PHD in Law

Are you wondering whether you should get an SJD, JDS, PhD, LLD, or DCL?

Curious whether this advanced legal degree will help you get a job in academia or somewhere else?

Today I will discuss what those degrees are and whether they will help you achieve your goals.

Hello Lawlings, this is Professor Beau Baez.

The SJD, JDS, PhD, LLD, and DCL are terminal degrees in the law, each requiring significant

research and writing, culminating in a doctoral dissertation.

Everyone is invited to the PhD candidate William Edwards' thesis defense.

Mr. Edwards, you will have twenty minutes to defend your thesis.

First, I will go through a brief history of the degrees, explaining why we have different

names for the terminal degree in law.

Second, I will help you understand the requirements for earning the degree.

Third, I will explain several job prospects for those that earn the degree.

And fourth, I will provide you with an alternative to these degrees.

Degree Names

History: Let me go through the naming conventions for the degree.

In the United States, Canada, and Australia, the terminal degree in law is generally called

the SJD., which is Latin for Scientiae Juridicae Doctor and is translated as Doctor of Juridical

Science—if you thought SJD meant “super” juris doctor, you would be wrong.

A few other law schools call it the JSD., which is Latin for Juridicae Scientiae Doctor

and is translated as Doctor of the Science of Law.

In many countries, you will find the PhD in Law, the most recognized terminal degree in

the university setting.

The LLD stands for Legum Doctor and is translated as Doctor of Laws.

And finally, many law schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland call it the DCL, which

is Latin for Legis Civilis Doctor and is translated as Doctor of Civil Law.

One warning when looking at these credentials.

In many countries, the LLD is only an honorary degree, which can cause confusion for those

people who earned the LLD in a different country.

Requirements

This is the terminal degree in law and is earned primarily through independent study,

research and a written paper called a doctoral dissertation.

Most law schools also require an oral defense of the dissertation, though some have dropped

this ancient practice.

On this, the fourteenth day of October, Anno Domini 2013

I, William, of the House of Edwards, do hereby swear to defend my thesis.

It generally takes three to five years to earn the degree, with students working by

themselves and with one doctoral supervisor—there is usually no need to attend classes.

Before getting accepted into a program, you must earn the first law degree, then an LLM,

and finally this doctoral degree.

But keep in mind that some law schools require you to earn your LLM at their law school

to qualify for their doctoral program.

Because students that earned their first law degree in the United Kingdom Rule Britannia

where you go to law school right out of high school, you can eliminate three

years of higher education.

This is because in the United States, Canada, and to a certain degree in Australia, you

must earn your bachelor’s degree first, before going to law school—this adds three to four

years to your legal education.

Jobs outside the United States.

The primary reason people seek this degree is because they want to teach at the university level.

In many countries, earning a terminal law degree is essential to teaching at a university.

Because many countries limit the number of doctoral candidates in their countries, several

American law schools offer the SJD to meet the demand of international students.

In addition to teaching jobs, some with doctoral degrees are able to get jobs in the non-profit

and private sectors.

Inside the US

Jobs inside the United States.

In the United States, not only is a terminal law degree not necessary, it might actually

hurt your chances of getting a job as a law professor.

This is, in large part, related to how American law schools developed.

In Europe, law schools have always been part of the university.

In fact, the first university in the world, the University of Bologna, began as a law school.

But in the United States, the nation was born on the frontier.

Initially, lawyers were trained by other lawyers.

Then some lawyers created small professional schools for their students.

It wasn’t till the 20th century that most law schools finally became associated with

universities, but even then, they retained their character as professional schools rather

than university departments.

Because American law schools are viewed as professional schools, the only degree required

to teach at one of them is the Juris Doctor—the entry-level law degree in the United States.

The advanced law degrees beyond the JD are viewed with some suspicion by American law

professors because those credentials are not required for teaching in the United States.

Let me share my experience with those I’ve met with these advanced degrees.

When I was looking for my first teaching job, I met several people with these advanced degrees,

and I met more when I was on the faculty hiring committee.

The first thing I noticed about these people is that their first law degrees and other

credentials were not enough to get them a teaching job in the United States.

They went on to get advanced legal degrees, believing that more degrees would help them

get into teaching.

That just isn’t true in the United States.

That being said, a top student from a lower-ranked law school might find it useful to

earn an advanced legal degree from a top law school, like Yale.

But even then, getting a legal job is hard.

Even top graduates from elite law schools can’t always find a law school teaching job.

Alternate doctoral paths

Alternate Doctoral Path.

If you want to get a position at an American law school, you might want to consider earning

a terminal degree in something other than law.

This is because some law schools value interdisciplinary scholarship, so a PhD in music or history, or biology

are of more value than an SJD or PhD in law.

Still not a guarantee, but at least you might get noticed.