| Chapter 2: | Primary university qualifications to become a lawyer in the USA, the UK and South Africa |
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But, is a JD a true Doctorate? The polemics surrounding the switch from the LLB title to the JD have filled the pages of several American journals and commentaries. It is, however, not the purpose of this book to revive such debates.
Suffice it to say, unlike the introduction of the title ‘JD’ in the US, UK law schools and those in other parts of the Commonwealth have retained the title ‘Bachelor of Laws’ degree for their primary law degree. Further, it normally takes three to four years of undergraduate study for a student to graduate as a lawyer in the UK and other parts of the Commonwealth. But, while the UK has retained the distinction between a barrister and a solicitor, many Commonwealth African States have now fused the roles of a barrister and a solicitor into one office. In these countries, the officeholder is usually referred to as an advocate.
2.2 Academic Developments in Canada, China, Australia and South Africa
Typically, while a law student in the US has to complete a Bachelors degree before he or she can be admitted to law school, this is not necessarily the case in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. As Richardson observes: