Is pursuing Law courses from US worth it for international students?

International student looking to pursue a law degree in the US must plan their educational pathway carefully and as early as possible in order to make it to the best institution. The international students who wish to practice law in US may get confused about the law school admission process.

Here are a few answers international students look for while considering the prospects of pursuing law from the US.

What courses do American law colleges offer to International Students who have never studied law before?
The JD degree (Juris Doctor) is a three-year post-graduate program that gives students the intellectual foundations for legal study and helps them focus their areas of interest. The program concludes with a third-year paper that requires students to participate in an exploration of some aspect of the law/legal system. In US, law is a postgraduate course so it is required that you hold a bachelor's degree. You must also take the LSAT exam (Law School Admission Test). The JD degree usually involves three years of full-time study and new students begin their studies in September each year.

What courses do American colleges offer for International Students who have studied law before?
The LLM (Master of Laws) and the SJD (Doctor of Juridical Science) degrees are meant for students who already have earned a primary law degree. Most of the applicants to these programs are international students. The one-year LLM degree program provides students who have excellent legal training and experience. Many students have already served as practising lawyers, diplomats, judges, and community leaders. So the course provides broad latitude to design that will give them an understanding of the law in theory. Check the list of the Best Law Colleges in the World here.

The SJD is a more advanced degree intended for students who wish to follow a career in legal studies. Graduates of the SJD program teach at the world's finest law schools.

What use would a JD degree be to an international student?
There are many possible answers to this question.

They all are based on the fact that the Law JD degree program from US is one of the most renowned and respected courses in the world. In addition, the curriculum has substantial offerings in comparative and international law.

With a law degree, an international student is likely to have many opportunities to continue living and working in US on a green card. Even though some governmental departments do have citizenship requirements for giving work, several law firms are more than ready to hire non-US citizens.

Outside US, many global law firms practice US law and therefore require lawyers who have been a JD degree. For e.g. there are around 30 firms offering jobs to US lawyers right out of law school in London. The salaries are also higher than those for British solicitors of the same designation or age.

Also read: What is LSAT Law School aspirants must know it all!