The international nature of many legal transactions today has created a demand for lawyers who can practice in multiple jurisdictions. Such lawyers are prized by law firms and corporate law departments. Hence, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) have established the joint legal education programme since 2009 that opens doors for candidates, who successfully complete the programme to practice law in both Canada and Hong Kong.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
Under this joint LLB-JD programme, a student will be able to complete 2 degrees in two jurisdictions in a total of 5 years. Students who have successfully completed 180 HKU credits^ by their third year of study, including the compulsory LLB courses (i.e. 126 credits of core courses + 6-credit DRC requirement) and other required courses for graduation purpose (i.e. 36 credits common core courses and 12 credits language courses) with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.1 are eligible to apply for this two-year programme at UBC. This joint LLB-JD programme will allow students to pursue professional qualification studies in both Hong Kong and British Columbia.
The curriculum structure will be as follows:
| Year of study | Host institution | Study load |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | HKU | 60 HKU credits |
| Year 2 | HKU | 60 HKU credits |
| Year 3 | HKU | 60 HKU credits |
| Year 4 | UBC | 30 UBC credits |
| Year 5 | UBC | 30 UBC credits |
Notes:
- Upon successful completion of the two year of JD study at UBC, students will obtain HKU LLB and UBC JD respectively from HKU and UBC.
- Students may apply for the PCLL programme^ to pursue the qualification in Hong Kong as a barrister or solicitor.
^ For the purpose of PCLL admission, students must satisfactorily complete Evidence I (or Evidence II) and Land law III on top of the 180 HKU credits.
QUOTA OF ADMISSION
Up to five students may be admitted to the programme each year.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The following required documents must be submitted to UBC by the application deadline of January 31 of the application year for consideration:
- The completed application form
- A Personal Statement
– Your Personal Statement is an essay of no more than 750 words.
– The contents of your statement should outline those features about yourself that distinguish you from other candidates and/or anything you feel is relevant to your application including highlights about your non-academic achievements. - Transcripts
– You must make arrangements with every post-secondary institution you have attended (with the exception of UBC), to have official transcripts sent directly to the UBC Allard School of Law. This includes transcripts from any Universities or Colleges attended on exchange and the HKU Law School.
– Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a notarized English translation. - Two Academic Letters of Reference
- Letter of Permission
– You must submit a letter of permission from HKU indicating that you have met the HKU requirements to participate in the joint program and that you are in good standing.
To facilitate consideration of application, please submit items 1-4 to our Faculty Office (10/F Cheng Yu Tung Tower) 2 weeks before the application deadline, i.e. no later than mid-January, for review. If your application has been endorsed, the Faculty Office will return the submitted documents together with the Letter of Permission to you. Please arrange the full sets of documents (1 – 5 above) to be sent to The Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC directly at the following address:
JD Admissions
University of British Columba
The Peter A. Allard School of Law
1822 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Canada
Admissions to the programme is made by Allard School of Law.
COST
This joint legal education programme is NOT an exchange programme. Students will be required to pay the UBC tuition fees while they are staying at UBC for the 4th and 5th years of study. They will be required to complete 60 credits of courses in UBC to fulfill the requirements of their JD programme. Please refer to https://allard.ubc.ca/programs/juris-doctor-jd-program/programs-and-courses/courses-and-degree-requirements for more information of the curriculum requirements for the JD programme at UBC.
For 2023-24 school year, tuition fee for non-international students (Canadian citizens) is CAD 436.06 per credit, whereas tuition fee for international students is CAD 1,392.18 per credit. Tuition and fees are subject to change.
For more information on tuition and programme fees, please refer to https://allard.ubc.ca/programs/juris-doctor-jd-program/costs-and-funding/tuition-and-program-fees
ENQUIRIES
(1) For further information about your HKU LLB degree and study plan, please contact the Exchange Director (outgoing) via the Exchange Team (outgoing) of the Department of Law at .
(2) For information about the admissions process, please contact the Admissions Office at or 1-604-822-6303.
(3) General information about the Allard School of Law can be found at www.allard.ubc.ca.
(4) For information about practicing law in BC, visit the Law Society of BC website at www.lawsociety.bc.ca.
(5) If you are an international student, you must ensure that your visa arrangements are finalized before classes start in September. UBC has comprehensive information for international students available online at: https://students.ubc.ca/international-student-guide