Some heavy duty studying is required to become a lawyer. Attorney hopefuls generally must have bachelors' degrees before they can crack open the doors of law school. Law students are tied up full-time in law school for three years after undergraduate studies. Some lawyers go on to earn advanced law degrees, which gobble up another one to five years in study time.
Undergraduate Studies
Law schools usually aren't picky about what you study as an undergraduate in college. You can have a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree. And, you can have majors and minors in English, math, chemistry, engineering, art or social studies. A law school applicant must have decent grades to get the nod for admission. For example, incoming law students at Michigan State University College of Law have median grade point averages of 3.5.
Law School Courses
Law degrees are comprised of a potpourri of legal studies. First-year law students usually study civil procedure, property, constitutional, tort and contract law. They also take legal research and writing courses. Upper-level course requirements ease a bit. Second- and third-year students call more of their own shots by choosing elective classes. They can dive into studies such as international, technological, family and business law. Internships and clinical work can also earn upperclassmen course credits.
Master's Degrees
Some lawyers keep hitting the books after law school to obtain specialized Master of Law, or LLM, degrees. LLMs target specific areas, such as taxation, business, real estate and finance law. Some lawyers pursue Doctor of Juridical Science degrees, called SJDs, after they wrap up their LLMs. SJDs are only offered by a handful of law colleges. SJDs require in-depth dissertations on specific legal topics. They take approximately five years to complete and boost your credentials for a legal teaching career.
Bar Review Courses
Law colleges encourage law students to take bar review courses at the end of their three-year stints. Bar review courses are the ultimate cram sessions. They are comprehensive reviews of the core classes required in law school. They give students a last-ditch refresher on topics tested on state bar exams, such as contract, property, criminal, tort and civil procedure laws.
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References
- Duke Law: Degree Requirements
- Harvard Law School: Harvard Law School JD Degree Requirements
- SMU Dedman School of Law: Degree Requirements
- Lewis & Clark Law School: Admissions
- New York Law School: Admissions Process
- Harvard Law School: J.D. Program
- Indiana University: Robert H. McKinney School of Law: Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.)
- Barbri: Bar Review Course Information
- The George Washington University: Doctor of Juridical Science Degree
Writer Bio
Maggie Lourdes is a full-time attorney in southeast Michigan. She teaches law at Cleary University in Ann Arbor and online for National University in San Diego. Her writing has been featured in "Realtor Magazine," the N.Y. State Bar's "Health Law Journal," "Oakland County Legal News," "Michigan Probate & Estate Planning Journal," "Eye Spy Magazine" and "Surplus Today" magazine.