If you are a prospective student aspiring to get a law degree, there are a plethora of accredited Law Schools in Orange County, but becoming an attorney is hard work and will take several years of rigorous study. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that, typically, you will have to earn a minimum of two degrees (undergraduate and graduate). This takes roughly seven years or eight to ten years if you want to get a Masters or become an academic.
There are three specific degrees you can get on your road to becoming an attorney.
1. After obtaining your undergraduate degree from a college or university, you may enroll in a Juris Doctor program. This degree takes three years to complete and qualifies you to sit for the bar examination. A Juris Doctorate is the minimum requirement for becoming an attorney.
2. If you want to further your legal education, the next step would be a Masters of Law. A Masters of Law degree takes at least one year to complete, and you must have obtained your Juris Doctorate in order to qualify. This degree will give you more specialized knowledge about a specific niche of the legal system. One example is the United States tax code.
3. The highest degree you can earn in law is a research doctorate, which is the equivalent to a Ph.D. After acquiring this, you will have the title of Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D). This degree gives you a broad range of expertise and qualifies you to profess in academia. To qualify for a J.S.D program, you must have completed either a Juris Doctor or Masters of Law degree. Most institutions prefer their students to have a Masters of Law, but this varies.
Law is complex, intellectual, and has a variety of fields with many areas of expertise. It will be hard work, but is lucrative and rewarding for anyone who puts their mind to it and is passionate about the legal system. If you are looking for Law Schools in Orange County, there are many great institutions. A good place to get more information is the Pacific Coast University website.