Studying Law in USA

Studying law in USA is different from studying law in India or UK- as it is equivalent to a Masters (graduate) degree from India, UK. These are the steps to studying Law in USA:
1) 4 year Bachelor's degree
2) Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
3) Law school to earn Juris Doctor - approximately 3 years
4) Bar examination - immediately after law school
5) Certification to practice law - received after passage of bar exam

Students can pursue/study any subject before deciding that a career in law is right for them. It is important for students to concentrate on building their oratory, written, analytical, and critical thinking skills. Great lawyers can start as English majors, history majors, engineers, doctors, pilots, etc. Most law schools evaluate a student’s academic performance based on their grade point average (gpa) together with the LSAT score. Therefore students should study a field of interest where they will both earn high grades

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) to be taken if students plan to continue to law school immediately after graduating with their Bachelor’s degree. LSAT is a standardized test administered four times a year testing student’s analytical and logical reasoning skills. Other students may join the work force before they determine that a career in law is right for them. In either case, the first step to becoming an attorney is sitting for the LSAT exam. Law schools use the LSAT as an important indicator of a student’s potential for success in law school. test duration is half a day, with five sections of multiple choice questions along with a written section that is sent directly to law schools unscored.
Under normal circumstances, individuals cannot take the LSAT more than three times in any two-year period

Law school selection is on the basis of GPA of Bachelors degree and LSAT scores- it can be difficult. The ABA recognizes over 200 accredited institutions in the US including private law schools, public law schools, law schools affiliated with larger colleges/universities, and even independent law schools. Students are typically referred to as 1Ls in their first year of law school, 2Ls in their second year of law school, and finally 3Ls in their third year of law school.
As a 1L student, you will most likely take courses in legal writing, contracts, torts, criminal law, and constitutional law, among other courses.
As a 2L student, you are likely to focus on other activities such as Law Review, Moot Court, and other activities that offer practice. Because most 2L students need to start looking for legal internships at the end of the year, it is extremely important that they get as much practical experience as they can during their second year.
As 3L student, student is likely to take electives such as international law, immigration law, anti-trust law, or intellectual Property Law. Third-year students generally focus most of their time on finding employment and studying for the bar exam. Upon successful completion of the 3-year law school, Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) is issued, which will allow you to sit for the bar examination.

The bar exam is a test meant to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in their jurisdiction. To receive a license, students must contact the state board of bar examiners to schedule a time to sit for the test. These licenses provide authorization to practice in that state alone. Students who intend to practice in multiple US states investigate which other US states will allow them to “waive” into their state bar.Once students have determined the state in which they’d like to practice, they need to register for the state administered bar exam. Most bar exams are approximately two days duration and a few states have three day exams. There are multiple choice and essay questions designed to test knowledge on general legal principles across a wide variety of topics, and knowledge of state-specific laws and principles. Most students participate in a bar review or other bar exam review course to prepare for this test. The bar examination is the final step in your legal education in the US before you begin practicing law in your state.

Foreign students, who already earn a law degree at Bachelors level, show a greater interest in graduate level law degrees such as the LLM, MCL, or MCJ. The LLM is a more advanced degree than JD. The Master of Laws program is a nine month long graduate program. Some LLM programs require students to stick to a very rigid course program, while others allow their students a certain degree of flexibility in choosing their courses. It can be a disadvantage to be unfamiliar with the American law system before starting an LLM program. There are options – or requirements – to fill these knowledge gaps through pre-Master’s courses before starting the LLM program, or by taking one or more courses in American Law during the LLM program. Students may opt for a specialisation during the LLM program such as international law, taxation, intellectual property rights, etc. In some States, the LLM degree qualifies successful degree holders for bar eligibility along with some additional criteria.
The LLM does not automatically qualify you to practice law in the US. First, you will have to take the bar exam. Some states, such as New York, only allow lawyers from outside the US to sit this exam after obtaining an LLM degree. It is possible to do an internship in the US after completing an LLM or MCL/MCJ program. Most law schools require you to submit your resume at the Placement Office. You might receive an invitation to talk to representatives of law offices. You can start this process in advance from the Netherlands by contacting law offices that have international affiliates in the US. This will improve your chances of finding a paid internship in America.For students who do not intend to practice law but are interested in working on legal issues, other master’s degrees are available. These include the Master of Science in Law (MSL), Master of Jurisprudence (MJ), Master of Comparative Law (MCL), or Master of Comparative Jurisprudence (MCJ). These degrees are not eligible for bar exams and do not require students to have a law degree at the time of admission.

The MCL/MCJ program is also a nine months long graduate program, catered towards people who obtained a degree in civil law. The program focuses on the American law system compared to several other law systems. You are also allowed to take courses with a different focus during the program, such as Contract and Property Law. These courses could be useful if you intend to do an internship in the US. The second semester offers room for specialization. Because many lawyers from outside of the US enroll in this program, it is not a disadvantage to be unfamiliar with American law. MCL/MCJ programs have a much stronger international focus.