PECULARITIES OF LEGAL EDUCATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE USA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Introduction. In the contemporary world, there exist various legal systems at different levels, both national and international. Complex processes of integration and development are taking place among them. Understanding this legal diversity and patterns of development is crucial, and legal education is essential for achieving it. Legal education is neccesary for individuals, states, and societies in general. Adopting positive practices from other countries can help enhance legal awareness and culture in Ukrainian society. There is a need to restructure legal thinking and increase respect for and trust in the law and law enforcement agencies. Therefore, legal education should be the primary tool for the ideology of state-building.Purpose.The purpose of this article is to analyze the essence and features of legal education for young people and the importance of this discipline in the context of forming the legal culture of young people.Methods. Recently, legal education and training, the specifics of their organisation and management, and the specifics of the conceptual framework have increasingly attracted the attention of scholars in various scientific fields - legal, pedagogical, philosophical, sociological, cultural, political science, etc. The worldview and methodological foundations of legal education models operating in different countries of the world are considered in the scientific works of such national authors as N. I. Eliasberg, A. Hetman, O. Danilian, O. Dzoban, H. Klimova, I. Kovalenko, Y. Meliakova, N. Kovalenko, S. Legushi, S. Legushi and M. Suprun, D. Maltsev and V. Shvachka, O. Nesterenko and many other authors.Results. The experience of foreign countries in the development of legal education and legal awareness differs in its specificity, but some general trends can be identified: 1. Integration into the educational process 2. Active use of interactive methods 3. Emphasis on the development of critical thinking 4. Internationalisation of legal education 5. E-learning and resources.Originality. The article first examines legal education in different countries of the world, focusing first on the experience of the United States of America. This country is noted for its effectiveness in training citizens who are active in civil society. It should be noted that legal education in the United States is carried out mainly in the formal education system and in the informal sector. Thus, in the education system, young people acquire legal knowledge by studying a course based on the basic laws of the country (the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence). Students study the state system, the specifics of the functioning of the country's political and legal system, the structure, functions and principles of the main democratic institutions, and acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to participate in the political, social and cultural life of a democratic society.Conclusion. Thus, it can be stated that in the countries of both Western and Eastern Europe and the United States, legal education is an integral part of civic education, and much effort is made to disseminate and support it. Further sustainable democratic development of the state is linked to the formation of democratic citizenship. The main emphasis of European countries in order to form a high level of citizenship is on civic education, which is firmly entrenched in the state curricula of primary, secondary and higher education, which in turn is constantly being modernised to meet the requirements of the present.