Juris Doctor

J.D. redirects here; for alternate uses, see J.D. (disambiguation)

J.D. is an abbreviation for the Latin Juris Doctor, also called a Doctor of Law or Doctorate of Jurisprudence, and is the law degree typically awarded by an accredited U.S. law school after successfully completing three years of post-graduate law study. Generally, a 4-year undergraduate degree is required to be eligible for entry into a J.D. program.

The course of study for a J.D. usually takes 3 years but may take as little as 2 years at some schools. At schools approved by the American Bar Association, it is not possible to finish the J.D. in less than 2 1/2 years. The ABA requires six "residence credits" of full-time study to finish the J.D.; each residence credit is equal to one semester. Successful completion of full-time study in one summer term, by ABA rules, grants one-half residence credit. Therefore, at least in schools that use the semester system, a student can only advance his or her graduation by one semester.

Contents

1 History

2 Courses required

3 Admission to the bar

4 See also

4.1 Other law degrees

History

The J.D. was formerly known as the LL.B. in most U.S. universities, and was changed to confer an equivalent professional status found in other American professions (i.e., medicine, dentistry, etc.). The LL.M., "Master of Laws", is a post J.D. degree (similar post professional doctorate programs at the master's level can also be found in dentistry and veterinary medicine). Doctors of law who are admitted to the practice of law often append the suffix Esq. to the end of their names, but are not commonly referred to as "Doctor". (While the Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate, similar to the Medicinæ Doctor (Doctor of Medicine), legal convention has not universally accepted the use of such title among lawyers in the U.S.) Other graduate law degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.), Doctor of the Science of Law (L.Sc.D.), and the Legum Doctor or Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) confer the academic and social title of "Doctor," but is rarely used by practicing lawyers in the U.S. The exception to practicing U.S. lawyers using the title of "Doctor" involves those holding other doctorates outside of their fields (i.e., M.D./J.D., Ph.D./J.D., etc.).

Courses required

The first year of a J.D. program is usually devoted to core courses on contracts, property law, torts and civil procedure. Later courses might include things such as:

Admission to the bar

In the United States, the practice of law is regulated on the state level. To practice law in a particular state, one generally must be a member of the bar of that state.

In most states, a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association is necessary before one may become a member of the bar and practice law. In many states, the bar of the state is separate from the state bar association. In other instances, states have with an "integrated bar association," in which a J.D. holder is required to be member of the bar association of the state in which he or she intends to practice. Most states, however, do not require membership in a bar association, it is purely voluntary.

Many states allow some foreign-educated lawyers to take the bar exam. In New York, individuals with at least three years of formal education in the common law (such as British or Australian law) are qualified to take the bar exam. Individuals with two years of common law training or three years of civil law training may take the bar exam after completing a one-year LL.M. program at an American institution.

Only one state, California, allows individuals to take the bar exam without a degree. However, an applicant without legal education must study under a judge or practicing attorney for an extended period of time before taking the exam.

Admission to a state's bar requires that the applicant either sit for the bar exam in that state and submit to that state's procedures for verifying "character and fitness", or obtain admission administratively through reciprocity provisions providing that in some states, lawyers who have practiced in other states for a set period of time, may be admitted upon application. Washington, DC is a special case—the DC bar allows attorneys who recently passed the bar exam of another state and who were subsequently admitted to the bar of that state, to 'waive' in to DC, in effect not having to sit for the full DC bar exam (though they still must attend to other formalities in order to practice in DC).