Several law degrees are available to prospective law students.
Several types of law degrees are available to students seeking a legal education. These degrees range from the Juris Doctor degree to the S.J.D. degree. However, obtaining a legal degree alone does not allow you to practice law. Graduates must pass the jurisdictional bar exam administered by the state in which they intend to practice. Prospective students should always check with that state's bar association for requirements.
J.D., Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) is conferred upon law students who pass a three-year J.D. program. In the United States, the degree usually requires at least three years of full-time coursework, and some schools offer part-time evening programs to accommodate working professionals.
The common coursework includes family law, criminal law, tax law, constitutional law, contract law, torts, civil procedure, and business law. Most schools offer a focused "track" program allowing law students to selectively focus on a particular field of law. These elective courses may be taken only after the mandatory coursework is completed. Typically, this is accomplished during the third year of law school. Most schools have legal clinics that offer focused instructional training combined with some real-word applications.
To obtain a law degree or J.D., you must have received a four-year undergraduate degree, and pre-law classes are not required. Most states require that practicing attorneys attend an ABA-accredited law school. Additionally, all accredited law schools request Law School Admissions Test scores (LSAT). This standardized four-hour test is administered four times a year at selected undergraduate institutions.
After you've completed the J.D. program, you must also pass a state bar exam to actively engage in the practice of law. Each state's bar association controls its bar exam. Bar exams are typically administered twice a year over a full two-day period. Minimum standards are set by each state's bar association, and some states allow for reciprocity. Reciprocity is when one state's bar exam and licensing requirements are honored in another jurisdiction. For instance, Virginia participates in a reciprocity program with New York if the lawyer has practiced full-time law for a minimum period of time. Most states also require attorneys to pass a second standardized test after law school, the ethics exam.
LL.B., Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws degree is a type of undergraduate degree that is not recognized in the United States. Primarily, it's used in common-law jurisdictions, such as England, where this degree takes the place of the U.S. Juris Doctor degree. However, most countries require lawyers or "barristers" to take a few courses in core legal subjects, such as contract law, prior to obtaining an LL.B.
LL.M., Master of Laws
The Master of Laws degree is a type of post-graduate degree conferred upon students who obtain a J.D. and finish graduate coursework. The LL.M. degree is usually obtained after one year of full-time post-J.D. coursework.
The ABA does not provide graduate law school programs with accreditation. Instead, each law school has its own accrediting process, and the ABA does not endorse these programs.
The LL.M. program allows law school graduates and practicing attorneys to specialize in certain areas of law, such as patent law. Many law schools offer these programs, and some law schools even offer dual accreditation programs, which allow students to obtain both a J.D. and LL.M simultaneously with more rigorous coursework.
S.J.D., Doctor of Judicial Science
The S.J.D. is the highest degree in the legal profession. Akin to Ph.D. recipients, these professionals have participated in intensive specialized legal coursework. This degree can be obtained after completing three years of full-time studies and a dissertation. As with non-legal, postgraduate degrees, the graduate student must successfully defend his thesis in front of a panel of academic instructors or peers.
The majority of all S.J.D. graduate programs require students to have J.D. and LL.M. degrees. Most graduates seek this type of degree to become law school professors.
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