Law Schools and Programs in Puerto Rico

Law Studies in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a jurisdiction of the United States in the Caribbean, with Spanish and English as official languages, and its universities follow US standards. Law there is studied the American way: not as a first degree after secondary school, but as a professional graduate degree, the Juris Doctor (JD), taken after a bachelor's degree. What makes Puerto Rico distinctive is its legal tradition. According to Study Puerto Rico, the government's official study portal, legal education on the island integrates principles of civil law, Anglo-Saxon (common) law and international law.

SpainExchange lists 2 schools in Puerto Rico under law: the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico (PUCPR) in Ponce, whose School of Law offers the Juris Doctor, and Caribbean University in Bayamón, which teaches criminal justice rather than a law degree.

How law studies are organised

The path to becoming a lawyer has two stages:

• A bachelor's degree (bachillerato), which PUCPR describes as lasting about 4 to 6 years. PUCPR offers bachelor's programmes such as Pre-Legal Studies (Estudios Pre-Jurídicos) and Political Science and Law.
• The Juris Doctor at a law school. At PUCPR the JD requires at least 94 credits and a minimum grade point average of 2.00.

PUCPR's School of Law was founded in 1961. It received provisional approval from the American Bar Association (ABA), the body that accredits US law schools, in 1967 and full approval on 17 August 1972. The school states that from its beginnings it has oriented its teaching towards the civil-law tradition and encouraged the study of comparative law.

The JD is offered in day and evening sections, starting in August and January. Day students need at least three years to graduate and evening students at least four, with a maximum of seven years in both cases. The first year covers subjects such as introduction to law, property, persons and family law, torts, criminal law, constitutional law, and legal research and writing. Later years include contracts, civil and criminal procedure, evidence, succession, administrative law, federal jurisdiction, a legal aid clinic and a bar exam preparation workshop. PUCPR also offers a combined JD and MBA programme and master's programmes in tax law and health law.

Admission

To apply to the PUCPR JD, candidates take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) of the Law School Admission Council. They also send official transcripts of their bachelor's degree, a letter of recommendation and a non-refundable application fee of $75. Candidates who meet the selection criteria are interviewed. The deadlines are 30 June for the August start and 30 November for the January start.

International applicants to PUCPR send apostilled transcripts and degree certificates, and studies from institutions outside the US may need an evaluation by an agency that is a member of NACES. Those who will study in person also need a passport, a sworn statement and bank statement showing funds for at least one year, a Form I-20 from the university and a student visa.

Becoming a lawyer in Puerto Rico

Admission to the legal profession is regulated by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, assisted by its Board of Bar Examiners (Junta Examinadora). According to the Judiciary, applicants must:

• Be over 21 years of age
• Hold a law degree from a law school approved by the ABA or by the Court
• Be of good reputation
• Pass the general bar exam (Reválida General)
• Have earned a bachelor's degree before entering law school, or an equivalent university programme if they studied outside the United States and Puerto Rico

Applicants who studied law in another country must validate their studies and obtain the law degree at a law school approved by the ABA and by the Court before they can sit the exam. To work as a notary, a lawyer must also pass a separate notarial bar exam (Reválida Notarial).

Related studies and careers

Caribbean University, founded in Bayamón in 1969 as Caribbean Junior College, offers a bachelor's and a master's degree in criminal justice. They prepare students for work with the police, corrections, the courts and investigation units, not for practising law.

JD graduates who pass the bar work as lawyers in private practice, companies and government, and can add the notarial qualification. The PUCPR School of Law runs a legal aid clinic, a professional development and employment office and a bar exam support programme.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study law in Puerto Rico?

First a bachelor's degree, then the Juris Doctor. At PUCPR the JD takes at least three years in the day section and at least four in the evening section.

Can a foreign lawyer practise in Puerto Rico?

Not directly. Applicants who studied law abroad must validate their studies and obtain a law degree at a school approved by the ABA and the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, and then pass the general bar exam.

Do I need the LSAT to study law in Puerto Rico?

Yes, at PUCPR. Applicants take the LSAT and register with the Law School Admission Council's Credential Assembly Service.

Is the PUCPR School of Law accredited?

Yes. It has held full approval from the American Bar Association since 17 August 1972.