A law degree is required for individuals who wish to practice law in the United States. Three types of law degrees prepare individuals for work as a lawyer. These programs include Juris Doctor, Master of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science.
Essential Information
Three main types of law degrees are available in the United States. The first degree students can enroll in is a Juris Doctor degree program and can complete it after three years of full-time study. The second law degree is the Master of Laws (LL.M.), and the third degree is the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.).
Some J.D. programs may be combined with other master's degree programs in specific facets of law, business or public policy, and these programs might last longer than three years. The first year of study focuses on basic topics, like international law, criminal law and civil procedure. Second and third-year students may customize their education to reflect their interests, taking electives in such areas as tax and business.
Juris Doctor
Applicants must have bachelor's degrees, at minimum to enter this standard law degree. Prospective students don't need to take any undergraduate law courses or have prior experience with the judicial system. For the application, law schools will request scores for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), recommendation letters and, in some cases, a current resume.
The first year of the curriculum covers core courses. Students may then choose a concentration and complete a required number of elective classes. Some possible classes include:
Master of Laws
Unlike most master's degree programs, which are considered to be the first level of graduate degrees, the Master of Laws is the second professional law degree after the Juris Doctor. An LL.M. program takes one year to complete with full-time study, and students may specialize in their interests, such as human rights law, environmental law, technology law or taxation. Because there are many different concentrations within LL.M. programs, curricula will differ. For example, a student enrolled in a tax law LL.M. program will gain a strong understanding of U.S. tax law. An LL.M. program mainly benefits international lawyers who wish to become familiar with and legally practice American law, but American lawyers who want to focus their studies on specific areas of law or prepare for an S.J.D. program may be accepted.
Classes depend largely on the type of Master of Laws degree program students pursue. Core courses in a particular area of the law must be completed, and then students choose electives of interest to them. Potential courses may include:
Doctor of Juridical Science
The most advanced law degree in the United States, the Doctor of Juridical Science program can be completed on a full-time basis in three years. Many applicants to a Doctor of Juridical Science program are established law professionals with many years of experience. In addition, a S.J.D. program qualifies students to work in academic settings as law professors.
The program, which is research-intensive, requires students to know their research interests before beginning the application process. Most of a student's time will be spent on the completion and defense of a dissertation. The course requirements are typically dealt with during the first year of enrollment and determined by students in conjunction with their advisors.
A majority of the S.J.D. curriculum gets spent researching and writing a dissertation. However, a small number of courses must be completed before students begin their projects. Classes appeal to an individual's interests, and they may include:
Job Outlook and Salary Information
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of lawyers was expected to increase by 10% from 2012 to 2022 (www.bls.gov). Law firms, corporations and government agencies often hire lawyers. Fierce competition was predicted due to the large number of law school graduates. The annual average salary of a lawyer in May 2014 was $133,470.
Doctoral graduates may work in academia, teaching and writing papers while employed by a major law school. The BLS reported that the employment of professors would increase by 19% between 2012 and 2022. Postsecondary law teachers were listed as making a mean annual salary of $126,270 in May 2014.
Continuing Education Information
Graduates of a Juris Doctor (J.D.) program need to pass the bar exam before they can begin practicing law. Each state administers its own bar exam, but most require candidates to have graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Lawyers must pursue licensure through the state in which they wish to practice law.
Is Law School Worth It?
In today's economy, many students are considering graduate school enrollment in order to delay entering a depressed job market. Law school, popularly known as the path to high-paying jobs, has tempted many students to bust out their old VHS tapes of Law & Order and make a glamorous video essay like Elle Woods. But with increases in law school tuition and a shrinking job market, is going to law school really worth it?
Know What to Expect
Many law school brochures boast about strong employment rates for graduates and starting salaries as high as $160,000. However, with the recession still shadowing the current legal sector, many students face growing amounts of student debt, disappearing job opportunities and increased competition for even temporary jobs. Law school is no longer a safe haven for students when the economy turns south. Instead, look at law school as a considerable investment with consequences (both financial and personal) that can follow you for the remainder of your life.
Know How Much You'll Pay
According to the American Bar Association, in 2012 the average tuition and fees for residents attending public law schools came to $23,214 per year. The average tuition and fees for a private law school were an average of $40,634 per year. Schools increase their tuition nearly 10% per year, and those costs don't include other expenses and interest on student loans.
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Know How Much You'll Owe
Unlike undergraduate students, law students have considerably fewer options for taking out subsidized loans. The American Bar Association calculated that approximately 87% of all law school students take out some form of loan to pay for school. The average law school debt topped $100,000 in 2012, according to The New York Times.
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Know How Long You'll Pay
The Law School Admissions Council reported that a law school graduate with $100,000 of debt would have to pay $1,187 monthly in order to complete the typical 10-year repayment schedule. However, law school grads can request deferrals, which could extend the repayment process up to 30 years.
Know How Much You'll Make
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) reports that the median salary for law school graduates in 2012 was about $61,200. About 40% of the salaries that were reported averaged about $55,000 or less. Law school graduates who found work with government agencies earned a median of roughly $52,000 per year.
Know the Job Market
The NALP notes that among reporting law school graduates in 2010, only 68.4% had jobs that required passing the bar exam. In addition, the number of temporary jobs for graduating law students doubled between 2007 and 2010 to nearly one in five. Bar passage rates in key states with large law communities continually outpace job creation, leaving a surplus of lawyers throughout the country. Some states are worse than others, as shown in the following diagram.
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Should You Go to Law School?
Attending any graduate school is a huge commitment which requires both your time and money. Given the current economic situation, lack of jobs and often overwhelming amounts of student debt, law school is not for students who simply want to delay entering the job market. Students must seriously consider what it means to carry large amounts of debt that cannot be discharged. Even second and bottom-tier law schools can cost students in excess of $150,000.
Jobs are scarce, and law students often have to sacrifice their original academic goals in lieu of finding a job that pays, often in a corporate setting. In the end, attending law school is a choice every individual has to make for themselves after evaluating all relevant financial, social and personal factors.
Law School No Longer Path to Riches
When thinking about a career path, many people consider the well-respected profession of an attorney. The law profession has been linked to high-paying, glamorous jobs through movies and TV shows. But, is becoming a lawyer a good investment, particularly in the midst of an economic downturn? Read on to learn more.
Where Have All the Law School Grads Gone?
According to the website Above the Law, the number of applicants to law school has decreased by 38% from 2010 to 2013. Furthermore, the number of students taking the LSAT has dropped roughly 34% between 2009 and 2013. Adam Cohen, a teacher at Yale Law School, notes in a 2013 case study for the Washington Post that job opportunities for law school graduates are scarce. This may explain, in part, why fewer students are attending law school.
Cohen cites three main pressures affecting the job market for law school grads: the Great Recession, outsourcing, and law firms intent on doing more with less. According to Cohen, 12.8% of students from the 2012 law school graduating class were still unemployed in February 2013. Furthermore, the overall debt of law school graduates averaged about $108,000 in 2012, as noted by U.S. News & World Report.
Given historically high unemployment numbers in the legal sector and skyrocketing school debt, it's safe to say there are strong reasons to avoid law school. Paul Campos, author of You Shouldn't Go to Law School (Unless), also says we've been producing too many lawyers for the number of jobs for many years. This has led to lower salaries and lower law school enrollment.
Job Outlook and Earning Potential
According to U.S. News & World Report, the median starting salary for law school graduates in the private sector was about $76,000 in 2011. Graduates of the top law schools, like University of Pennsylvania and University of California - Berkeley, saw median starting salaries around $160,000. While earnings potential may be strong for a select few, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that the overall number of employed lawyers is expected to grow only 10% from 2010 to 2020, which is slightly slower than average compared to other career fields. Flagging job growth will be due, in part, to job competition, reports the BLS - there will be fewer job opportunities available for an increasing pool of law school grads.
There Is Still Demand for Lawyers
If you're still set on becoming a lawyer, don't be discouraged! Many people continue to say it's a smart career choice, despite somewhat grim job forecasts. For example, a 2013 study by Michael Simkovic of Seton Hall University Law School and Frank McIntyre of Rutgers Business School shows that the lifetime earnings for law school graduates are substantially greater than the price of law school. These scholars claim the lifetime average value of a law degree exceeds one million dollars.
Do Your Homework
As you look into law school, research each school's tuition costs, graduation rates, and average debt amounts. You should also research average starting salaries of a school's most recent graduating class, if possible. Speaking with a school's admissions counselor is often a good idea as well.
If you're still weighing your options, consider working as a paralegal or in another legal support career to get a better idea of what an attorney really does. You might also want to talk with friends and family about your decision; a practicing lawyer may offer worthwhile advice as well.
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