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First Professional
Degree
The U.S. first professional degree, the juris doctor (J.D.),
provides an education strongly focused on preparation for
U.S. practice, with little opportunity for comparative or
specialty study. For this reason, and because preparation
in U.S. law will not easily transfer toward practice in other
countries, the J.D. is usually inappropriate for foreign nationals.
Although law schools offer individual courses that emphasize
particular subject areas such as environmental law or taxation,
there are no J.D. programs concentrating on any single specialty.
J.D. degree programs involve three years of study, and are
entered following four years of undergraduate study in any
major. Competition for admission is intense for both U.S.
and international students. Requirements generally include
fluency in English, an excellent undergraduate academic record,
and a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test
(LSAT). (See http://www.lsac.org
for LSAT registration information.) To practice in the United
States, graduates must also pass the bar examination and other
requirements of the state where they wish to work.
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