Law Degree Abbreviation
A variety of law degree abbreviation is used when referring to the different degrees offered by law school. Since most of the law degree titles are quite long and may sometimes contain Latin terms, they are abbreviated in order to avoid confusion. If you wish to pursue a law degree, it is quite helpful to familiarize yourself with the meanings of the different law degree abbreviations used by many law schools.
In the US, the most common law degree abbreviation used is J.D. which actually stands for Juris Doctor. This is actually a Latin phrase which means "teacher of law." Aside from J.D., another common law degree abbreviation although it's used outside the US is LL.B. which stands for Bachelor of Laws. A Juris Doctor degree and a LL.B. degree is quite the same. It's just that the American law education system uses a different term. (1) Many colleges, universities, and law schools also use the law degree abbreviation LL.D. This abbreviation actually means "Legum Doctor" in Latin or Doctor of Laws in English. (2) An advanced degree offered by law schools, LLM is another common law degree abbreviation. It means "Legum Magister" in Latin and Master of Laws in English. (3)
It is also interesting to note that many schools in the US still use traditional Latin degree titles. An example is the S.B. and A.B. abbreviations used by Harvard University. The abbreviation S.B. means "scientiae baccalaureus" in Latin or bachelor of science in English. As for the A.B., it actually means "artium baccalaureus" in Latin and bachelor of arts in English. (4)
A law degree abbreviation is very convenient since it shortens the whole phrase or term and it also makes each degree distinct. However, in legal school documents such as certifications and diplomas, the law degree abbreviation is spelled out. (5)
Since a specific school can use a different set of law degree abbreviation, it's best to get a complete list of degrees and courses offered by a specific school to learn more about the different types of abbreviation used. Official school websites are good sources when it comes to degree abbreviations.
Literary Citations & Article References:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor
(2) http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/background/degree_notes.html
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Laws
(4) http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/background/degree_notes.html