MICHIGAN LAWYER

Education and training

Before taking the bar exam, nearly all American lawyers must first attend law school for at least three years. The degree earned by prospective attorneys in the United States is generally a Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.). The JD degree is equivalent to a Doctor of Philosopy in law and replaced the older LL.B. degrees. Colleges such as Harvard began requiring an undergraduate education as far back as 1896. Worldwide within the legal profession, practising lawyers are typically called "Mr." or "Ms./Mrs./Ms./Miss," and not "Doctor" This is a convention of the courts, of litigation and of the legal profession generally. Many law schools now have masters degree programs which award the LL.M. degree.

The highest law degree obtainable in the United States is the S.J.D., or Scientum Juris Doctor, literally "doctor of juridical science". This degree is also known by the abbreviation J.S.D. at some U.S. schools, e.g. NYU Law School and Columbia Law School. The degree should not be confused with the "doctor of laws" degree, or LL.D., which is usually, but not always, awarded for honorary purposes.

The S.J.D. or J.S.D. degree is very rarely awarded, and is generally only sought by attorneys holding exceptional credentials and a desire to enter legal academia. The degree is generally only offered at the very top law schools, which typically accept only 4 or 5 students into their program each year. Admission is limited to those who have achieved their J.D. and LL.M. degrees with distinction. Successful applicants usually have already published significant scholarly legal articles in their proposed area of study, and many have legal teaching experience prior to entering the program.

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