Legal Education in America
Legal Education in America Students studying law can choose a country according to their career goals. America is one of the most preferred countries for legal education. We have compiled topics such as law education in the USA, application and admission requirements, and post-graduation for you.
Law education, Lawyer and Lsat exams in the USA
Law education and law schools in the United States have a different structure than many countries. Students who have completed their high school education in many countries including Turkey, if they pass the required exams with sufficient points, start their law education at the undergraduate level and have the title of attorney after graduation. In the United States, unlike in Turkey, Legal Education in America is given at the graduate level. In order to start law education in the United States, you must have completed your undergraduate education in the United States or another country. Students who have completed their undergraduate education must take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) before applying to the law departments of universities.
The education curriculum also differs according to other countries, and trainings are given on the “Common Law” system, which is called English Common Law in the United States, and which is the legal system used by the United Kingdom and its colonial countries. By the way: You can also take a look at our article on Legal Education in America in England.
Legal Education in America in the United States takes about 3 years. Students who complete their law education are entitled to have the title of JD (Juris Doctor). In the first year of their education, students mainly do “Case Study”, which is defined as “case study” and provides practicality in practice. In their second year, they receive training on different education models that they can practice and seek internships. In their third and final years, they focus on elective courses and study subjects such as Intellectual Property Law, International Human Rights Law, Trade Law or Immigration Law in the future if they wish. .
Due to the state structure in the United States, prospective students who have completed their law education and to receive the JD title must take the bar exam of the state they graduated from. Students who want to practice law in different states must also take the bar exam in the state they want to work in. Bar exams in the United States are usually held 2 months before graduation. Almost half of the students who take this exam, which is quite difficult, fail the exam. The low success rate also reveals the fact that how well it is necessary to prepare for the bar exams in the United States.
How can I apply for Law Education in the USA?
We briefly mentioned above the general conditions required to study law in the United States of America. The important point to remember is that, as we mentioned earlier, due to the autonomous structures of universities in the United States, each university may have its own specific application requirements. For this reason, you need to look at the special admission requirements of the universities you want to apply to. Universities offering law education in the USA require the following documents and exams as standard admission requirements;
-Bachelor’s degree: Your graduation average is extremely decisive when choosing the university you will choose. For this reason, undergraduate students with higher averages are more likely to be accepted into the program.
-Lsat: The LSAT exam, which is compulsory for all student candidates who have completed their license, consists of 3 parts in total. Universities with high academic rankings generally prefer students who have achieved a high score the first time. The validity period of the exam is approximately 5 years, and students have the right to take Lsat at most 7 times in their entire life, with a maximum of 3 times in 1 year or maximum 5 times in 5 years. The Lsat exam, which has an application fee of approximately 200 USD, is held almost every month in the United States. In recent years, many universities have started to accept the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) instead of the Lsat exam. You can find the Lsat exam test centers and current exam dates at lsac.org. In addition to organizing the LSAT exam, the LSAC organization also assists prospective students to apply to the law school of their choice.
-Quota: International students who want to study law in the USA should check the quotas of the faculties before applying. International student quotas at law faculties are extremely limited.
-Language Level: TOEFL or equivalent language proficiency exams required from international students are one of the application requirements required by all law faculties. International students are expected to have highly competent language skills for education on law, whose professional terminology is heavier than other occupational groups. Although the language proficiency requirement of each university differs, at least 100 points from the 120-point TOEFL system are required by many universities. For other language proficiency tests: TOEFL IELTS PTE Which Test Should I Take?
– Deadline for applications: Considering the application requirements listed above, it is useful to pay attention to the application deadlines of universities. Considering the exams requested by the faculties and the process of preparing and sending the documents to the universities, it is generally recommended by the universities to make applications about 1 year before the program start date.
For detailed information about legal education in the USA, you can send an e-mail to our education consultant Legal Education in America.
