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Im a mature student, i am almost finished with my undergrad and looking to continue to a masters or maybe go straight for a PhD.

The end game is to emigrate to the USA to teach in the universities and partake in some research projects.

I was wondering, as i cant seem to find anything online. is it possible for a British PhD holder to teach law in the USA?

LegalProspect
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I don't see any obstacle, though most US law professors know more about US law that otherwise. But international law is a valuable field as well and UK might be a good place to study that. So it might depend on what you study and specialize in if you earn a doctorate in UK. If you know more about Scottish land law in the 14th century than anything else it will be quite a lot harder (I'd guess you know that).

The other alternative, of course, is to move to US for the final stages of your education. With an LLB from UK, you would probably be eligible for beginning doctoral study in US. See this post for how it works.

However, the total market for law faculty at the research level might be quite small, though a lot of undergraduate colleges probably have a pre-law program that teach fundamentals.

Buffy
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  • Thank you for your reply, i am studying for an LLB in law of england and wales and i have been tempted by the internatrional law LLM or the transcontinental organised crime LLM thank you for your reply. – LegalProspect Oct 27 '21 at 06:26
  • Sticking with the "law of England" might be a mistake for an academic position in US, but it gives you a basis for branching out. Your "temptations" are probably pointing in the right direction. – Buffy Oct 27 '21 at 13:23
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I do not think you should get a PhD from anywhere to be on law faculty in the US. You should do research about what higher degree(s) you obtain. For example, many (most?) of the faculty at law schools either have a legal degree (e.g., a JD) or are cross appointment faculty.

For example, I browsed the faculty at Yale, Michigan, and Texas Tech. The majority of faculty have JDs, with some have PhDs and JDs, and very few having only PhDs.

Edit: Upon further research I see that the American Bar Association views a J.D. as the same as a Ph.D.:

WHEREAS, the acquisition of a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree requires from 84 to 90 semester hours of post baccalaureate study and the Doctor of Philosophy degree usually requires 60 semester hours of post baccalaureate study along with the writing of a dissertation, the two degrees shall be considered as equivalent degrees for educational employment purposes;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that all appropriate persons be requested to eliminate any policy, or practice, existing within their jurisdiction which disparages legal education or promotes discriminatory employment practices against J.D. degree-holders who hold academic appointment in education institutions.

Based upon this new finding, I encourage you to see what US law professors have. Here are three ways you might find your answer:

  1. Find a US law professor and ask them if/how they would hire somebody with a similar background as you.
  2. Search faculty webpages until you find backgrounds similar to yours. Possibly even consider sending these people an email asking them for career advice.
  3. Ask your question on a US legal forum where more lawyers may be present. Possibly the Law exchange page. I think your question is on topic here, but sites like that would have more lawyers.
Richard Erickson
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    Unfortunately JD has various meanings. For many purposes it is more like a masters, or even a bachelors. See: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/articles/2019-06-24/what-is-a-jd-degree. One school I know of (prestigious, actually) offered to upgrade Bachelor of Laws degrees for past graduates to a JD for the payment of a fee. But it is more likely to be a practitioners degree than a research degree. But usage varies, as I said. – Buffy Oct 26 '21 at 21:26
  • Thank you for your reply, According to the University College London and study acrossthepond.com, the JD is the equivilent to the british undergrad LLB. it would be impossible to only have a PhD. one would need atleast an undergraduate degree first. – LegalProspect Oct 27 '21 at 06:39
  • @Buffy I know. As a scientist, legal degrees are weird to me. However, the American Bar Association views a JD as equivalent to a PhD. – Richard Erickson Oct 27 '21 at 13:03
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    Hmmm. They would, wouldn't they? But they are an association of practitioners, not researchers. It is a very self-serving declaration. – Buffy Oct 27 '21 at 13:13
  • @Buffy a very astute observation about the very self-serving declaration. I suspect the reputation of the school issuing a JD as well as the background of a candidate become important for hiring committees. Pure speculation, but the ABA's view is probably important for accreditation. – Richard Erickson Oct 27 '21 at 15:00