Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws (abbreviated as LL.B. or LLB) is an undergraduate law degree. In most common law countries (with the exceptions of the United States and all Canadian provinces except Quebec, which employs a mix of civil and common law systems), students generally enter the LL.B. program directly after completing secondary school. The LL.B. was also historically the primary law degree in the U.S., but was phased out in favor of the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in the 1960s.
"LL.B." stands for Legum Baccalaureus in Latin, and the "LL." in the degree abbreviation comes from the genitive plural legum ("of the law").
See also: Mitchell v. Board of Bar Examiners, 452 Mass. 582 (2008), where the plaintiff, who held an online law degree, brought suit against the Massachusetts bar examination requirement mandating graduation from an ABA-approved law school.
[Last reviewed in February of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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