Norway has a united and regulated legal profession where all lawyers hold the same professional degree obtained after an integrated and comprehensive 5-year (formerly 6-year) university programme with highly competitive admission requirements, that gives the right to use the legally protected title lawyer (Norwegian: jurist) and in itself qualifies for entry-level legal practice, i.e. the entry-level positions in the legal profession such as associate advocate (Norwegian: advokatfullmektig), deputy judge (Norwegian: dommerfullmektig) or junior prosecutor (Norwegian: politifullmektig).
Norway's legal system and education share many similarities with those of Denmark due to the countries' common history.
Those holding the professional law degree are considered fully qualified lawyers in Norway.
The Norwegian legal profession is less focused on the court system as the only career path, and many lawyers work in the civil service, the corporate sector, organizations, academia or other sectors of society without becoming advocates; all lawyers enjoy high societal prestige on account of their professional qualification.
In general, foreign degrees do not qualify for admission to the legal profession in Norway.
Holders of professional legal degrees from the European Economic Area may also be admitted as trainee advocates under certain conditions.
Due to the similarity of their legal systems as well as languages, foreign lawyers practising in Norway are mostly Danish or Swedish.
A Norwegian professional legal degree is the only degree that qualifies for the positions of judge and prosecutor, although there have been rare exceptions made for Danish and Swedish lawyers (for example Karin M. Bruzelius, a supreme court justice educated in Sweden).
The admission requirements are much lower than for the professional programme at the three established universities, and they are not considered part of legal education proper in Norway.
It is a crime in Norway to use the title "lawyer" without being a graduate of the professional law programme at the three established universities.