Advice on flexible JD programs for personal goals and disability

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It is common for UK lawyers to become licensed in NY and vice versa. […]

The other way to practice in NY is to gain a foreign lawyer exemption

There’s another important piece of the puzzle. In the US, the route to a law license after law school (the qualifying law degree) is simple: bar exam, character and fitness, and admission to the bar. Delaware additionally requires a 12-week full-time clerkship with an existing Delaware legal practice.

But in the UK, the route to a law license after law school (the qualifying law degree) has additional steps. For a new law graduate to become a solicitor, my understanding is that it generally involves in addition to those steps shared with the US, a Legal Practice Course and either a training contract of at least two years full-time in an qualified UK solicitor practice, or a similar combination of qualifying professional experience in law. For a new law graduate to become a barrister, it’s much the same, except it’s a Bar Practice Course and a pupillage of one year full-time in a qualified UK barrister practice.

I’ve read news stories about surpluses of UK LLB graduates unable to obtain training contracts or pupillages, even in-person in the UK. I don’t know how much of this it’s possible to do while physically outside the UK, or how competitive those positions are if they exist. I don’t know how achievable it is to immigrate to the UK so as to take a training contract or pupillage there.

If you’re going for a US state that will take your UK LLB as a qualifying law degree in the absence of a UK law license, this isn’t an issue. But the routes you describe in New York seems to require the UK law license too.

Hi, so in the UK, to become a solicitor (a lawyer who doesn't go to court) one is no longer required to hold a law degree to sit for the two 2 qualifying exams. As long as the person holds a bachelor's degree or the equivalent in any major, the person can study for and take the SQE1 and SQE2 exams. It also requires 2 years of qualifying work experience in addition. Others also may choose to do a Postgraduate Diploma in Law as a conversion for a non law bachelor's degree. Looking at NY laws, I think that a UK-qualified solicitor who does not hold a law degree cannot qualify to sit for the bar. Thus I think one should aim for the LLB, and the reason I personally wouldn't skip that part

In any case, a person will need to study for the SQE1 and SQE2 exams, and the coursework in preparing for that is also like getting a degree. In addition to passing exams, one will need 2 years of Qualifiying Work Experience, which can be accomplished through pro bono work contract via a law clinic, which does become a challenge but is possible. I could always try to go the CILEX pathway to specialize in a specific area of law, and have my work assessed as qualifying experience.
 
The worst thing that can happen is "No". I would still have a law degree, nonetheless, and be wiser and potentially better at my job. It will help me run my own business if I choose to go that way, or in business in general, and in everyday dealings in life. I do not need to become a lawyer, but I want the opportunity to do so if I truly want to. 

The UK LLB pathway works for me in those ways, but it may not for others. Recently I was looking at 1. An online teaching center which normally partners with 2. an online university, but that teaching center decided it also wanted to collaborate with 3. another digital university, which also partners with 4. yet another teaching institution, to offer a master's in international business law. I know that's a mouthful, but I did it to be funny. (In case you are wondering, 1. ENEB and 2. Universidad Isabel I, but ENEB decided to also collaborate with 3. Unimarconi, and Unimarconi has another separate arrangement with 4. UniAthena to offer a Master's in International Business Law). 

That was interesting to me as it's business law, and my background is in sales and business. I learned that Italy is a civil law country and thus would not be very helpful for me in the law education context moving forward. The program would have also provided a postgraduate diploma from CIQ, which is not OfQual regulated, although CIQ does have other diplomas that are regulated by the Scottish Qualifications Framework (SQF). Even if the PGDip they gave me was under SQF and thus OfQual regulated, I learned that Scotland is part common law and part civil law, thus not so helpful down the line, regardless in NY. After looking more into it, I decided that a UK LLB, which allows one to potentially become qualified in England and Wales, both being under common law, would make me happier. Thus, I have redirected my focus. I have other educational plans thereafter, so it's not super critical for me to become a lawyer.