Jurist Doctorate vs Masters of Law? Forum

[eriedoctrine]

Hi Everyone,

My friend who is international student from Saudi Arabia, and is thinking of attending law school in the US to gain more experience in American law.
Should he get the Jurist Doctorate or Masters of Law degree? It will all be paid for by his company.
The only different is the time required to get them. 2 vs 1 yr, but is it worth it for a more advanced degree?

Thanks.

[reasonable person]

I would probably do the jurist doctorate cause it's higher reputation.

[ReasonableNprudent]

The degree is called Juris Doctor, not a "juris doctorate." You will invariably see the latter, but it is incorrect and looks silly to someone that knows it is incorrect.

Edit: To answer the question the JD is likely more useful due to its practical application--it is necessary in most states for bar admission. I don't really understand how useful a Master of Laws degree is in any instance, other than for informational purposes only.

[Johann]

Bunch of people talking out there ass in here. For international lawyers, Llm is the way to go. More prestigious as a jd will be repetitive of their legal education and it's more practical because it's actually very tailored instead of learning about random dispersed shit. Almost all international lawyers go the Llm route.

[ReasonableNprudent]

Bunch of people talking out there ass in here. For international lawyers, Llm is the way to go. ...

Not really talking out the ass. The OP doesn't say the friend is a foreign trained attorney. If the friend is an attorney then the better program is an LLM for foreign trained attorneys, and, no, the JD is not more prestigious.

My take on the OP was that the OP's friend was interested in learning about the American legal system and was not an attorney, and was considering a Master of Laws program such as a master's program in legal theory or legal philosophy. If that were the case, the master's might be more informational, but would generally be useless. The JD would allow for plenty of opportunity to take theoretical courses along with bar courses and would end with the friend being able to practice law.