Doctor of Laws

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Doctor of Laws (Latin: Legum Doctor, LL.D) is a doctorate-level academic degree in law.

In the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, the degree is a higher doctorate usually awarded on the basis of exceptionally insightful and distinctive publications that contain significant and original contributions to the study of law. Some universities, such as the University of Oxford, award a Doctor of Civil Law degree instead. In Canada, LL.D and Doctor of Civil Law degrees are awarded as substitute of Ph.D. in law. In South Africa, the LL.D. is awarded by many university law faculties as the highest degree in law, based upon research and completion of a Ph.D. equivalent dissertation. The LL.D. may also be awarded as an honorary degree based upon a person's contributions to society.

In Malta[link], the LL.D. is a second-entry, coursework-based professional degree required for admission to the profession of advocate.

In the United States, the LL.D. is almost always an honorary degree. The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D. or J.S.D.), sometimes awarded as Doctor of the Science of Law, is the degree awarded for research in the form of a dissertation, the equivalent to a Ph.D. in law.

Most people who pursue the SJD intend upon a career as a law professor or other legal scholar, as the Juris Doctor (JD) is the professional degree required for contemporary law practice in the United States and the SJD is not required for professional practice, but as a JD and usually an LLM are prerequisites, individuals aspiring to the SJD already possess the JD in some form. Moreover, lower graduate (not professional) degrees in law (e.g., LL.M.) exist for further study of specific areas of law, such as taxation of international relations. Therefore, most scholars who take the doctoral graduate degree intend study in a very specific field of law or to continue work beyond what research experience a Master of Arts would provide. Legal scholars who intend to teach in the United States but who were educated elsewhere are attracted to the doctoral degree because many hold degrees that would be considered equal to the bachelor's rather than a master's or JD in the United States.

Plural abbreviations in Latin are formed by doubling the letter, hence the double "L."

Academic degrees
Associate's degrees (U.S.)	AA, ABA, ABS, AS
Foundation degrees (U.K.)	FdA, FdEd, FdEng, FdMus, FdBus, FdSc, FdTech
Bachelor's degrees	AB or BA, BSc or SB, BBus, BCom or BComm, BCS, BEc, BEng or BE, BS or BSc, BFA, BD, BHE, BJ, BPharm, BPE, BHK, BCL, LL.B., MB ChB or MB BS or BM BS or MB BChir or MB BCh BAO, BMus, B.Math, BBA, BAdm, MA (Oxon.), MA (Cantab.), MA (Dubl.), MA (Hons)
Master's degrees	MA, MS or MSc, MSt, MALD, MApol, MPhil, MRes, MFA, MTh, MTS, M.Div., MBA, MPA, MJ, MSW, MPAff, MLIS, MLitt, MPH, MPM, MPP, MPT, MRE, MTheol, LLM, MEng, MSci, MBio, MChem, MPhys, MMath, MMus, MESci, MGeol, MTCM, MSSc, BCL (Oxon), BPhil (Oxon), ThM
Specialist degrees	Ed.S., SSP, B.Acc., C.A.S.
Engineer's degrees	Ch.E., B.E., C.E., C.E., E.E., E.A.A., E.C.S., Env.E., Mat.E., Mech.E., Nav.E., Nucl.E., Ocean E., Sys.E.
Doctoral degrees	PhD, EdD, EngD, DNursSci, DBA, DC, DD, DSc, DLitt, DA, MD, DDS, DMD, DMA, DMus, DCL, ThD, JD, OD, DO, PharmD, DrPH, DPT, DPhil, DOM, OMD, DPM, PsyD, DSW, LL.D., J.S.D., S.J.D. S.T.D
Law degrees	B.A. Law, J.D., D.Jur., LL.B., B.C.L., LL.L., LL.M., LL.D., J.S.D., S.J.D., Ph.D.

It must be noted that in Italy, Doctor of Law is the title, given to anybody who graduates from the university having finished a normal university degree studies. These can be compared to the British-system Bachelor of Laws degree.

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Doctor of Laws

See also