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Encyclopedia > Legal education

Legal education is the education of individuals who intend to become legal professionals (attorneys and judges) or those who simply intend to use their law degree to some end, either related to law (such as politics or academic) or unrelated (such as business entrepreneurship).

Contents


Legal Education (general)

In addition to the qualifications required to became a practising lawyer, legal education also encompasses higher degrees such as doctorates, for more advanced academic study.


In many countries other than the United States, law is an undergraduate degree. Graduates of such a program are eligible to become lawyers by passing the country's equivalent of a bar exam. In such countries, graduate programs in law enable students to embark on academic careers or become specialized in a particular area of law. A bar examination is an series of tests conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given American examination usually consists of the following: complicated essay questions concerning that jurisdictions law; the Multistate Bar Examination, a standardized, nationwide examination containing generalized...


In the United States, law is a graduate degree, which students embark upon only after completing an undergraduate degree in some other field (usually a bachelor's degree), and is considered to be a graduate or professional school program. The undergraduate degree can be in any field, though most American lawyers hold bachelor's degrees in the humanities and social sciences; legal studies as an undergraduate study is available at a few institutions, like Amherst College. American law schools are usually an autonomous entity within a larger university. A graduate school or grad school is a school that awards advanced degrees, with the general requirement that students must have earned an undergraduate (bachelors) degree. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A profession is a specialized work function within society, generally performed by a professional. ... Amherst College is an independent liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. It is the third oldest college in Massachusetts. ...


Faculty of law is another name for a law school or school of law, the terms commonly used in the United States. This term is used in Canada, other Commonwealth countries and the rest of the world. It may be distinguishable from law school in the sense that a faculty is a subdivision of a university on the same rank with other faculties, i.e. faculty of medicine, faculty of graduate studies, whereas a law school or school of law may have a more autonomous status within a university, or may be totally independent of any other post-secondary educational institution. // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ... In the United States, the institution where future lawyers obtain a legal degree is called a law school. ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ...


In addition in some countries, including the United Kingdom, the final stages of vocational legal education required to qualify to practice law are carried out outside the university system. The requirements for qualification as a barrister or as a solicitor are covered in those articles. See advocate for details of the requirements for qualification as an advocate in Scotland. English barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in most common law jurisdictions who principally, but not exclusively, represents litigants as their advocate before the courts of that jurisdiction. ... A solicitor is a type of lawyer in many common law jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Canada and some States of Australia but not the United States. ... It has been suggested that Barrister#Advocates in Scotland be merged into this article or section. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ...


United States

(The following information can also be found cross-listed at "Education of Lawyers in the United States") Legal education in the United States generally refers to the education of lawyers, and that is the focus of this article. ...


The Education of Lawyers in the United States is generally undertaken through a law school program. // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ...


The professional degree granted by U.S. law schools is the Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.). Once a prospective lawyer has been awarded the J.D. (or other appropriate degree), he or she must pass a state bar examination in order to be licensed to practice as an Attorney at Law. Juris Doctor (J.D.) is a first degree in law offered by universities in a number of countries, most notably the United States. ... A bar examination is a lengthy examination (two or more days) conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction. ... For information on the type of fish called Lawyer, see the article on Burbot. ...


The Juris Doctor (J.D.), like the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), is a professional doctorate. The Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.S.D.), Doctor of Judicial Science (S.J.D.), and Doctor of Comparative Law (D.C.L.), are research and academic-based doctorate level degrees. In the U.S. the Legum Doctor (LL.D.) is only awarded as an honorary degree.


Academic degrees for non-lawyers are available at the baccalaureate and master's level. A common baccalaureate level degree is a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies (B.S.). Academic master's degrees in legal studies are available, such as the Master of Studies (M.S.), and the Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.). Such a degree is not required to enter a J.D. program.


Foreign lawyers seeking to practice in the U.S., who do not have a Juris Doctor (J.D.), often seek to obtain a Juris Master (J.M.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Comparative Law (M.C.L.), or a Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.).


Legal education in the United States normally proceeds along the following route:

  • Undergraduate education (usually 4 years)
  • Law school (usually 3 years)
  • Judicial clerkship (optional and uncommon (less than 10%) -- usually lasts 1 year)
  • Admission to the bar (usually by taking a state's bar exam)
  • Legal practice

Law School

A law school is an institution where prospective lawyers obtain legal degrees. In the United States, law is a graduate degree, the pursuit of which students undertake only after having completed an undergraduate degree in some other field (usually a bachelor's degree). The law school program is considered to be a graduate or professional school program. The undergraduate degree can be in any field, though most American lawyers hold bachelor's degrees in the humanities and social sciences. American law schools are usually an autonomous entity within a larger university. In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law. ... British barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... A graduate school or grad school is a school that awards advanced degrees, with the general requirement that students must have earned an undergraduate (bachelors) degree. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A profession is a specialized work function within society, generally performed by a professional. ...


In most other countries, law is an undergraduate degree and graduates of such a program are eligible to become lawyers by passing the country's equivalent of a bar exam. In such countries, graduate programs in law enable students to embark on academic careers or become specialized in a particular area of law. A bar examination is an series of tests conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given American examination usually consists of the following: complicated essay questions concerning that jurisdictions law; the Multistate Bar Examination, a standardized, nationwide examination containing generalized...


In most cases the degree awarded by American law schools is the Juris Doctor, or J.D., degree. In contrast, the LL.B. degree is still the standard qualification in other common law jurisdictions, mostly in the Commonwealth of Nations. Other, higher, degrees that are awarded include the Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) and the Doctor of Juridical Science degree (J.S.D. or S.J.D.). Juris Doctor (J.D.) is a first degree in law offered by universities in a number of countries, most notably the United States. ... The degree of Bachelor of Laws is the principal academic degree in law in most common law countries. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. ... The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. ...


Once a student has graduated from law school he or she is expected to pursue admission to the bar in order to practice. Requirements for membership the bar vary across the United States. In the United States, admission to the bar is permission granted by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. ... A bar association is a professional body of lawyers who, in some jurisdictions, are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession. ...


Canada

See also List of law schools in Canada This is a list of law schools and law faculties in Canada. ...


In Canada, the situation is somewhere between that of the U.S. and the majority of the rest of the world. The first-professional degree in law is the Bachelor of Laws or the Juris Doctor for common law jurisdictions and the Bachelor of Laws, Licenciate of Law or Bachelor of Civil Law for Quebec, a civil law jurisdiction. While technically most of Canada's common-law law schools will allow people to apply to study law after only two or three years of study in an undergraduate programme in another field, the vast majority of those who are admitted have already earned at least an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. In the case of Quebec civil law degrees, students can be admitted after CEGEP . The degree of Bachelor of Laws is the principal academic degree in law in most common law countries other than the United States, where it has been replaced by the Juris Doctor degree. ... Juris Doctor (J.D.) is a first degree in law offered by universities in a number of countries, most notably the United States. ... Bachelor of Civil Law or BCL is the name of various degrees in law in English-speaking countries. ... CÉGEP (Collège denseignement général et professionnel - College of General and Vocational Education, pronounced say-jep [fr/en] or see-jip [en]) is a type of educational institution in Quebec. ...


Generally, entry into common-law LL.B programs in Canada is based almost exclusively on a combination of the student's grades as well as his score on the LSAT. This is, at the time of writing, unique from Medical School admission, where factors such as community involvement, personal character, extra-curricular activities and references are taken into account, with the admission test (MCAT) having only a small influence on the admission decision. However, McGill University law school takes into account those personal factors. Quebec civil-law law schools do not require the LSAT, nor does Université de Moncton law school which offers the common-law LL.B. program in French only. In the case of the University of Ottawa's common-law law school, the LSAT is required for the program given in English but not for the program given in French. The requirement for the LSAT is likely because it is generally believed that a student who performs well on the LSAT will generally perform well both at law school as well as as a legal practitioner. Most law schools receive far more applicants than they can accommodate; the examination offers admissions officers a simple and generally effective way to eliminate a large number of applicants from the pool. The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is a standardized test used for admission to law schools in the United States of America and Canada that are members of the Law School Admissions Council. ... The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized test administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to prospective medical students as a means to standardise comparison between them for purposes of admission to medical school. ... The Université de Moncton is a French language university in Moncton, New Brunswick serving the Acadian community of Atlantic Canada. ...


After completing the LL.B. or equivalent, students must article for one year. (In Quebec, "stage" is the equivalent to "articling".) This can be a challenge for those with lower grades, as there are often a shortage of articling positions and completion of articles is required to be able to practise law in Canada. Articling involves on the job training, for low pay, working under the supervision of a licensed lawyer by the Provincial Bar (e.g., the Law Society of British Columbia) who has been practising for a minimum of 5 years. After a year of articling and call to the bar, many students are hired by the same lawyer or firm for which they articled, some start their own independent practices while others choose to work for a different firm. Others may leave the private practice of law to work in government or industry as a lawyer or in a law-related position. In England and Wales, many Commonwealth jurisdictions, and Hong Kong SAR, barristers (, lawyers who are licensed to argue cases in superior courts, as opposed to those licensed for other forms of legal practice outside of the courtrooms, such as providing legal advice to lay clients) are those who have been...


In Canada, the vast majority of lawyers do not seek a graduate degree in law, such as a Master of Laws, unless they intend to become a professor at a law school or they are practising lawyers taking an LL.M. program geared to practising lawyers to gain or expand knowledge in a specialized area of law. The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. ...


United Kingdom

See Legal education in the United Kingdom // England, Wales and Northern Ireland Qualifying law degrees The term qualifying law degree refers to a degree (generally a Bachelor of Laws degree or its equivalent) from a university that is accredited by the Inns of Court or the Law Society of England and Wales and in which a passing...


Australia

In Australia the situation is similar to Canada. Most reputable universities offer law as a graduate course (LLB, 3 years), undergraduate course (LLB, 4 years) or combined degree course (eg, BSc/LLB, BCom/LLB, BA/LLB, BE/LLB, 5 - 6 years). Some of these also offer a 2 year postgraduate JD program. Students in combined law would spend the first 3 years completing their first bachelor degree together with some preliminary law subjects, and then spend the last 2 years completing the law degree. Alternatively, one can finish any bachelor degree, and providing their academic results are high, apply for graduate entry into a LLB program. Notable law schools are at ANU, Monash, UNSW, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and the University of Queensland. The Australian National University (ANU), is a university located in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. ... Monash University Monash University is Australias largest university with over 55,000 students. ... The University of New South Wales is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The University of Adelaide (or Adelaide University) is located in Adelaide, South Australia. ... The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. ... The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, after the University of Sydney. ...


Japan

The Japanese legal education system is driven more by examination than by formal schooling. The profession of barristers, known as bengoshi, is highly regulated, and the passage rate for the bar exam is around three percent. Prospective attorneys who do pass the exam must take it three or four times before passing it, and a number of specialized "cram schools" exist for prospective lawyers. After passing the bar exam, prospective barristers undergo a one-year training period at the Legal Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan. During this period, the most capable trainees are "selected out" to become career judges; others may become prosecutors or private practitioners. Attorneys at law ) form a legal profession in Japan. ... The Supreme Court of Japan (最高裁判所, Saikō-Saibansho; shortly called 最高裁, Saikō-Sai), located in Chiyoda, Tokyo is the highest court in Japan. ...


In 2004, the Japanese government passed a law allowing for the creation of three-year law schools (法科大学院 hōka daigakuin?). The 2006 bar examination will be the first in Japanese history to require a law school degree as a prerequisite. In the past, although there has been no educational requirement, most of those who passed the examination had earned undergraduate degrees from "elite" Japanese universities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Waseda, Keio and Chuo. The University of Tokyo (東京大学; Tōkyō Daigaku, abbreviated as 東大 Tōdai) is one of the leading research universities in Japan. ... The Clocktower Kyoto University (Japanese: 京都大学, Kyōto Daigaku; abbreviated to 京大, Kyōdai) in Kyoto, Japan, is the second oldest university and one of leading research universities in the country, having a total of roughly 22,000 students. ... Waseda University (早稲田大学 Waseda Daigaku; or 早大 Sōdai for short) is widely regarded as one of the two most prestigious private universities in Japan (the other is Keio University). ... Keio University(library,Mita campus) Keio University (慶應義塾大学 Keiō Gijuku Daigaku) is one of the two most respected private universities in Japan (the other being Waseda University). ... Chuo University (中央大学, Chuo Daigaku, lit. ...


A number of other legal professions exist in Japan, such as patent attorneys (benrishi), tax attorneys (zeirishi), scriveners, etc., entry to each of which is governed by a separate examination. Benrishi (弁理士) is a Japanese quasi-legal profession specifically licensed to practice intellectual property law. ... A Scrivener (or Scribe) was traditionally a person who could read and write. ...


See also

References

    External links

    • Ronen Perry, The Relative Value of American Law Reviews: A Critical Appraisal of Ranking Methods
    • Ronen Perry, The Relative Value of American Law Reviews: Refinement and Implementation
    Law
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    Adjudication Public law (Criminal law | Constitutional law | Administrative law)
    Private law (Civil law | Law of obligations | Contract | Tort | Wills and Trusts)
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    Jurisprudence Philosophy of law | Natural law | Legal positivism | Legal formalism | Legal realism | Legal interpretivism | Feminist legal theory | Law and economics | Critical legal studies | Comparative law
    See also:List of areas of law


    See also Portal:Law The stela of King Hammurabi depicts the god Shamash revealing a code of laws to the king. ... Image File history File links Scale_of_justice. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Civil law is a codified system of law that sets out a comprehensive system of rules that are applied and interpreted by judges. ... In law, custom, or customary law consists of established patterns of behaviour that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. ... In the religious sense, law can be thought of as the ordering principle of reality; knowledge as revealed by God defining and governing all human affairs. ... Socialist law is the official name of the legal system used in Communist states. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Statutory law is written law (as opposed to oral or customary law) set down by a legislature or other governing authority such as the executive branch of government in response to a perceived need to clarify the functioning of government, improve civil order, answer a public need, to codify existing... Bold textJAMES CHECKLEY Legislation (or statutory law) is law which has been promulgated (or enacted) by a legislature or other governing body. ... A civil code is a systematic compilation of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of private law. ... Statutory interpretation is the process of reading and applying statutory law. ... Common Law, now often referred to as Non-statutory law is the foundation for justice in the Union States under our constitional scheme. ... In law, custom, or customary law consists of established patterns of behaviour that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. ... Case law (precedential law) is the body of judge-made law and legal decisions that interprets prior case law, statutes and other legal authority -- including doctrinal writings by legal scholars such as the Corpus Juris Secundum, Halsburys Laws of England or the doctinal writings found in the Recueil Dalloz... The Court of Chancery, London, early 19th century This article is about concept of equity in Anglo-American jurisprudence. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Dispute resolution. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. ... Constitutional law is the study of foundational laws that govern the scope of powers and authority of various bodies in relation to the creation and execution of other laws by a government. ... Administrative law is the body of law that arises from the activities of administrative agencies of government. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In the common law, civil law refers to the area of law governing relations between private individuals. ... The Law of Obligations is one of the component elements of the civil law system of law and encompasses contractual obligations, quasi-contractual obligations such as unjust enrichment and extra-contractual obligations. ... A contract is a promise or an agreement that is enforced or recognized by the law. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In the common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his property or family after death. ... The law of trusts and estates is generally considered the body of law which governs the management of personal affairs and the disposition of property of an individual in anticipation and the event of such persons incapacity or death, also known as the law of successions in civil law. ... A court is an official, public forum which a sovereign establishes by lawful authority to adjudicate disputes, and to dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under the law. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... An inquisitorial system is a legal system where the court or a part of the court is actively involved in determining the facts of the case, as opposed to an adversarial system where the role of the court is solely that of an impartial referee between parties. ... The law of evidence governs the use of testimony (e. ... In law, the judiciary or judicature is the system of courts which administer justice and provide a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ... British barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... Jurisprudence is essentially the theory and philosophy of law. ... Philosophy of law is a branch of philosophy and jurisprudence which studies basic questions about law and legal systems, such as what is the law?, what are the criteria for legal validity?, what is the relationship between law and morality?, and many other similar questions. ... It has been suggested that Law of nature (precept) be merged into this article or section. ... Legal positivism is a school of thought in modern and contemporary jurisprudence and the philosophy of law. ... Legal formalism is a Positivist view in jurisprudence and the philosophy of law. ... Legal realism is a family of theories about the nature of law developed in the first half of the 20th century in the United States (American Legal Realism) and Scandinavia (Scandinavian Legal Realism). ... Interpretivism is a school of thought in contemporary jurisprudence and the philosophy of law. ... The study of feminist legal theory is a school thought based on the common view that laws treatment of women in relation to men has not been equal nor fair. ... Law and economics is the term usually applied to an approach to legal theory that incorporates methods and ideas borrowed from the discipline of economics. ... Critical legal studies refers to a movement in legal thought that applied methods similar to those of critical theory (the Frankfurt School) to law. ... Comparative law has increased enormously in importance in the present age of internationalism, economic globalisation and democratisation. ... The following is a list of major areas of legal practice and important legal subject-matters. ...


      Results from FactBites:
     
    JURIST - Legal Dictionaries (15575 words)
    Garnishment - A legal proceeding in which a debtor's money, in the possession of another (called the garnishee) is applied to the debts of the debtor, such as when an employer garnishes a debtor's wages.
    Legal process - A formal paper that is legally valid; something issuing from the court, usually a command such as a writ or mandate.
    Remedy - Legal or judicial means by which a right or privilege is enforced or the violation of a right or privilege is prevented, redressed, or compensated.
      More results at FactBites »


     

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