This is important: Requirements for LLM and other law programs may vary. Always check with the law school about individual program needs.
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.
This is important: LSAC makes every effort to keep this chart up to date, but educational systems in a particular country/area can change, and you may be required to submit additional documents. In some countries, the names of these degrees are changing and may not match the chart.
| 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 Drejtesi OR Diplome titulli Jurist from prior system; Master i Shkencave ne e Drejte (US school) |
| ALGERIA | Licence en Droit or Licence d’etudes juridiques |
| ANGOLA | Licenciatura em Direito |
| ANTIGUA and BARBUDA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ARGENTINA | Titulo/Diploma de Abogado/Abogada |
| 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 of Laws (LLM) |
| AUSTRALIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) OR Juris Doctor (JD) |
| AUSTRIA | Magister Iuris; Magister der Rechtswissenschaften |
| AZERBAIJAN | Bakalavr Diplomu OR 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 o Vysshem Obrazovanii, kvalifikatsiya yurist OR Diplom Bakalavra from prior system |
| BELGIUM | Master in de rechten /Master en droit/Master of Laws; OR Licenciaat in de rechten/Licencie en droit from prior system |
| BELIZE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BENIN | Maitrise Es-Sciences Juridiques OR Master en Droit |
| BERMUDA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BOLIVIA | Licenciatura en Derecho & Titulo de Abogado OR Licenciado en Ciencias Juridicas y Politicas & Titulo de Abogado |
| BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA | Magistar prava or Diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica from prior system |
| BOTSWANA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BRAZIL | Bacharela/Bacharel em Direito OR Bacharela em Ciencias Juridicas e Sociais |
| BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| BULGARIA | Diploma magistur, kvalifikatsiya yurist |
| BURKINA FASO | Maitrise Es-Sciences Juridiques OR Master en Droit |
| BURUNDI | Master en Droit Judiciaire OR Diplome de Licence en Droit from prior system |
| CAMBODIA | Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) or Pannasastra University of Cambodia; Bachelor of Arts in Law from American University of Phnom Penh |
| CAMEROON | Licence en Droit (Francophone) OR Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (Anglophone) |
| CANADA | Bachelor of Laws; Juris Doctor; Licentiate in Law (U. of Ottawa); Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws (McGill University); Bacheliere en Droit (U. of Quebec) Baccalaureat en Droit (U. of Montreal) |
| CAYMAN ISLANDS | Bachelor of Laws |
| CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | Licence en Droit OR Maitrise en Droit |
| CHAD | Licence en Droit OR Maitrise en Droit |
| CHILE | Licenciado en Derecho OR Licenciado en Ciencias Juridicas |
| CHINA | Bachelor of Law (first degree); Master of Law or Juris Master for holders of a bachelor’s degree in another field |
| COLOMBIA | Titulo de Abogado/Abogada |
| CONGO, Democratic Republic of the | Licencie en Droit |
| CONGO, Republic of the | Maitrise 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/Magistra Prava or Diplomirani Pravnik/Pravnica from prior system |
| CUBA | Licenciado en Derecho |
| CURACAO (former Netherlands Antilles) | Master of Laws |
| CYPRUS, REPUBLIC OF | Ptychio nomikis / Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) |
| CYPRUS, Turkish Republic of Northern | Hukuk Lisans Diplomasi OR Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | Magistr práv |
| DENMARK | Kandidatgraden i jura/Juridiske Kandidatuddannelse/Kandidatuddannelsen i jura |
| DJIBOUTI | M1 or M2 en Droit |
| DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Licenciado en Derecho |
| ECUADOR | Titulo de Abogado/Abogada OR Titulo de Abogado/Abogada de los Tribunales y Juzgados de la Republica |
| EGYPT | Bachelor (bakalorus) of Law |
| EL SALVADOR | Licenciada en Ciencias Juridicas |
| ERITREA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ESTONIA | Õigusteaduse Magister OR Õigusteaduse bakalaureusekraad from prior system |
| ETHIOPIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| FIJI | Bachelor of Law |
| FINLAND | Oikeustieteen Maisteri OR Juris Kandidat from prior system |
| 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 admissable 'Bac + 4' degree |
| GABON | Licence en droit OR Maitrise en droit OR Master en droit |
| GAMBIA, THE | Bachelor’s degree (LL.B.) |
| GEORGIA | Samartlis Bakalavri/Bakalavri Diplomi OR Specialistis Diplomi from prior system |
| GERMANY | Erste Juristische Staatsprufung or Erste Prufung |
| GHANA | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| GREECE | Ptychio Nomikis (university degree in law) |
| GUADELOUPE | Maitrise en Droit |
| GUATEMALA | Baccalaureus en Derecho OR Licenciatura en Derecho OR Titulo de Abogado y Notario OR Licenciado en Sciences Jurídicas y Sociales |
| GUINEA | Maitrise en Droit OR Master 1 |
| GUYANA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| HAITI | Licencie en Droit |
| HONDURAS | Titulo de Abogado/Abogada OR Licenciatura en Derecho |
| HONG KONG | Bachelor of Laws OR bachelor's degree plus Juris Doctor (JD) |
| HUNGARY | Okleveles Jogasz, dr. jur. OR Egyetemi Oklevel from prior system |
| ICELAND | Magister iuris OR Meisteraprof i Logfraedi OR Kandidatsprof from prior system |
| INDIA | 3 year Bachelor + 3 year Bachelor of Laws OR 3 year Bachelor + 2 year Bachelor of Laws (General) + 1 year Bachelor of Laws (Special) OR integrated five year Bachelor of Laws. |
| INDONESIA | Sarjana Hukum |
| IRAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) - (bachelor degree is also know as Karshenasi) |
| 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 Specialistica/Magistrale in Giurisprudenza OR Laurea in Giurisprudenza from prior system |
| 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's degree plus Juris Doctor (JD) |
| JORDAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| KAZAKHSTAN | Bakalavr Diplomi OR Diplom, kvalifikatsiya yurist from prior system |
| 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 OR Diplom Bakalavr/Bakalavra in law from a public university OR Bachelor of Arts in law from the American University of Central Asia |
| LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC | Bachelor’s degree in law |
| LATVIA | Profesionala Magistra Diploms, jurista kvalifikaciju OR Jurista Diploms from prior system |
| LEBANON | Licence libanaise en droit |
| LESOTHO | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| LIBERIA | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of Liberia |
| LIBYA | Bachelor of Laws |
| LITHUANIA | Magistro Diplomas in law |
| LUXEMBOURG | Master en droit (LL.M.) or Master in Law (LL.M.) from the Universite du Luxembourg |
| MACAO (MACAU) | Bachelor of Laws/Licenciatura em Direito |
| NORTH MACEDONIA | Magister po pravo OR Diplomiran Pravnik from prior system |
| MADAGASCAR | Maitrise en droit |
| MALAWI | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) |
| MALAYSIA | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) |
| MALI | Maitrise Es-Sciences Juridiques OR Master en Droit |
| MALTA | Master of Advocacy (starting 2016) OR Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from prior system |
| MARTINIQUE | Master 1 droit |
| MAURITANIA | Maitrise en droit OR Master en droit |
| MAURITIUS | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) |
| MEXICO | Licenciado en Derecho OR Licenciado en Derecho en Ciencias Sociales OR Licenciado en Ciencias Juridicas OR Titulo de Abogado |
| MOLDOVA | Diploma de licenta |
| MONGOLIA | Bakalavryn Diplom (in law) |
| MONTENEGRO | Magistar OR Stepen Specijaliste Pravnih Nauka OR Diplomirani 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 | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) 3 years after a Nepalese bachelor's OR Bachelor of Arts-Bachelor of Laws 5-year integrated |
| NETHERLANDS | Master of Laws (LLM) in Dutch Law OR Doctoraalexamen in Dutch Law from prior system |
| NEW CALEDONIA | Master Droit |
| 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 of Laws (LLB) after a 2-year bachelor's degree OR Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from a five-year program integrating a BA, BSc, BCom, or BBA or other Pakistani undergraduate degree |
| PALESTINIAN TERRITORY (Occupied) | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| PANAMA | Licenciada en Derecho y Ciencias Politicas OR Licenciada en Derecho y Ciencias Juridicas |
| PAPUA NEW GUINEA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| PARAGUAY | Titulo de Abogado/Abogada |
| PERU | Titulo de Abogado/Abogada |
| PHILIPPINES | Juris Doctor (JD) OR Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| POLAND | Magistra Prawo/Prawa |
| PORTUGAL | Licenciatura em Direito |
| QATAR | Bachelor of Laws OR Juris Doctor |
| REUNION | Master en droit |
| ROMANIA | Diploma de licenta |
| RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Diplom spetsialista or bakalavra, kvalifikatsiya Yurist |
| RWANDA | LL.B. from University of Rwanda OR Licence en droit from Universite nationale du Rwanda |
| SAINT HELENA, ASCENSION & TRISTAN DA CUNHA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAINT KITTS & NEVIS | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAINT LUCIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAINT VINCENT & THE GRENADINES | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SAUDI ARABIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SENEGAL | Master en droit OR Maitrise en droit from prior system |
| SERBIA | Diplomirani Pravnik |
| SIERRA LEONE | Bachelor of Laws with Honours |
| SINGAPORE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) OR JD (Juris Doctor) plus bachelor's degree in another field |
| SLOVAKIA | Magister |
| SLOVENIA | Univerzitetni/a diplomirani/a pravnik/pravnica (UN) |
| SOMALIA | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) OR Laurea in Giurisprudenza/Lawriyada ee Qaanuunka |
| SOUTH AFRICA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) or BProc (Baccalaureus Procurationis) plus graduate LLB from prior system |
| SPAIN | Licenciado en Derecho or Grado en Derecho |
| SRI LANKA | Bachelor of Laws (LLB); Certificate of Attorney-at-Law from Sri Lanka Law College |
| SUDAN | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SWAZILAND (now Eswatini) | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| SWEDEN | Juristexamen OR Juris Kandidatexamen |
| SWITZERLAND | Master of Law OR Maitrise Universitaire en Droit OR Lizentiat der Rechtwissenschaft (lic.jur.)/Licence en Droit from prior system |
| SYRIA | Bachelor of Law |
| TAIWAN | Associate, Bachelor, Master or PhD in law OR any other degree qualifying for Attorney Qualification Examination as long as 7 of 20 prescribed courses have been taken |
| TAJIKISTAN | Diplom spetsialista, kvalifikatsiya Yurist |
| TANZANIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| THAILAND | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TOGO | Maitrise Es-Sciences Juridiques OR Master en Droit |
| TRINIDAD & TOBAGO | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TUNISIA | Licence en Droit OR Maitrise en droit |
| TURKEY | Hukuk Lisans Diplomasi (Bachelor of Laws) |
| TURKMENISTAN | Diploma with qualification of lawyer |
| TURKS & 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 | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) OR Bachelor degree in a non-law subject plus Graduate Diploma in Law, Postgraduate Diploma in Law, M.A. in Law/Legal Studies, OR Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam (SQE) |
| UNITED STATES | JD (Juris Doctor) |
| URUGUAY | Doctor en Derecho/Doctor en Derecho y Ciencias Sociales OR Licenciado en Derecho OR Titulo de Abogado |
| UZBEKISTAN | Bakalavr diplomi, yurist |
| VENEZUELA | Titulo de Abogado/Abogada |
| VIETNAM | Bang Cu Nhan Luat |
| YEMEN | Bachelor of Sharia OR Bachelor of Sharia and Law |
| ZAMBIA | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |
| ZIMBABWE | LLB (Bachelor of Laws) |