Law Degree
Want to be a lawyer? There's a lot to consider when applying to law school. Do I stand a chance of being accepted? How much will my law degree cost me? Whether you're applying to an online or campus program, it's important to consider how you plan to use your degree following school.
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Law Degree - Overview
One of the most prestigious degrees that a person can receive is a law degree. The premise of this degree is that an individual will work towards truth, honor and justice on behalf of the masses and the public at large. Sometimes the reality of a situation can clash with the ideal, but all in all a law degree requires a lot of work and determination on the part of the individual. In the United States, the proper terminology for the most popular type of law degree is the Juris Doctor. Some people may be wondering, “What can you do with a law degree?” After completing the requirements enabling an individual to absorb the knowledge successfully from different courses at a college or university, an individual is capable of practicing law on behalf of others. In most criminal and informational cases, the individual has the right to represent themselves at trial regardless of their education.
There are a number of different academic degrees that a person can receive when it comes to the specifics of their law degree. For example, there are Associate Degrees in law, as well as Bachelor Degrees, Master Degrees and Doctoral Degrees, among others. The degree depends on the extent that one has studied in order to receive their Juris Doctor or other law degree. There are ways to get the Juris Doctor at a conventional and physically located school, but a person can also receive a law degree online by using an online school to pursue their education. Advantages exist no matter which route the individual uses to attain their Juris Doctor or other law degree.
Top Schools
Certain schools have a better reputation than others. Most of the schools that people have in general associated with a reputable background include few schools that issue a law degree online to the student, simply because the physical schools have been established for longer periods of time than online schools. The schools that have the best reputations in more formal arenas include names that many people are familiar with; however, individuals may not be aware of the interaction together among these colleges. For example, many people have heard of Harvard and Yale. But which is better for the individual? According to US News, for the year of 2007, Yale University came in at the top spot for the top law schools, while Harvard came in third. In second place for the top law school is Stanford University.
Rounding out the rest of the top five are Columbia University in New York City, and New York University, also in the same area. These schools were ranked by US News in accordance to their scores in the areas of peer assessment, assessments made by lawyers and judges, the GPA of the students, the student and teacher ratio, as well as the employment record of the graduates. Making up the bottom half of the top ten schools from which a person can receive a law degree include number six, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, The University of California – Berkley, The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and the University of Virginia. The last three all tied for the number eight spot. Number eleven on the list is Duke University in North Carolina.
Law Degree and Geography
Depending on the geographical location of the individual and their school, the law degree is known by many names. For example, in the United States the degree that allows an individual to practice law is formally referred to as the Juris Doctor. In the United Kingdom, that which an individual must possess in order to practice law is the B.A. in Law or the Bachelor of Laws, which is also the proper level of learning required to practice law in Canada and Australia, as well as a few other Commonwealth countries around the world. A law degree online can take many names and forms, but there is a minimum level of education that needs to be received before the individual can practice law officially. Again, when one wonders what can you do with a law degree it is important to remember that this answer depends on which Law Degree is received and in which country. It also depends on the jobs that are made available to the general public in the country of residency for the individual. Countries such as Spain have requirements and standards that translate. In Spain, candidates must possess a MaestrÍa en Derecho, which translates to Mastery in Law. However, the end result is the same. The law degree is still the basics an individual must possess when it comes to practicing law in the country.
Career Paths
Where a person receives a Juris Doctor from a brick and mortar, or physically located school, or the person gets their law degree online, they will probably at least begin the process by wondering about a specific career or what you can do with a law degree. The truth is that there are many different career paths that are open to an individual that possesses a law degree. Some of the most obvious job selections and choices include those of lawyers and judges. However, even within the realm of lawyers at large, there are many different offshoots that a person can consider as their career goal. There are criminal defense attorneys, public defenders, and individuals that specialize in insurance cases, entertainment, wrongful death lawsuits and others. Some lawyers work for companies, others for individuals. Some charge high fees and some work for free for charities or individuals that cannot afford to pay the lawyer for one reason or another. The subsections of careers that result from having a Juris Doctor may seem limitless, and this helps a person to be able to find a specific niche that works best for them without being restricted. There are private practice law firms and public practice law firms that will also help to define specifically what types of cases are represented by the firm.
of the less well known career paths that lie ahead for individuals with a Juris Doctor include judicial clerkships, law librarian and legal aid services. All of these jobs are different, but still hinge on the individual’s knowledge of the law. These positions are still fairly traditional in nature, but they are not the jobs that immediately spring to mind when someone thinks of careers in law.
Law and Religion
Law has been around for a very long time, and there have been individuals working in the field of law since virtually the beginning of civilization. Sometimes the laws have been crude and basic, but they still existed. Law encompasses the government and their rules, so even if there is a dictatorship, there is still a fundamental law structure that is upheld. The law can manifest itself in many different ways. Over time, different issues have raised important questions which continue to be debated to this very day. Sometimes, church and state mix and the law begin to get blurred. Not only is the government based on rules and laws, but churches and religions are as well. In religion, however, there are no specific rules that can be enforced by anyone except God, unless these laws coincide with the rules and laws of the government.
Some examples of these popular discrepancies between law and religion in the United States of America include the conflict around abortion and gay marriage. While the government reserves the right to make certain acts punishable by the state or not recognized by the state, religious officials simply seem to try to appeal to the individual’s spirit or conscience. Civil rights is another area that has encountered some friction over time when it comes to the government and religious practices. Having a law degree does not enable someone to enact anything according strictly to the religion or religious practices of the individual with the Juris Doctor. The separation between Church and State is important in order to maintain a functioning and logical system of ruling that is fair to all, regardless of religion and personal preferences. In this way, it is important for those who have a religion and believe in its rules to follow them. Not because of anything the state might say, but simply because that is what the individual feels is the right and moral thing to do.
Law and Celebrities
While many people just might assume that they only interaction a celebrity has with the law is when they are being defended in high profile cases, the truth is a little different. There are many celebrities that have been able to achieve a law degree or a Juris Doctor in some way, shape or form. This is interesting to many people who believe that celebrities do not work for that which they have achieved. It also adds a level of depth to the individual, perhaps making them more human and approachable to the casual observer. Some of the most famous individuals with law degrees include J.K. Rowling, who received an honorary law degree, and John Cleese, who received a law degree from Cambridge and he also holds the position of an honorary professor at Cornell University.
Some other celebrities that were once lawyers but now do other things include Howard Cosell, John Grisham, Julio Iglesias, Tony LaRussa and Geraldo Rivera. Howard Cosell went on to be a sports commentator and John Grisham now makes his living as an author. Many people have drawn the connection; however, between Grisham’s law oriented books and his past passions. Julio Iglesias is a singer, Tony LaRussa is the manager of a professional baseball team and Geraldo Rivera is a television personality currently doing news stories for news programming networks. Many people would not have guessed that these people have backgrounds in law, but they do. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover! There are so many people that make career moves and switches throughout their lives, and celebrities are no different, as this goes to show.
Cost
There are a number of different colleges that offer the student a law degree or Juris Doctor on completion of the requirements of the school. However, not all colleges cost the same amount of money. Not all individuals need to take out loans in order to pay for their law degree and education at a college, but many do need to do so. While many people may want to know what you can do with a law degree, many people do assume that the individual will be able to make enough money to cover their student loans if they did indeed need to take any loans out. Where a person goes to school will affect how much money a student will need to invest in their education because different schools charge different prices for their tuition and room and board. There are also scholarships that are offered to some people. However, in general it can cost an individual less to get their law degree online, and it can be more convenient as well. However, very few online universities have the same credibility as, for example, Yale University. None the less there are benefits.
The average price for all the investment that will need to go into a law degree or Juris Doctor is $100,000 or more. This is because a person needs to spend a great deal of time in school. Each one of these semesters and years that a person attends school adds up. Still, specifics depend on the school the individual goes to and the financial aid that the student is entitled to, if any. More than 94% of the students who attend law school need to get financial aid at some point in order to help to cover the cost of their education. Also on average, the typical year at college for a law degree will cost a person over $23,000. This is something that a person should be aware of if they are considering getting a law degree. While there are grants and scholarships available, borrowing money from financial institutions is a very popular way to make it through the secondary education financial problem.
Time Investment
In order to receive a Juris Doctor, or a JD, the individual must complete at least three years of full time studying in order to receive this common law degree from a University within the United States of America. However, what specific type of degree an individual wants to get will affect how long they need to study for at the school. An individual will absorb less by getting an Associates Degree in Law as opposed to a Masters Degree in Law. This is simply because one goes more in depth than the other. In order to get into more depth when it comes to a topic, the same amount of time must be spent on the foundation, but then it has to be explored more thoroughly as well. In this way, it takes longer to complete a more extensive degree and this makes sense.
What a person wants to do with their law degree will also affect what work they need to do and how much time they need to spend learning. Some schools will require not only time spent in class, but also time spent on exams. One such exam is the Bar exam. This is a law exam that is given in the United States. In order to officially practice law, an individual needs to pass this exam. Then they are entitled to begin working as a lawyer. However, an individual who is a law librarian does not necessarily need to pass the Bar exam. Therefore, they will spend less time preparing because they do not need to spend time taking the exam, although they may find other ways to spend their time which still would relate to their law degree. It all depends on what the desire of the individual is and what they feel it is possible for what you can do with a law degree and what the desire is on the part of that same individual.
Education Requirements
Most schools require individuals to spend a set amount of time taking courses. These are credit hours that are awarded to the individual by the school. However, some courses and colleges require more time put in than others. Online law degree schools will not always require as much time, because there is no way to prove that the individual needs to spend all that time on the material. However, getting a law degree online can also still require an individual to invest more time than the person that attends a physical university if they do not understand the material, simply because it is harder to get the instructor to explain everything if the person has a question.
Some schools don’t just require classes as part of their requirements. They may also require internships or apprenticeships. These are occupational activities that take the place of class time in order to expose the individual to the specifics of a job. Instead of getting paid, the individual receives class credits that go towards their Juris Doctor or law degree.
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