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Legal counsel education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a legal counsel. Legal counsels usually study law, legal research and advanced professional studies, or political science. 43% of legal counsels hold a bachelor's degree, and 42% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 3,381 real legal counsel resumes to see exactly what legal counsel education sections show.
The most common colleges for legal counsels are the Georgetown University and the Georgetown University.
There are also many online legal counsel courses to help get the education required to be a legal counsel.
What education do you need to become a legal counsel?
What degree do you need to be a legal counsel?
- Bachelor's, 43%
- Doctorate, 42%
- Master's, 12%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a legal counsel?
Most common colleges for legal counsels
| Legal counsel common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Georgetown University | 9.56% |
| New York Law School | 8.09% |
| Suffolk University | 6.62% |
| University of Miami | 6.13% |
| University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus | 5.64% |
Best majors for legal counsels
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Law | 53.5% |
| 2 | Legal Research And Advanced Professional Studies | 9.4% |
| 3 | Political Science | 8.8% |
| 4 | Business | 6.2% |
| 5 | English | 2.7% |
Best colleges for legal counsels
The best colleges for legal counsels are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
A legal counsel with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for legal counsels. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become legal counsels.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
20 best online courses for legal counsels
Advertising disclosure
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By its nature, the law touches on many aspects of entrepreneurship, making it an applicable and versatile topic of study. For aspiring entrepreneurs, it's important to understand how to form the business, work with the initial customers, and hire. For active entrepreneurs, there are critical considerations on employment law, operating policies, and managing contracts. For everyone, the role that the law plays in managing the company, and its associated risks, must be properly understood to...
2. Artificial Intelligence and legal issues
The purpose of the course is to help students understand the legal implications related to the design and use of artificial intelligence systems, providing an overview of the risks and legal protections that can be envisaged and giving an overview of the legislation and legal principles currently applicable on the subject. In particular, the profiles of civil and criminal liability, protection in terms of intellectual property and the impacts of AI on the fundamental rights of the individual -...
3. Essentials of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)
The Who, What, When, Where, and How of the World's Most Common Business Contract...
4. Person-Centred Counselling Certificate
Learn the fundamentals of how counselling and psychotherapy work, and how to use counselling skills...
5. Cloud Security Course: Cloud Compliance, Audits,Legal issues
For CCSK and CCSP Aspirants - Cloud Agreements/Contracts, Legal and Compliance Concepts...
6. Contract Management: Managing Contractual Risks
How to identify and deal with contract risks...
7. Effective Legal Office Administration
Effective Legal Office Administration...
8. Effectively Lease Commercial Real Estate Properties
Learn how to lease industrial, office, and retail properties with ease...
9. Legal English
Legal language and communication skills...
10. Professional Anger & Aggression Counselling Diploma
Fully Accredited Diploma Course For Powerful Counselling Techniques For Anger & Aggression Management...
11. Solution Based Counselling Practitioner Cert (ACCREDITED)
Take Counselling to the next level with this Solution Based Counselling Practitioner Course from The Priority Academy...
12. Counselling Skills Certificate Course (Beginner to Advanced)
An in-depth counselling skills training course for personal development or as the starting point for a change in career...
13. Couples Counselling using Systemic Family Therapy
Help people build stronger relationships and marriages by learning couples counselling skills...
14. Learn Federal Government Contracting From An Expert
A comprehensive guide to Register, Search Opportunities, GSA, Certifications, Accounting, Marketing& Bidding to the feds...
15. Fully Accredited Professional Counselling Diploma Course
An In Depth Counseling Diploma Course To Take Your Therapy Skills To A New Level - Talking Is The New Healing!...
16. Professional Counselling Grief & Bereavement Diploma Course
Fully Accredited Counseling Diploma Course to help your clients or yourself though the many stages of Grief...
17. Certification Course in Human Resource Management
Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...
18. U.S. Residential Real Estate, Property & Mortgage Business
Property & Mortgage Underwriting Loan Processing Financial Analysis Mortgage Operations Origination...
19. Legal Writing Master Class
Learn with lawyers by learning the correct use of prepositions and articles, drafting contracts and writing letters...
20. Property Management 101
Learn the basics of managing rental property and becoming a landlord...
Top 10 most affordable universities for legal counsels
The most affordable schools for legal counsels are Brigham Young University, florida state university, and university of florida.
If the best universities for legal counsels are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for legal counsels.
1. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
2. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
6. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus
San Juan, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
11,299
7. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Cost of attendance
24,568
8. University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$8,178
Cost of attendance
20,934
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
10. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Cost of attendance
25,497
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for legal counsels
The hardest universities for legal counsels to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for legal counsels are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for legal counsels based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for legal counsels
The easiest schools for legal counsels to get into are University of Southern Maine, cleveland state university, and western new england university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a legal counsel without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for legal counsels.
1. University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,050
2. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
3. Western New England University
Springfield, MA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,160
4. Saint Thomas University
Miami Gardens, FL • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
1,031
5. Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL • Private
Admissions rate
79%
SAT average
1,196
6. Pace University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
76%
SAT average
1,154
7. Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,190
8. Suffolk University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,131
9. Widener University
Chester, PA • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,115
10. Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, IL • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,124
Average legal counsel salary by education level
| Legal counsel education level | Legal counsel salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $137,030 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025