Can I Practice Law with a Master of Arts in Law Degree?

While a Master of Arts in Law degree does not allow you to practice law, it can open doors to emerging career avenues and opportunities.

Prospective students seeking the right legal education for them frequently ask, “Can I practice law with a Master of Arts in Law degree?” The short answer is no. To practice law, you must receive a juris doctor (J.D.) degree and pass a state bar exam. However, there are a range of roles in the workplace suited for those with legal training who are not practicing lawyers. For example, many J.D. recipients go on to successful careers without ever taking the bar exam, and Master of Arts in Law graduates can work in a variety of professions in which their legal expertise can enhance their value in new or existing roles; Master of Arts in Law degree-holders will be eligible for many of these roles as well.

Candidates for a Master of Arts in Law (M.A. in Law) degree take law school classes from professors at The Colleges of Law who are leaders in the field, and they can customize their curriculum to suit their areas of interest. The four concentrations are Business Operations, Entrepreneurship, Emerging Law, and Technology. Depending on each student’s choice of specialization, popular professions for Master of Arts in Law graduates include:

Compliance. The field involves guiding businesses so they may adhere to their industry or organization’s laws, policies, and regulations. The need has been growing among American companies with operations abroad and foreign companies doing business in the U.S. as well as domestic companies.

Data Privacy and Security. With people conducting an increasing amount of their financial, medical, and educational activity online, the handling of sensitive data, including personal information, is of great and growing importance, especially when it comes to meeting regulatory requirements and protecting confidentiality. Tech-savvy M.A. in Law degree holders are well-suited for this environment.

Legal Operations. Project management and customer service roles that are common in business are less prevalent in the law. Legal operations professionals enable legal departments to serve their clients more effectively by applying business and technical practices to the delivery of legal services. These operations include customer service, knowledge management, data analysis—anything that improves efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

Legal Entrepreneur. Independent businesspeople with an eye for new trends can pair their legal knowledge with their passion for identifying and capitalizing upon business models in response to market opportunities. A leading trend in this area is the development of software tools such as A2J Author, which provides access to justice for self-representing litigants by enabling lawyers and law students to build user-friendly, web-based tools for creating legal documents.

Legal Technology and eDiscovery. The legal industry is modernizing in leaps and bounds regarding the use of software and technology for assistance with legal projects and tasks to support the legal industry. In this arena, an M.A. in Law graduate with a background in software development can thrive.

Electronic discovery (often called eDiscovery) refers to the practice of digitally identifying, collecting, and producing electronically stored information (ESI) in response to a request for production in a lawsuit or investigation. The ABA’s Center for Innovation has identified three specific areas of focus: cybersecurity, client communications, and process and workflow. These are all areas where M.A. in Law graduates can add value to a law firm.

The chief advantage of the M.A. in Law is the flexibility it offers. If you are looking to round out your professional profile with a legal background or you are a lifelong learner who has always had an interest in the law, The Colleges of Law Master of Arts in Law may well be the advanced degree that suits your personal and career objectives.

To learn more about the Master of Arts in Law program at The Colleges of Law, fill out the form below.