Wake Forest University School of Law has announced that, beginning this fall, it will offer a two-year long JD program aimed at international lawyers.
"Wake Forest Law recognizes that while many foreign law graduates come to the U.S. to earn an LL.M. degree, some foreign law graduates, however, want to come to the U.S. to earn a J.D. degree," says Richard Schneider, associate dean of international affairs.
"They might consider a J.D. degree to be essential for their home law job market, or they may have ideas of staying in the United States to practice law."
While a typical JD program is three years long, admitted foreign law graduates receive one year of law school credit based on their legal education in their home countries.
Graduates of the program will be eligible to take any state bar exam.
An increasing number of law schools are offering two-year JD programs. Just last month, New York Law School announced the launch of a two-year JD aimed at honors students. Other schools, such as SUNY Buffalo Law School and Northwestern School of Law, also offer two-year JDs aimed at international lawyers.
Wake Forest's new program is reportedly the first two-year JD program to be offered in North Carolina.
The school is currently accepting applications for the August 2015 intake. To apply for the program, interested candidates should submit an application via LSAC and have an LSAT score and other documentation.
For more information, please see Wake Forest's two-year JD program webpage. You can also learn more about the school and its LL.M. programs on Wake Forest's full profile on LLM Guide.
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