Two-Year JDAS Track
The two-year JDAS is designed primarily for persons who have received their first (university level) law degree from a university outside the United States. We anticipate that many of our candidates will be foreign law graduates who are currently residing in the United States but are not authorized to practice state law because they lack a J.D. degree and thus cannot currently sit for the bar. There may be other foreign law graduates who believe the J.D. curriculum is their best route to a successful legal career.
The primary benefit for these candidates is that as J.D. graduates of the University of Arizona, they will be permitted to sit for the bar in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Advanced JDAS Track
For Foreign Lawyers With an LL.M. From a U.S. Law School
For foreign lawyers with both a first law degree in their home country and a successfully completed LL.M. degree from an ABA accredited law school, up to 17 units may be credited from a U.S. LL.M. degree program--based on an individual evaluation of grades and courses--toward the J.D. degree at the Rogers College of Law, in addition to the units credited from the first law degree.
In other words, a lawyer with both a first law degree and a U.S. LL.M. degree, who is accepted into the JDAS program, could complete the requirements for the J.D. degree at the Rogers College of Law in three semesters of full-time study.
For foreign lawyers, the principal difference between a typical specialized LL.M. program and a JDAS is that with the latter candidates will be afforded the full range of first-year J.D. courses (civil procedure, torts, contracts, property, constitutional law, etc.).
This means that such candidates, particularly those who have civil law degrees, will gain a far better grounding in American law than those in typical LL.M. programs who often take only a 2-3 unit introductory course in the American legal system, or abbreviated JD courses. Similarly, the JDAS will allow opportunity for more extensive legal research and writing training than is possible in the typical one-year LL.M. program, providing the J.D. graduate with superior knowledge of legal English writing and research techniques.
Such American law coursework is likely to make the candidate a better lawyer if she decides to practice law in the United States. These “building block” courses also make it more likely that the graduate will pass the bar on her first attempt.
For those who plan on practicing law in their home country but hope to represent U.S. investors or local businesses investing in the United States, the broader understanding of the U.S. legal system could be a significant advantage. Among the settings where this training could be particularly valuable is for those who hope to practice with foreign offices of U.S. or British law firms.
The second year of the two-year JDAS consists primarily of electives that are relevant to the candidate’s particular practice interests, as determined in consultation with members of the faculty and administration. Only three courses are required after the first year-- Evidence, the Legal Profession and a substantial paper. Evidence and Legal Profession are mandatory for bar admission.
JDAS candidates with both a foreign law degree and an LL.M. from the United States will enroll primarily in first year courses, plus Evidence and the Legal Profession. These requirements can be completed in as few as three semesters, depending on how many units of the prior LL.M. program can be counted toward the JD curriculum.
Members of the faculty at the Rogers College of Law are available to consult with potential candidates for the JD degree with Advanced Standing. They can provide advice on the relative merits of J.D. and LL.M. study as well as offer guidance on specific courses to be taken during the second year of the two-year program They are available also to explain the particular benefits of studying law at a small, well-respected law school where all degree candidates receive a high level of personal attention from faculty and administrators.
Updated: 09/20/2011