Do you want to shift your career path to law? Then, you need to take a look at studying for a Juris Doctor degree online. While it may be a bit of a challenge working and studying law, studying online allows you to work towards improving or changing your career while working and earning an income. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of studying for a Juris Doctor degree online.
What is a Juris Doctor Degree?
A Juris Doctor degree is a postgraduate law degree that allows postgraduate students to bridge from another undergraduate qualification to a career in law. Depending on the course and the university, a Juris Doctor degree takes roughly 3 years to complete and covers most of the same material that you would do in an undergrad law degree. However, because it is a post-graduate qualification, the standard of work expected by the lecturers is a lot higher.
The benefits of studying a Juris Doctor degree online
Studying juris doctor online offers a wide range of benefits, more so because it improves your credibility by building on a previous qualification that you have already. Here are some of the benefits of studying a Juris Doctor course online:
1. May have more job opportunities
With a Juris Doctor degree on your resume, you’ll have access to far more job opportunities than you did with your previous degree. For example, you had a business management degree. Combine that with a Juris Doctor degree, and you’ll be eligible to apply for jobs in law and business. Here’s a list of some of the areas a JD degree opens the door to:
- Commerce
- Compliance
- The non-profit sector
- Government
2. Study at your own pace
One of the major benefits of studying for a Juris Doctor degree online is that you can do it at your own pace. While there will most likely be assignment deadlines that you would need to meet, for the most part, you’ll be responsible for studying in your own time and completing tasks at your own pace.
3. Study while working
In addition to being able to study at your own pace, you can also work at the same time. Paying for tertiary education can be expensive, and potential employers often want to see work experience in addition to having an advanced degree. By working and completing your JD degree, you’ll be set with both experience and qualifications on your resume.
4. Access into the legal industry
Completing your JD degree will give you access to the legal industry, where you can become a solicitor, barrister, or lawyer. However, while completing your degree is a major accomplishment, you’ll still need to undergo some legal training and apply to practice law in your local area before you’re officially licensed.
5. Technical expertise
Having a Juris Doctor qualification also prepares you well to enter the corporate world and provides you with the tools you need to climb the corporate ladder. Usually, when people choose to follow this kind of career path, they choose one of two postgrad degrees: a Master’s of Business Administration, which offers them a well-rounded education based on running a business, or a Juris Doctor degree.
While this largely depends on the angle they would like to take in business, a Juris Doctor degree offers you all the technical skills you would need to operate in this industry, like knowledge of contracts, workplace health and safety, employment law, and compliance law. In the end, you’ll have the credentials to practice law and the skills needed to navigate the legalities in the corporate world.
6. Improved enterprise skills
A large part of success in the business world is through effective negotiation, problem-solving, and creative thinking. A JD degree teaches you all three of these skills. A key skill for all legal practitioners is to be able to think fast on their feet. While studying a JD course, you’ll learn effective problem-solving techniques, how to research effectively, legal creativity, how it interpret complicated information, and how to negotiate well with others. Regardless of where you work, there’s no doubt that these skills will prove to be invaluable throughout your career.
Final thoughts
Let’s recap. A Juris Doctor degree allows you to swing from a related degree to a law degree postgrad. Not only will this add to the skills and knowledge you already have due to your previous degree, but it’ll also teach you to practice law ethically and professionally.
