Juris Doctor: Difference between revisions

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:'' '''J.D.''' redirects here; for alternate uses, see [[J.D. (disambiguation)]]''
'''J.D.''' is an abbreviation for the [[Latin]] '''''Juris Doctor''''', or '''Doctor of [[Law]]''', and is the law degree typically awarded by an accredited [[U.S.]] [[law school]] after successfully completing three years of post-graduate law study. Generally, a 4-year [[undergraduate]] degree is required to be eligible for entry into a J.D. program. Prior to the practice of law, a J.D. holder is required to be member of the [[bar association]] of the state in which he or she intends to practice. Washington, DC is a special case-- it'sits law is Federal law, and a member of the DC bar may practice Federal law in any state. Admission to a state's bar requires that the applicant either sit for the bar exam in that state and submit to that state's procedures for verifying "character and fitness", or obtain admission administratively through reciprocity provisions providing that in some states, lawyers who have practiced in other states for a set period of time, may be admitted upon application.
 
The course of study usually takes 3 years but may take as little as 2 years at some schools. At schools approved by the [[American Bar Association]], it is not possible to finish the J.D. in less than 2 1/2 years. The ABA requires six "residence credits" of full-time study to finish the J.D.; each residence credit is equal to one [[semester]]. Successful completion of full-time study in one summer term, by ABA rules, grants one-half residence credit. Therefore, at least in schools that use the semester system, a student can only advance his or her graduation by one semester.