Bachelor Of Law Degree, J.D Vs. Law Degree

Q: There are so many doctorate level in many different fields. Everyone wants to become doctor. I have a friend who pick up garbage for 7 years. He shold be call doctor... "Doctor of Grabage." I believe there should be two types of doctorate level. A medical physician would be call "doctor." All other doctorate level should be call "Sir." Well, Sir John Bear, I'm outta here.

A:I don't know the original author of this post, so I have taken John Bear's attributions out. There is a bit of confusion. In general, the LL.B. [Bachelor of Legal Letters] degree is acquired after 3 years of college and then 3 years of law school. The J.D [Juris Doctor] degree is acquired after 4 years of collegiate study (and usually graduation, signifying full completion of baccalaureate studies), and 3 additional years of law studies. Of course, in both cases, admission to a law school is usually predicated upon sufficient scoring on the LSAT. Academically, the LL.B. is the baccalaureate and legal degree combined, and the J.D. is approximating a master's level in general law. The Master of Laws (LL.M.) is the Master's level of Law above the J.D. A thesis is required. This degree is usually utilized by international students trained in law in their home countries, although domestic students in the US are eligible for acquisition of the degree. This confers the equivalent of a master's degree in law, with emphasis on a special course or topic of study. However, the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is a course of advanced study _beyond_ the J.D. or LL.B., and is the equivalent of a doctorate in law in the academic world. One may enter the S.J.D. program after completion of the LL.B/J.D. degree, without first attaining the LL.M. degree. This is a highly specialized, research-oriented program and is open only to individuals with outstanding academic qualifications and demonstrated research interests in their field of study. A dissertation is required. The LLB (Bachelor of Law) was the original law degree. It was a bachelor degree because students went directly to law school without an undergraduate degree. Thus the LLM and the SJD. Now, law schools give the

JD in recognition that the time spent is the same as for other doctoral degrees. The JD is not considered "a master's level in general law." It is a doctorate in all respects. In academic circles there has been confusion, and those with other doctorates (particular PhD's) have fought against recognizing it as a doctorate, and want to consider it as a master's level degree. The confusion comes, in great part, because the JD is a professional doctorate, like the MD, DDS, etc. while the PhD, EdD, etc. are academic doctorates. As to the 3/3 program (3 years undergraduate and 3 years law school) most law schools no longer allow admission without an undergraduate degree.