The American Bar Association is responsible for determining whether a legal education program properly prepares students for the bar examination. In order to practice law, most states require students must graduate from an American Bar Association-accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree and pass the bar exam. The American Bar Association has currently accredited 200 law programs, five of which are still under provisional approval.
The Legum Magister degree, also known as the LL.M. degree, is a master's degree in law administered by law schools that helps prepare its students to teach law. The Legum Magister degree is insufficient in itself to practice law, and most schools that offer Legum Magister degrees require that their students already hold a Juris Doctor degree. Legum Magister degree students must choose an area of specialization, such as sports law.
Juris Doctor degree holders are allowed to represent clients in a court of law. Obtaining a Juris Doctor degree takes three years of full-time study to complete, and the first year in law school is spent fulfilling required courses for the degree. First year students will take courses in tort law, criminal procedure and constitutional law, among others. Second and third year law students will take more elective courses, such as environmental law. Upon obtaining a Juris Doctor degree, students must pass the bar examination before they are allowed to practice law.
According to U.S. News and World Report in 2011, Yale University's School of Law was the top-ranked law program in the country, followed by Harvard, Stanford and Columbia. Yale ranks eighth in clinical training and fifth in international law. The School of Law awards Juris Doctor and Legum Magister degrees, as well as Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) and Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.). Yale's School of Law, along with Stanford, Harvard and Columbia's law schools, are accredited by the American Bar Association.