First Professional Degree in Law by Country/Area
Many LLM CAS–participating schools require that applicants have completed, or be in the process of completing, a first professional degree in law, be licensed to practice law, or have significant experience in legal practice.
The chart below lists the credentials required to be eligible to take the bar in a specific country/area. If either your degree or your country/area of study is not listed in the chart, please contact the law schools of interest to you to confirm eligibility.
Note that the chart includes only the first professional degree in law. You are expected to present all postsecondary education, including work completed prior to and after the law degree listed. Any omission of required education history could delay the review of your credentials and LSAC’s report to the law schools.
| Country/Area | Degree Required |
|---|---|
| AFGHANISTAN | Bachelor’s degree in law |
| ALBANIA | Diplome e Integruar e Nivelit te Dyte ne Drejtesi OR Master i Shkencave ne e Drejte OR Diplome with titulli Jurist from prior system |
| ALGERIA | License en Droit OR License d’etudes juridiques |
| ANGOLA | Licenciatura em Direito |
| ANTIGUA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ARGENTINA | Abogado |
| ARMENIA | Bakalarvi astichan diplom/Diploma of Bachelor in jurisprudence OR masnageti diplom/Diploma of Specialist in jurisprudence from prior system |
| ARUBA (former Netherlands Antilles) | Master |
| AUSTRALIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) or Juris Doctor (JD) |
| AUSTRIA | Magister Iuris; Magister der Rechtswissenschaften |
| AZERBAIJAN | Diplom bakalavr huquq |
| BAHAMAS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BAHRAIN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BANGLADESH | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BARBADOS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BELARUS | Diplom, kvalifikatsiya yurist |
| BELGIUM | Master in de rechten/master en droit; or licenciaat/licencié from prior system |
| BELIZE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BENIN | Maitrise en Droit |
| BERMUDA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BOLIVIA | Licenciatura en Derecho |
| BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA | Magistar prava or Diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica from prior system |
| BOTSWANA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BRAZIL | Bacharelado em Direito |
| BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BULGARIA | Diploma magistur, kvalifikatsiya yurist |
| BURKINA FASO | Maitrise |
| BURUNDI | Diplome de Licence en Droit |
| CAMBODIA | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) or Pannasastra University of Cambodia |
| CAMEROON | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of Buea; Maitrise en droit from Francophone universities |
| CANADA | Bachelor of Laws; Juris Doctor; Licentiate in Law (U. of Ottawa); Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws (McGill University); Bachelière en Droit (U. of Quebec) Baccalauréat en Droit (U. of Montreal) |
| CAYMAN ISLANDS | Bachelor of Laws |
| CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | Licence en Droit |
| CHAD | Licence en droit (4 years) from LMD system OR Maitrise en Droit from prior system |
| CHILE | Licenciado en Derecho |
| CHINA | Bachelor of Law (first degree); Master of Law or Juris Master for holders of a bachelor’s degree in another field |
| COLOMBIA | Abogado |
| COMMONWEALTH CARRIBEAN NATIONS (Antigua, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, the Grenadines, Nevis, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Trinidad, Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands) |
LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| CONGO, Democratic Republic of the | Maitrise en Droit |
| CONGO, Republic of the | Licence en Droit |
| COSTA RICA | Licenciatura en Derecho |
| COTE D’IVOIRE (IVORY COAST) | Master from LMD system OR Maitrise en Droit from prior system |
| CROATIA | magister prava or diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica from prior system |
| CUBA | Licenciado en Derecho |
| CURACAO (former Netherlands Antilles) | Master |
| CYPRUS, Republic of | Ptychio nomikis/Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| CYPRUS, Turkish Republic of Northern | Lisans diplomasi/Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | Magistr práv |
| DENMARK | Candidatus Juris/kandidatgraden i jura |
| DJIBOUTI | M1 or M2 en Droit |
| DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Licenciado en Derecho |
| ECUADOR | Abogado (or Doctor en Jurisprudencia if earned prior to 2005) |
| EGYPT | Bachelor (bakalorus) of Law |
| EL SALVADOR | Licenciado en Derecho |
| ERITREA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ESTONIA | Õigusteaduse bakalaureusekraad; Õigusteaduse magister |
| ETHIOPIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| FIJI | Bachelor of Law |
| FINLAND | Juris Kandidaati or Oikeustieteen Maisteri |
| FRANCE | Maitrise in law, Master 1 in law or other recognized 'Bac + 4' degree in law; or proof of passing the French bar examination based on an admissible 'Bac + 4' degree |
| GABON | Maitrise/Master 1 in law |
| GAMBIA, THE | Bachelor’s degree (LLB) |
| GEORGIA | Bakalavris Diplomi or Specialistis Diplomi from prior system |
| GERMANY | Erste Juristische Staatsprufung or Erste Prufung |
| GHANA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) or BA + BL (Professional Law Course Certificate) |
| GREECE | Ptychio (university degree in law) |
| GRENADINES, The | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| GUADELOUPE | Licence en Droit |
| GUATEMALA | Licenciado en Derecho |
| GUINEA | Licence en Droit |
| GUYANA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| HAITI | Licence en Droit |
| HONDURAS | Licenciado en Derecho |
| HONG KONG | Bachelor of Laws OR bachelor's degree plus Juris Doctor (JD) |
| HUNGARY | Doktori bizonyitvany, “dr. jur.”; egyetemi oklevel, jogasznak |
| ICELAND | Candidatus Juris; Meistaraprof logfraedi |
| INDIA | 3 year Bachelor’s + Bachelor of Laws; integrated five year Bachelor of Laws. Bachelor of Laws is considered first professional exam. |
| INDONESIA | Sarjana Hukum |
| IRAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| IRAQ | Bachelor of Law |
| IRELAND | Law Society of Ireland Professional Practice Course I & II or FE-1 Exam, or Admission to the Roll of Solicitors, or the Barrister-at-Law degree from the Honorable Society of King’s Inns, or a four-year bachelor’s degree in law. |
| ISRAEL | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ITALY | Laurea in Giurisprudenza; Laurea Specialistica/Magistrale in Giurisprudenza |
| JAMAICA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| JAPAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) through 2010. Starting 2011: Bachelor degree (any major) PLUS Legal Training and Research Institute diploma, OR Bachelor degree PLUS Juris Doctor |
| JORDAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| KAZAKHSTAN | Diplom, kvalifikatsiya yurist; Bakalavr yurisprudentsii |
| KENYA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| KOREA, Democratic Republic of (North) | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| KOREA, Republic of (South) | Bachelor's degree through 2017 plus diploma from the Judicial Research and Training Institute (JRTI) OR bachelor's degree plus Juris Doctor (JD) |
| KOSOVO | Jurist i Diplomuar-Bachelor (240 ECTS) or Bacelor i Drejtesise (180 ECTS) from prior system |
| KUWAIT | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| KYRGYZSTAN | Diplom, kvalifikatsiya yurist; Yurisprudentsiya bakalavry |
| LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC | Bachelor’s degree in law |
| LATVIA | Jurista kvalifikaciju; Magistra diploms in jurisprudence |
| LEBANON | Licence libanaise en droit |
| LESOTHO | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| LIBERIA | LLB from University of Liberia, Cuttington College or African Methodist Episcopal University |
| LIBYA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) or Licence en Droit |
| LITHUANIA | Magistro Diplomas in law |
| LUXEMBOURG | Master en droit (LL.M.) or Master in Law (LL.M.) from the Universite du Luxembourg |
| MACAO (MACAU) | Licenciatura em Direito |
| MACEDONIA (the former Yugoslav Republic of) | Magistar po pravo or Diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica from prior system |
| MADAGASCAR | Maitrise |
| MALAWI | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) |
| MALAYSIA | 4 year LLB (Bachelor of Laws/Hons); 3 year Bachelor of Legal Studies + 1 year Bachelor of Laws Hons. The 4 year LLB/Hons and the 3+1 Bachelor of Laws Hons are considered the first professional degrees in law in Malaysia. |
| MALI | Maitrise en Sciences Juridiques |
| MALTA | Master of Advocacy (starting 2016) or Doctor of Laws (LLD) from prior system |
| MARTINIQUE | Licence en Droit |
| MAURITANIA | Licence en Droit |
| MAURITIUS | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) |
| MEXICO | Licenciado en Derecho |
| MOLDOVA | Diploma de licenta |
| MONGOLIA | Bakalavryn Diplom (in law) |
| MONTENEGRO | Magistar or Specijaliste pravnih nauka from ECTS system, or Diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica from prior system |
| MOROCCO | Master from LMD system OR Licence en Droit from prior system |
| MOZAMBIQUE | Licenciatura em Direito |
| MYANMAR | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| NAMIBIA | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) |
| NEPAL | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| NETHERLANDS | Bachelor of Laws + Master in Law both from Dutch universities OR HBO Bachelor in Law + bridge program + Master in law from a Dutch institution OR Doctoraal in law (4 years) from prior system |
| NEVIS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| NEW CALEDONIA | Maitrise |
| NEW ZEALAND | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| NICARAGUA | Licenciado en Derecho |
| NIGER | Master en droit or Maitrise en droit from prior system |
| NIGERIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| NORWAY | Candidatus Juris; master i rettsvitenskap |
| OMAN | Bachelor’s degree in law |
| PAKISTAN | Bachelor’s degree in non-law field plus Bachelor of Laws OR integrated five-year Bachelor of Laws |
| PALESTINE (Occupied Palestinian Territory) | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| PANAMA | Licenciado en Derecho |
| PAPUA NEW GUINEA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| PARAGUAY | Abogado |
| PERU | Abogado |
| PHILIPPINES | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| POLAND | Magister prawa |
| PORTUGAL | Licenciatura em Direito |
| QATAR | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| REUNION | Master en droit or Maitrise en droit from prior system |
| ROMANIA | Diploma de licenta |
| RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Diplom spetsialista or bakalavra, kvalifikatsiya Yurist |
| RWANDA | LLB from University of Rwanda or Licence en droit from Universite nationale du Rwanda |
| SAINT HELENA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAINT KITTS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAINT LUCIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAINT VINCENT | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAUDI ARABIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SENEGAL | Master en droit or Maitrise en droit from prior system |
| SERBIA | Diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica |
| SIERRA LEONE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SINGAPORE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws); JD (Juris Doctor) for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field |
| SLOVAK REPUBLIC | Magister |
| SLOVENIA | Univerzitetni/a diplomirani/a pravniki/pravnica |
| SOMALIA | Bachelor's degree in law or Laurea from prior system |
| SOUTH AFRICA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) or BProc (Baccalaureus Procurationis) plus graduate LLB from prior system |
| SPAIN | Licenciado en Derecho or Grado en Derecho plus Máster Universitario de Acceso a la Abogacía (awarded after 10/31/2011); Licenciado en Derecho/Grado en Derecho (awarded on or before 10/31/2011). |
| SRI LANKA | Bachelor of Laws (LLB); Certificate of Attorney-at-Law from Sri Lanka Law College |
| SUDAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SWAZILAND | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SWEDEN | Candidatus Juris/Juris kandidatexamen |
| SWITZERLAND | Lizentiat der Rechtswissenschaft/licence en droit; Master of Law/Master der Rechtswissenschaft/Maitrise universitaire en droit |
| SYRIA | Bachelor of Law |
| TAIWAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TAJIKISTAN | Diplom spetsialista, kvalifikatsiya Yurist |
| TANZANIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| THAILAND | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TOBAGO | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TOGO | Maitrise |
| TRINIDAD | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TUNISIA | Master from LMD system or Maitrise en droit (4 years) from prior system |
| TURKEY | Hukuk Lisans Diplomasi (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TURKMENISTAN | Diploma with qualification of lawyer |
| TURKS and CAICOS ISLANDS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| UGANDA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| UKRAINE | Diploma magistra OR Diplom spetsialista, kvalifikatsiya yurista |
| UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| UNITED KINGDOM | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) or BA Law; or Bachelor degree in a non-law subject plus GDL/CPE |
| UNITED STATES | JD (Juris Doctor) |
| URUGUAY | Licenciado/Abogado |
| UZBEKISTAN | Bakalavr diplomi, yurist |
| VENEZUELA | Abogado |
| VIETNAM | Bachelor of Law and title of luat su (lawyer) |
| YEMEN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ZAMBIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ZIMBABWE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |