Christopher Darden, an American lawyer, encourages aspiring students to enroll in law school, stating, “I always planned to go to law school because thankfully there would be a time and place when I’ll be able to make a difference”. Well, this quote sums up Darden’s career as a lawyer, and it certainly appeals to all budding legal professionals who wish to succeed as a lawyer one day.

Commonly assumed, legal studies encompasses much more than just preparing for a court case. It also includes critical facets of our daily lives. Whether you want to run a country or go out shopping and buy a product, there are legal boundaries everywhere.

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This is one of the major reasons why the market for ambitious lawyers continues to grow. Including business firms, educational institutions, and corporate companies, every type of organization needs experienced lawyers who have the legal expertise required to keep the institution afloat.

Why Harvard Law School admits students: A detailed analysis

Now, prospective law students who seek to relocate from their homeland to study Canada should consider applying to Harvard Law School. Situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard Law School claims to offer an unmatched higher number and variety of courses with its professors than any other law school in the world.

Interestingly, there is a significant increase in enrollment as per the district’s statistics due to the rapid shift of legal education into the international market. Among college students worldwide, there is indeed a surge in demand for this profession, especially due to the increasing globalization. The number of licensed American lawyers, for instance, is on the rise. According to the institution’s statistics, the number of lawyers in the United States went above a million in 2007.

Analysts continue to explore popular ranking frameworks for law and legal studies in different parts of the globe, including US News and World Report, THE Rankings, and QS World University Rankings. To successfully navigate these sources, students often look at the reputation of their own university for its law and legal studies.

By the same token, as thr Harvard Law School website indicates, students have access to 33 dual degree programs which allows for a lawyer to study medicine at Harvard University for example while pursuing a JD degree of their dreams. Harvard University comes highly rated with and is highly appreciated in Boston as an ideal place to pursue a dual degree.

As indicated in THE rankings for the year 2024, Harvard is ranked 3rd globally in the field of law, which means that it continues to maintain its global standing in legal educationEven again, in Harvard’s ranking within US News and World Reports’ list of best law schools in 2024, it is listed as the 4th best establishment in that sector. Harvard Law School, Degree Programs.
The institution extends three such programs Harvard Law School: These are:1. The Juris Doctor or J.D law program.
For the JD course, the setup is as such that in the first year of studies the students are given the requisite foundational legal thinking skills. The program includes core legal concepts, doctrines, and competencies that legal professionals are trained to possess. Students may take classes in civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, legislation and regulation, property and torts.
During the academic year, First Year’s Students also take part in the January Experiential Term which is designed to further strengthen the differences between subjects of the academic courses and the professional skills that lawyers would use. The class is made up of 7 sections, each comprising around 80 students. The second and third levels of the program offer students an opportunity to pursue 7 elective areas of the law, policy, theory and practice oriented study designed by the faculty members.
Read details here.

2. LL.M. (Master of Laws) program  

The one-year LL.M. MBA program is attended by about 180 students from approximately 65 countries, according to data from the law school. The LL.M. students at Harvard include lawyers in firms, government employees, law professors, judges, diplomats, human rights advocates, doctoral candidates and others.  

It provides include an opportunity for students to come up with their own style of studies but within some limits established by faculty members of Harvard. The degree is earned by obtaining between 23 and 28 credits over the period of one academic year.  

For international students looking to pursue an LL.M, however, the rules are slightly more flexible as one is able to select courses of their choice with the exception of one mandatory course in general US law.  
 
Read details here.  

3. S.J.D. Program  

The Doctor of Juridical Science S.J.D has been designed for those whose goal is to become legal academics and who want to study, research and write in a sustained manner over a lengthy period goes to say that it is the most advanced law degree of the institute.  
 
This degree is usually characterized by the presence of about 60 students who are S.J.D candidates from about 25 to 30 countries, mainly composed of the best graduates in the LL.M. format from harvard university.  
 
In addition to these, it is self-understood that those seeking admission must write a dissertation that is expected to add up meaningfully to the existing knowledge in the legal field.

Scholarships for the S.J.D. Program Provided by Harvard Law School

Candidates for the S.J.D. program must fulfill the five-step set out by Harvard Law School which involve a completion of the coursework, a successful oral examination, a presence of two S.J.D. presentations and submissions of an accepted doctoral dissertation, followed by a completion of an oral defense of the dissertation. More details can be found here. S.J.D Programs Offered by Harvard Law School: If a student wishes to pursue both legal programs and other cross disciplinary studies, then apart from these degrees, Harvard Law School has programs such as Special Programs and Joint Degree. Some of the joint programs include: JD/MBA with Harvard Business School, JD/MPP or MPA-ID with Harvard Kennedy School, JD/MPH with Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, JD/MUP with Harvard Graduate School of Design, and PhD programs with the Harvard Kenneth C Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. More information can be found here. Furthermore, there are new advancements in the programs of study. There has been a collaborative effort by the faculty at Harvard Law School to create programs of study which allow students of law to improve their understanding of the syllabus over the three years they spend at law school.

Additionally, the Harvard Law School mentions that the students are not required to register for a specific course. Instead, these programs simply represent what the faculty considers the most effective way of dealing with certain topics and careers.

According to the law school, these forms of study “enable a student to go through increasingly more difficult work prior to graduation.” At the most current count, 7 such programs of study are in the offering. They include:

1.A Study of Criminal Law and Policy

This is aimed at students with an interest in criminal justice from an advocacy, a policymaking or an academic standpoint and hopes to demonstrate how the different branches can be interconnected. For individuals wishing to study or practice criminal justice, a combination of lecture courses, seminars, and practical work in criminal law, procedure, and clinical practice is offered.

The law school urges its students to approach a subject such as criminal justice from all angles, examining not just the role of the prosecutor but also the role of the defender.

2. International and Comparative Law Course

These studies place particular significance on the increasing relevance of the fundamental principles of international and comparative law to legal education and practice. All JD students at HLS without exception are on the other hand required to undertake a course that meets the International and Comparative Law Course Requirement which as hitherto noted is comprehensively useful to students that desire to practice in the international dimension and even those who have as objective the legal practice within their country.

While the emphasis of the program is on international legal studies, as noted by HLS, there are several other programs through which students can study international, comparative and foreign law.

3. Business and Law Program

This program of studies is based on the premise that lawyers who practice in areas associated with business should be equipped with three broad skills, these are basic analytics including accounting, finance, economics, understanding of transactions, and relevant legal discipline. The program is structured such that it helps learners to know the law with respect to the business context; this may range from corporate practice, real estate, taxation, business litigation or government regulation.

4. Law and Government Program Curriculum

 If you are a politically charged student who aspires to becoming a government stronghold, this is the right program for you. Halsey Law School believes that for students to become highly adept at today’s complex markets they need to develop an understanding of the structural imbalance of power that’s present today and how it can be altered. To become a government lawyer in today’s competing world, students are advised to work for clinics that are geared towards government work and have hands-on interaction with a team of elite government workers and engineers, and encourage them to look into the Kennedy School and other sources which would enable them to gain insight into regulatory policies.

5. Law and History Program Curriculum 

If you consider yourself to be an analyst or are interested in how different societal domains interconnect, this program will allow you do assess legislation within the core of social matters, political affairs, and economic transformations.

Its aim is to provide a purpose to the students who would want to be a part of only a few distinct or advanced courses in law school while building an academic legal history or to students and faculty from the other parts of the university as guided by the law school because of more interdisciplinary study and research. 

6. Program of Study in Law and Social Change
 

The Law and Social Change Program of Study caters students that seek how law can be used for social change or those who seek to be social change to make a mark. In the study program, HLS aims at building like-minded community of students and faculty who are willing to understand and use law as a tool for social change. 
The website of the law school, at its discretion, holds the program that invites students and faculty for regular events were such as course selection, summer, and career matters are discussed and resolved.

7. Program In Law, Science, and Technology as Sadc Academic Area

The students are assisted in utilizing the legal library resources which are offered by the particular law school. According to HLS, the program provides substantive lectures and discussion groups, conducts events to faculty and students fellows about the prospects of their careers, and gives information about the possibilities in this direction at Harvard. The program also organizes outreach events for students and professors.