Editing Juris Doctor (section)

==== Philippines ====

In the [[Philippines]], the Juris Doctor (JD) has replaced the [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]] as the universal academic degree for law graduates. This transition was formalized by the [[Legal Education Board]] (LEB) through Legal Education Board Memorandum Order No. 19, s. 2018, which mandated the adoption of the JD as the standard law degree in the country.<ref name=Philippines>{{cite web |title=Is Juris Doctor equivalent to PhD in the Philippines? |url=https://legalknowledgebase.com/is-juris-doctor-equivalent-to-phd-in-the-philippines |website=Legal Knowledge Base}}</ref> 

The JD program spans four years and includes all subjects required for the [[Philippine Bar Examination]]. In 2021, the LEB issued Legal Education Board Memorandum Order No. 24, s. 2021, which adopted a Revised Model Law Curriculum (RMLC) to standardize legal education across all institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=LEB Memorandum Order No. 24, s. 2021 |url=https://lawschoolbuddy.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/LEBMO-No.-24.pdf |website=Law School Buddy}}</ref> In 2024, the LEB introduced the Master of Legal Studies-Juris Doctor (MLS-JD) program, which allowed students with an MLS degree to complete a JD in a shorter period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abogado |date=2024-05-30 |title=LEB announces moratorium on law schools’ applications for ladderized program |url=https://abogado.com.ph/leb-announces-moratorium-on-law-schools-applications-for-ladderized-program/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=abogado.com.ph |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2019, the LEB issued Legal Education Board Resolution No. 2019-406, declaring that basic law degrees, whether LLB or JD, should be considered equivalent to [[Doctorate|doctoral degrees]] in other non-law disciplines for purposes of appointment, employment, ranking, and compensation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Law Degree Now Equal to Doctor’s Degree |url=https://www.projectjurisprudence.com/2019/01/law-degree-now-equal-to-doctors-degree.html |website=Project Jurisprudence}}</ref> However, the [[Commission on Higher Education]], which has legal responsibility for establishing equivalency, stated that it had serious concerns with this declaration and has ruled that JDs are not equivalent to doctorates.<ref name=Philippines/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://mb.com.ph/2019/01/14/ched-clarifies-basic-law-degrees-are-not-equivalent-to-doctoral-degrees|title=CHED clarifies basic law degrees are not equivalent to doctoral degrees|author=Francine Ciasico|date=January 14, 2019|work=[[Manila Bulletin]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://kami.com.ph/108131-juris-doctor-degree-meaning-program-jobs-one.html|title=Juris Doctor degree: Meaning, program, jobs, how to become one|work=KAMI.com.ph|author=Dan Amadi|date=March 26, 2020}}</ref>