Juris Doctor

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Juris Doctor (abbreviation JD , Latin: Scholar of Law ) is a degree in law awarded primarily in the United States and Canada (outside the French-speaking province of Québec). This is a professional doctorate that is awarded as a degree without additional doctoral work.

Some universities in Australia , Hong Kong, and Japan have also been awarding these recently. A few universities award the title in its English instead of the Latin name of Doctor of Jurisprudence , abbreviated as D. Jur.

The completion of the university part of the legal training in Germany is comparable to the JD.

General

The American JD is a trained doctorate ( professional doctorate ), as opposed to a doctoral degree based on research (see Doctor of Law ). So far there are neither generally applicable regulations for intermediate and final exams, nor is a doctoral thesis required everywhere . However, some universities have introduced special “integrated” or “honorary programs” that include such conditions.

To enroll in a JD program, most universities require an American bachelor's degree with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher or a minimum “B” average and a Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) with a score in the top 70%. The Bachelor does not have to be taken in any specific subject. Many schools even prefer candidates who begin the program with no prior law training. The other standards are at the discretion of the university, but the first two conditions must be mandatory in order to be accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) . The student is expected to complete their studies after six semesters, and for part-time students ( evening school ) usually after eight semesters.

In all 55 jurisdictions in the United States, it is assumed that the successful JD graduate is qualified to practice law after passing the appropriate bar exam (comparable to the 2nd legal exam in Germany). Some states only accept degrees awarded by ABA -accredited universities, while others are happy with an education abroad as long as it was done under common law . A few states do not require a formal degree at all as long as the candidate passes the state bar exam .

Individual evidence

  1. Definition of Juris Doctor in The Free Dictionary by Farlex (English)
  2. Indiana University Maurer School of Law website: Degree Requirements ( Memento January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  3. Bond University website, Queensland, Australia (English) ( Memento of the original from April 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bond.edu.au
  4. ^ Indiana University Maurer School of Law website ( Memento from December 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  5. American Bar Association, 2010-2011 Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools (English)
  6. American Bar Association - Bar Admissions Basic Overview (English)
  7. Washington State Bar Association, Rule 6 Law Clerk Program ( Memento April 9, 2003 in the Internet Archive )