What do you do with a PhD in law?
Asked by: Derek Schmeler | Last update: August 23, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (18 votes)
Legal consulting: Law PhD holders can act as legal consultants, providing specific legal advice to private enterprises, corporations, or organizations. They may provide legal counsel, legal research, produce legal documents, and strategic direction on legal concerns and ramifications.
Can you become a lawyer with a PhD in law?
What degree do you need to be a lawyer? You need a bachelor's degree in law and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree to become a qualified lawyer. These are the two formal degrees you need to earn, alongside taking the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and sitting for the bar exam.
What is a lawyer with a PhD called?
A Juris Doctor degree is technically a professional doctorate. But unlike other Ph. D. holders, lawyers don't hold the title of "Doctor." Instead, they can choose to use the title "esquire," which is shortened to "Esq." and is fashioned after the lawyer's name.
Do law PhD students get paid?
Do PhD students get paid? Most of the time the answer is yes. PhD programs that don't offer some form of compensation, like stipends, tuition remission or assistantships, are rare but they do exist.
Is a PhD higher than a JD?
Is a JD Equivalent to a PhD? No, a JD is not equivalent to a PhD. PhDs require research, independent study, and thesis components that JDs do not. While PhD holders are considered doctors, JD holders are not.
Convincing Your Interviewers: Mastering the "Why PhD?" Question
How many years is a JD PhD?
normally takes six to seven years. Candidates for the joint program must complete all requirements for both degrees. A limited number of philosophy courses will be counted toward the J.D. requirements, and a limited number of law courses will be counted toward the Ph.
Do you call someone with a PhD doctor?
A doctoral degree (PhD) is a degree that one earns after a master's degree. A PhD entitles a person to use the title doctor.
What jobs can you get with a PhD in law?
Government and public service: People with a PhD in law can serve as legal counsel, policy consultants, or legislative analysts in government agencies. They may help to establish and execute laws and regulations, advise government officials, and conduct legal research and analysis to help guide decision-making. 6.
What is the PhD salary?
Phd salaries in India
The estimated total pay for a Phd is ₹37,000 per month, with an average salary of ₹31,000 per month. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users.
How long does a PhD take?
On average, a Ph. D. may take up to eight years to complete. A doctorate degree typically takes four to six years to complete—however, this timing depends on the program design, the subject area you're studying, and the institution offering the program.
How long does a PhD in law take?
JD/PhD students spend the first two years doing graduate-level course work in a doctoral program at the Graduate School, the following two years at the Law School, with the option of up to 8 additional hours of class during the next year, and the final years conducting research and completing their dissertations.
What is the highest degree in law?
Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)
A Doctor of Juridical Science degree is considered the highest level of a law degree and is designed for professionals who are looking to gain an advanced legal education after earning their JD and LLM.
How hard is the bar exam?
The bar exam is hard. In fact, it may be one of the most difficult challenges you ever embark on. You must memorize numerous laws and consume a lot of knowledge to answer questions correctly. For many, it feels like trying to hold sand in your hands, knowing that you'll inevitably lose much of it.
Can you take the bar exam with a PhD?
Yes, providing you also meet the legal education requirements to take the bar exam - which will usually mean having earned a JD from an acceptable law school and/or met the apprenticeship requirements. Having an earned Ph. D. (which I do) neither qualifies you nor disqualifies you to take the bar exam.
Is it harder to get a PHD or law school?
Yes, grad school requires learning new approaches, new theories, new ways of thinking. Some of this even makes your head spin. But it simply doesn't require the same radical realignment that law school does. What you learned as an undergraduate applies to grad school — but not so much to law school.
What is the best degree for law school?
The best major for prospective law school students is Political Science. Political Science offers a deep understanding of government, legal systems, and political theory. It also hones your critical thinking, analytical skills, and communication— key to law school and being a successful lawyer.
Do PhDs get paid more than Masters?
Salary expectations
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , people with a master's degree earn an average weekly salary of $1,497. Those with a Ph. D. earn an average weekly salary of $1,883.
Is PhD hard to get?
Successfully completing a PhD can be a long and difficult process that requires years of intensive research, writing and rigorous assessment. It's no surprise that only around 1% of people aged 25–64 who have been to university have completed a doctorate.
What do you call someone with a PhD in law?
In the United States, the most common Doctor of Law degree is the Juris Doctor (or Doctor of Jurisprudence), abbreviated as J.D.
Which PhD in law is best?
- PhD in Jurisprudence.
- PhD in Administrative Law Studies.
- PhD in International Law Studies.
- PhD in Technology Law Studies.
- PhD in Business Law Studies.
- PhD in Criminal Justice.
- PhD in Criminal Law Studies.
- PhD in Dispute Resolution Studies.
Do law firms hire PhDs?
Law firms, companies and research institutions employ scientists to write and submit patent applications, as well as to investigate the originality of ideas. Similarly the U.S. Patent Office employs PhD scientists to research patent applications.
How many years is PhD?
A PhD program typically takes four to seven years, but a variety of factors can impact that timeline. A PhD, or doctorate degree, is the highest degree you can earn in certain disciplines, such as psychology, engineering, education, and mathematics.
Do PhD students get white coats?
This is when medical students received their first white coat to emphasize their training years. Now, several schools are starting to hold these ceremonies for other terminal degree candidates including PhD students. In fact, some schools have students recite a Graduate Student Oath (listed below)!
Is having a PhD prestigious?
Upon completion, PhD holders are recognized as experts in their field and are often qualified for careers in academia, research, and other professional settings where advanced knowledge and research capabilities are highly valued.