J.D.

J.D. is an abbreviation for the Latin "Juris Doctor" and is the "law degree" typically awarded by an accredited U.S. law school after successfully completing three years of graduate law study. Generally, no particular undergraduate degree is required to be eligible for a J.D. The J.D. is required to pass the bar exam for most states.

The first year of a J.D. program is usually devoted to core courses on contracts, property law, torts and civil procedure. Later courses might include criminal procedure and criminal law, constitutional law, business entities and agency, commercial law, trusts and estates, family law, conflict of laws, rules of evidence, tax law, oil and gas law[?], environmental law, bankruptcy law[?], intellectual property law, labor law, jurisprudence, etc.

See also other law degrees: L.L.B. and the L.L.M.[?]