What is a PhD in law good for?
Asked by: Angel Gerlach | Last update: October 31, 2025Score: 4.1/5 (6 votes)
Academic careers: Many law PhD holders choose to work as law professors or legal scholars at universities or research institutions. They may teach law courses, do research, write academic papers and books, and contribute to the progress of legal knowledge in their area of specialization.
What can you do with a PhD in law?
- Journalist.
- Mediator.
- Law professor.
- Law clerk.
- Compliance manager.
- Immigration lawyer.
- Judge.
- Personal injury lawyer.
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.
Is a PhD better 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.
PhD in Law
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.
Is JD PhD paid for?
University of California, Joint PhD-JD in Philosophy and Law (Los Angeles, CA): All admitted students receive two years of fellowship support. Fellowships cover living expenses, university fees, health insurance, and out-of-state tuition if needed.
How many years is a PhD in law?
The length of a PhD in law, also known as a Doctor of Philosophy in Law or a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), varies based on the country, the specific program, and the individual's progress toward completion. A PhD in law, on the other hand, normally takes 3 to 5 years to finish.
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.
Is a juris Doctor a doctorate in Canada?
Up until the early 2000s, most law students in Canada graduated with an LLB, a bachelor of laws degree. After that point, law schools changed the designation from LLB to JD, elevating the degree from a bachelors degree to a doctoral degree.
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 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.
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.
What is the PhD equivalent in law?
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law.
How long is a JD PhD?
The normative time for completion of the program is four years for J.D./Master's combinations and seven years for J.D./Ph. D. combinations.
How long is a PhD?
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.
What is the hardest law degree to get?
The hardest law school to get into is Yale Law School, with an acceptance rate of 5.5%. Followed by: Stanford Law School: 7% acceptance rate. The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School: 3.8% acceptance rate.
Which field in law makes the most money?
Trial Lawyer
There is the most competition arising profession in the legal career and also the most paying one. The salary and other benefits may vary according to the job location and relevance of the case. Delhi and Mumbai are the two high paying job locations.
What is the most prestigious law degree?
Stanford University Law School
Stanford University Law School is in Stanford, California. Along with being California's top law school, Stanford is also the nation's top-ranked law school. Stanford Law School has a competitive acceptance rate of 6.88%. Stanford Law School is known for its collegial culture.
How long is a PhD in law in Canada?
Queen's Senate recently approved the expected length of the PhD program from three to four years. Our students represent a broad range of research interests, and are encouraged to use a variety of research methods.
Can a juris doctor be called a doctor?
The JD generally does not use the term “Dr” because historically lawyers were considered to have trained at the bachelors degrees level. You can see this in the old name for a law degree LLB. Some older people (eg Justice Kennedy of the US Supreme Court) earned their LLB when they went to law school.
Do universities pay you for PhD?
In a fully funded PhD program, the student typically receives full tuition reimbursement and a stipend to help cover the cost of living while pursuing the degree. Programs have varying funding requirements. In some cases, students may receive a “no-strings-attached” fellowship.
Can you get a PhD in law without a JD?
Most US law schools offer not a PhD in law, but a JSD, SJD, or other research doctorate basically equal to a PhD. Most also require the person applying for such study has an LLM already and also a JD, which is the professional doctoral degree needed to become a practicing lawyer in the US.
What do people do with a JD PhD?
Northwestern JD/PhD graduates have obtained prestigious judicial clerkships and fellowships. They are employed as faculty in law and graduate schools. From start to finish, Northwestern's JD/PhD program is the most integrated of its kind.
What do you call a PhD in law?
The Doctor of Jurisprudence (Juris Doctor or J.D.) is the professional doctorate degree that is usually required for admissions to post-graduate studies in law.