FEATURES OF LEGAL EDUCATION IN THE LEADING UNIVERSITIES OF THE USA AND CANADA AS AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE LVIV UNIVERSITY
Authors: Kakhnych Volodymyr 
Published: August 2022

The article examines the features of legal education at leading universities in the United States and Canada as an experience for the Lviv University. Legal education at the University of Lviv dates back to January 20, 1661, when King of the Commonwealth Jan II Casimir issued a decree on the opening of a university in Lviv, which allowed to teach Roman and canon law. Consequently, this year we celebrate the 360th anniversary of the Lviv University as well as the Faculty of Law. It is noted that Roman law is the basis of many modern branches of law. The famous Roman jurist Celsius claimed: «Ius est ars boni et aegui» («Law is the art of good and justice»). So, where is law, there is justice, that is, a constant and definite will that gives everyone the right they deserve. Without justice, there can be no state, no smallest group of people, not even a small household. The perfection of the Roman legal system for many centuries has shown an example of how legal systems should be formed. Even direct borrowings from Roman law are allowed, of course, taking into account the national characteristics of each state, including Ukraine. It should be noted that Roman law has been and remains an important area of research since the establishment of the Faculty of Law of the Lviv University. His teachers in their works highlighted how Roman law became one of the components of modern European law. Legal education remains one of the important components of the domestic system of higher education, given the ongoing reforms in the state of political, legal, judicial systems, the development of market relations in the economy. Educational and scientific approaches to the teaching of law in various universities in the United States and Canada, which have managed to form a legal basis for better mastering and implementation of new methods for teaching law, are studied. In different countries, to obtain a degree in law, a student must immediately enter the first year of university in this specialty. To enter most universities, students only need to provide a high school diploma. In the United States, on the other hand, education is structured differently. The legal education system and law in the United States are regarded as a professional-academic field, which is equivalent to the master’s programs of most universities in the world. This means that students can enter universities in law only after obtaining a bachelor's degree. In addition, law schools in the United States are part of private and public universities. They give students the opportunity to earn a Juris Doctor (J. D.) degree. The Juris Doctor program lasts three years (full-time training) or four years (extramural studies). The most difficult stage of studying is the first course through specialized subjects, exams as well as the method of Socrates, which is used in teaching law to students. The Socrates method encourages many international students to study law at US universities. This method helps students to develop unique legal thinking and easily master the practical skills of a lawyer. The contribution to the development of legal education of Lviv lawyers is shown, the tendencies of forming the tradition of teaching law at the Lviv University in a comparative context with the USA and Canada, where higher legal education is the basis of education of civil servants, are revealed. Legal education aims at a comprehensive training of professionals – professionals in the field of jurisprudence, able to correctly interpret and apply the law, understand the position of law in all the intricacies of a particular life situation, make decisions based solely on the letter and spirit of the law, exercise their abilities and powers for the individual, society, state. Therefore, legal education today, in the context of modernization of the entire higher school, requires special attention in order to identify a set of issues related to the quality of training of lawyers, organizational and substantive aspects of the teaching process, the financial condition of higher education institutions.