M en D.

[Glen]

I found this as Maestría en Derecho, literally Master in Law but that somehow sounds odd (reminds me too much of la suegra); could I simply say Attorney at Law so as to be more comprehensible to English speakers, or is there more to it than that?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

It's very important to make a distinction between "Licenciatura" (Bachelor's degree) and "Maestría" (Master's degree). Academic degrees are very important in Mexico.

If the official title of someone with a master's degree is "Master in Law" that should be the translation, I think.

I found "Master of Studies in Law" and "Master of Laws", but I don't know if this last one corresponds to the same academic degree.

[wrholt]

Translating it as "Master in Law" may be appropriate, but you probably want to indicate what the equivalent degree is in the country/region for which you are targeting the translation. "Attorney at Law" identifies someone who as earned the license to practice law in a particular jurisdiction; it's not the same as having the academic degree.

In the US the typical law degrees are:

JD = Juris Doctor (3 years), the degree you earn to be a lawyer serving/representing clients. Normally you complete this degree, then study for and pass the bar exam(s) for the jursidiction(s) in which you wish to have the license to practice. Normally one must have already earned a Bachelor's degree (in any discipline) before enrolling in a law school to pursue a J.D. degree.

LL.M. = Master of Laws (1 year). In the US this may be either an honorary degree or an earned degree. As an earned degree it is the first step to prepare for teaching. Some US jurisdictions allow foreign-trained lawyers to use their foreign training and the LL.M. as equivalent to the J.D. to qualify to take the bar exam.

S.J.D./J.D.S. = Doctor of Juridical Science (3-5 years), the highest degree you earn in order to teach law. This is a research degree, equivalent to Ph.D. Prior J.D. required, prior earned LL.M. may be required, depending on the law school and particular circumstances.

Some law schools also offer joint programs with other disciplines such as business, public health, divinity, and so on.

[Glen]

Very helpful. Sounds like LL.M. fits the bill then. Thanks!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

If it's still useful, I asked today an international lawyer and he also said that the program is LLM, Master of Laws, and the person is a Master in Laws.

[Glen]

Good to hear verification. Thanks to you both I'll go with Attorney (name), LL.M. as the best way to say M. en D. (name). I include the word Attorney for the benefit of readers who might not recognize what LL.M. means.

The guy is obviously quite proud of his degree since he attaches it to his name throughout the entire document.