Legal Definitions - legal education

Legal education is the process of learning about the law and how to become a lawyer. In the United States, completing a degree program at an accredited law school is required to become a lawyer. This typically takes three years of full-time work after completing a four-year college or university degree.

During the first year of law school, students take introductory courses in topics such as constitutional law, torts, contracts, criminal law, property, and federal civil procedure. They also learn lawyering skills such as legal writing, research, and basic oral advocacy.

In the second and third years of law school, students can take courses that further explain topics introduced in the first year and concentrate on particular areas of the law such as business, labor and employment, litigation, international, or family law. They may also participate in legal aid clinics and internships to gain practical experience.

Law students often participate in extra-curricular activities such as law reviews and moot court to gain further experience. Law reviews are legal academic journals edited and in part written by students. Moot Court provides students with the opportunity to compete with one another by giving mock oral arguments before a panel of judges.

The interactive teaching style in law school, known as the "Socratic Method," involves the law professor asking a student a series of questions about assigned cases.

Example: John wants to become a lawyer. He completes a four-year college degree and then attends a three-year law program at an accredited law school. During his first year, he takes introductory courses in constitutional law, torts, contracts, criminal law, property, and federal civil procedure. In his second and third years, he takes courses in business law and participates in a legal aid clinic. He also joins the law review and competes in moot court.

This example illustrates how legal education involves completing a degree program at an accredited law school and gaining practical experience through legal aid clinics and extra-curricular activities such as law reviews and moot court.