Agreement Allows Undergraduate Students to Study Law in London

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January 27, 2023

St. John’s University recently signed an articulation agreement with Goldsmiths, University of London, permitting St. John’s students to study law in London, England. 

The agreement allows qualified students who complete the St. John’s Associate of Science degree in Legal Studies to count courses taken as part of that degree toward the Goldsmiths Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree—thereby allowing qualified students to earn two legal degrees in four years: an associate’s degree in Legal Studies from St. John’s University, and an LLB from Goldsmiths, University of London.

“This pathway program is a great opportunity for students who want to split their four-year college education between two of the largest legal markets in the world—New York and London,” explained James A. Croft, Esq., Director of the Legal Studies Program and Associate Professor in the Division of Legal Studies “They complete two years of legal coursework at St. John’s before attempting the rigorous Goldsmiths LLB program. They will then get two more years of legal coursework before pursuing a US law program.”   

Under the agreement, students apply to St. John’s and to Goldsmiths separately. Students first apply to St. John’s University and enter the St. John’s associate’s degree program in Legal Studies. Interested students then apply to Goldsmiths in their second year of study at St. John’s. 

The St. John’s associate’s degree in Legal Studies prepares students for entry-level work in the legal field and for further study by teaching foundational skills in the practice of law: close reading of legal texts, legal research and writing, and legal analysis. The St. John’s Legal Studies program is an American Bar Association-approved Paralegal Education Program. Graduates of the Legal Studies program earn a paralegal certificate that can be used to obtain work after college. Legal assistants and paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law. 

Goldsmiths is a part of the prestigious University of London system, and is part of the U.K.’s Civic University Network.