two years of post-secondary education. "But in practice," said Jeff "most students are coming into law school with a degree under their belt." Admissions statistics from the first-year class at Queen's in 2007 indicate that nearly all students have completed at least three or four years of university undergraduate work.

"In Hong Kong, some firms will actually pay a graduate of a J.D. program more than a graduate of an LL.B. program," said David. This difference reflects the fact that outside of Canada, most employers regard the J.D. as evidence of a superior legal education.

Queen's students leading the way

At Queen's Law, the idea of changing the name of the degree has been around for nearly ten years, and in 2005 the concept really began to take hold. A student committee took shape and all members worked hard to move the proposal forward. Before the Faculty Board motion, the idea of adopting the J.D. was taken to the students for debate and then put to a referendum. Over 75 per cent were in favour of the title change.

"The message from students was clear," said Nicholas Staubitz, Law' 09, who was on the committee researching the J.D.

The LSS commissioned a report on the impact of the name change and soon started discussing the potential switch with Faculty Board.

Queen's is not the only Canadian law school considering changing its degree designation. The University of Toronto adopted the J.D. in 2001 and in February 2007, the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia (UBC) passed a motion to adopt the J.D. It is expected that several other Canadian law schools will make the change within the next few years.