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Becoming a Lawyer: Degrees, Exams, and Training Compared

US lawyers need a bachelor's degree, a J.D., and a bar exam. Canadian common law needs an accepted degree and bar admission. Requirements compared.

Last verified: October 20265 min read

Becoming a lawyer in the United States takes a bachelor's degree, a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school, and a passing score on a state bar exam, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts at about seven years of full-time study after high school. In Canada the common law route is a law degree accepted by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, followed by a provincial bar admission program. Neither the Canadian national requirement nor the current US bar exam description names AI as a required subject.

Key takeaways

  • US path: bachelor's degree, J.D., bar exam, then a state license. BLS lists a median lawyer wage of USD 159,670 in May 2025.
  • Canadian common law path: an LL.B. or J.D. accepted by the Federation of Law Societies, or a certificate from its National Committee on Accreditation, then bar admission.
  • The Federation's national requirement names skills (problem-solving, legal research, oral and written communication), ethics, and core subject areas. It does not name AI.
  • BLS projects lawyer employment to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035 and notes that some routine legal work may be automated.
  • Bar regulators have issued separate guidance on lawyers' use of generative AI in 2024.

The US route: degree, J.D., bar exam

BLS describes the standard US sequence as an undergraduate degree, a J.D. from an accredited law school, and a licensing exam called the bar exam, with a license from each state where a lawyer practices. The agency says most states require the J.D., and that the full route usually takes seven years of full-time study after high school. The bar exam itself is changing: the NextGen bar exam tests what the National Conference of Bar Examiners calls foundational lawyering skills, with scores combining multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks. As of October 2026, 52 of the 56 jurisdictions in the conference's adoption table had adopted it, with ten scheduled to start in July 2026.

The Canadian route: approved degree, then bar admission

For common law practice, entry to a bar admission program requires an LL.B. or J.D. accepted by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, or a Certificate of Qualification from the Federation's National Committee on Accreditation for foreign-trained applicants. Law societies then run the licensing stage. In Ontario, the Law Society's pages describe two main ways to complete experiential training: articling for at least eight and no more than 10 months, or the Law Practice Program, a four-month training course followed by a four-month work placement. Candidates also write licensing examinations. Fees, deadlines, and pay minimums change each year and are best read on the society's own site.

What the national requirement tests

The Federation's national requirement, dated January 1, 2018, lists the competencies that a Canadian common law degree has to show. An amended version, approved on March 12, 2024, takes effect on January 1, 2029 for spring 2029 graduates. The table summarizes the 2018 text.

Competency groupWhat the applicant must have demonstrated
Problem-solvingIdentify facts, issues, and alternatives for resolving a dispute
Legal researchSelect sources, apply case analysis and statutory interpretation, and report results
Oral and written communicationCommunicate clearly in English or French and present reasoned legal argument
Ethics and professionalismDuties to clients and courts, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, privilege
Substantive knowledgeFoundations of law and the core areas of Canadian law

The skills are described by what a lawyer does with information, not by the tools used. A school can teach legal research with print volumes or with software and still meet the standard.

Degree requirements say little about AI, so the guidance sits with practicing regulators. The Law Society of Ontario published a white paper on licensees' use of generative AI in April 2024, and the American Bar Association issued Formal Opinion 512 on lawyers' use of generative AI tools on July 29, 2024. Both apply existing duties such as competence and confidentiality to new tools. Neither replaces the degree or the exam. For students, the practical point is that research, writing, and ethics remain the tested core, and that checking any tool's output is part of professional responsibility.

BLS offers a labor-market view. Its lawyer profile projects 5 percent employment growth from 2025 to 2035, from about 863,700 jobs in 2025, and says some routine legal work may be automated. The profile does not mention AI by name, so it cannot be read as a forecast for any particular tool.

Checklist for a prospective student

  • Pick the jurisdiction first, because licensing is provincial, territorial, or state-based.
  • Confirm that the law school is accredited in the US or approved by the Federation in Canada.
  • Read the bar or law society page on admission, including the exam format for the year of graduation.
  • Ask the school how it teaches legal research and technology, and what its policy on AI tools is for assignments.
  • Treat salary figures as medians for all lawyers, not as an expected first-year result.

FAQ

Do law schools require a specific undergraduate major?

The BLS description of the US route names a bachelor's degree but no specific major. Admission rules for individual law schools differ, so each school's admissions page applies.

Can someone become a lawyer without law school?

BLS says most states require a J.D. from an accredited law school. Rules differ by state, and a state bar's website gives the current options. Canadian applicants need an accepted degree or an equivalent certificate from the national committee.

Does the bar exam test AI?

The NextGen exam page describes foundational lawyering skills and the exam platform, and does not mention AI as a tested subject.

Is this legal or career advice?

No. It summarizes public requirements as of October 2026. Requirements change, and the regulator that licenses a lawyer in a given place has the final word.

More in AI in education.

Last verified: October 2026

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