How Valuable is an LL.M. Degree?
In today's competitive job
market, many law school graduates are looking for ways to distinguish themselves
from the pack. In a number of cases, both international and U.S. law grads are
turning to the Master of Law, or LL.M., degree to give them a leg up on the
competition.
In just a decade, between 1990 and 1999, the number of LL.M. degrees awarded at American
Universities rose by 82 percent, according to Jeffrey Lewis, a dean and
professor of law at St. Louis University. But the LL.M. is not for everyone, say
many admission counselors.
The majority of students receiving the LL.M. are international students, though the number of
domestic students getting LL.M.s in specialized areas such as tax, environmental
and corporate law continues to grow.
The University of Chicago's
LL.M. program is designed mainly for international students, says
Assistant Dean Richard Badger, and applications to the school have more than
doubled in the past decade.
Most international LL.M. students already have a law degree in their home country, and
in many cases, they are required to get an LL.M. to compete in the global
marketplace or feel an American law degree helps them advance their careers.
A recent LL.M. graduate from the University of Chicago, Fernando
Elias-Calles Romo, a 29-year-old who practiced civil and commercial law in
Mexico, said the LL.M. degree is a "necessity."
"Globalization is bringing the world closer and lawyers need to learn the language
of international deals, which is English," says Romo. "As a lawyer we also know
that many important clients are American, or want to do business with American
law firms, so we need to understand the mindset of the American lawyer."
Romo said his experience attending an American law school was "useful in every
sense," both professionally and personally.
There are a number of reasons American J.D. graduates might seek an LL.M. degree.
Many want to develop an expertise within a particular field or change their area
of practice after working for a couple of years. Still others want to enhance
their credentials by going to a nationally-recognized school or are looking to
get their career back on track after an interrupted career or life changes.
The LL.M. is particularly helpful to an American student who wants to specialize in a
particular field but did not have an opportunity to pursue that area going
through the J.D. program, says Heike Spahn, a consultant with LL.M. admissions
committee experience for AdmissionsConsultants and former
Assistant Dean at University of Chicago Law School.
"[The LL.M.] is not for everyone," she says. "It's not for people who can't get
a job. It's for people who have a special interest and don't have the
background."
For example, tax laws and
environmental policy are constantly changing, says Spahn, and schools like New
York University and the University of Denver offer specialized degrees in those
areas.
The University of Denver's LL.M. program in Environmental and Natural Resources Law,
which began seven years ago, has seen steady growth every year, according to
Professor James Otto, the director of graduate students for the program.
The program was made up of approximately half international students and half
American students until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq,
when the number of foreign student applicants, particularly from the Middle
East, dropped significantly, said Otto.
Otto says that an LL.M. from a specialized program like theirs can give students
a competitive advantage in the job market. For example, he said, there may be 75
to 100 applications for a job at the Environmental Protection Agency, and an
LL.M. degree can help an applicant stand out.
"The legal profession is very competitive," says Otto. "In order to distinguish
yourself in the job market, having a specialization really helps."
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