Most of these law schools grant the Juris Doctor degree, commonly abbreviated JD, which is the typical first professional degree in law in the United States.
Law schools are nationally accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA),[1] and graduates of these schools may generally sit for the bar exam in any state.
[2] The ABA occasionally revokes accreditation, as was done mostly recently with the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2019.
In the past decade, since 2014, 11 law schools have closed, with the most recent closing, of Golden Gate University School of Law, announced in fall 2023.
[3] In addition, individual state legislatures or bar examiners, like the State Bar of California, may maintain a separate accreditation system which is open to non-ABA accredited schools.