Latest Posts in LLM GUIDE Blogs http://www.llm-guide.com/blog en LLM GUIDE Blogs Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:50:00 +0200 Just the Dissertation Left! http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/265/301/just-the-dissertation-left Hello!

The mad exam marathon is over, and I can hardly believe it. If I thought Michaelmas term was hectic, it was as if the Lent Term was just waiting to introduce me to what the London pace can turn out to be! Having been through three-fourths or more, of the entire LLM, with just the dissertation left, here's some advice for the coming batches of students:

Attend as many of the public lectures as you can. You probably wont have time to do justice to more than two societies, so dont join seven of them in freshers' week like I did, and then end up going to just one or two. Push yourself to the maximum. After all, its less than a year.

Theres a strategy to cracking the exams. Dont get pulled in by all the hype about how tough and scary it is. All it takes is a good strategy, and of course, the minimum amount of hard work.

 Use your time in London to pursue whatever already interests you..music/dance/tennis...the facilities are available, if you bother to look. Pursuing a hobby you already love is a good way of de-stressing and making this sometimes dreary place feel more like home.

For those who are used to a lot of sun in their home countries, December can be a very depressing time. Use the December holidays to relax and really fit into the groove. It will help you to handle Lent term better.

 Decide on your dissertation topic as soon as you can. Much sooner than the departmental timetable suggests. It will save you a lot of work later on. Throughout LSE, the faster you make decisions and get to working on them, the more the system rewards you.

The sheer amount of information available at LSE, can drown you out if you dont know what your destination is. Remember you cant use the awesome career services to its fullest if you dont already have a good idea of where you want to be after the LLM. 

Finally, there will be people who say, you should have seen more of London, you should have studied more, or you should have done something differently. Dont listen to them. Decide what YOU want out of this degree, and stick to achieving that. Its the roller coaster ride of a life time! Have fun, and best of luck.

 

  

]]> Mon, 26 May 2008 23:16:00 +0200 An LL.M. in China - Is it worth it? http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/1/280/an-llm-in-china-is-it-worth-it post by Donald C. Clarke, a professor at George Wasington University Law School. He has collected and published the feedback he got from lawyers - who had either taken an LL.M. program in China or who are involved with hiring lawyers in the field - about the value of doing an LL.M. at Chinese universities. The PDF document can be found here.

Meanwhile, here is an article we published last year about English-language LL.M. programs in Asia, generally.

We'll check in again soon. Until then, enjoy your summer!
]]> Mon, 26 May 2008 11:02:00 +0200 My experience as a Fulbright scholar http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/370/279/my-experience-as-a-fulbright-scholar Funding is one of the foremost concerns of any LL.M. applicant, particular those from developing countries dreaming of studying in the US. With the total cost of studying at a top-tier US law school amounting to around US$60,000.00 (tuition and living expenses), even one year of postgraduate study is an impossible dream for those whose families are not wealthy. The Fulbright scholarship is thus one of the most prestigious and sought-after grants for aspiring US postgraduate students.  I was among those who had long dreamed of landing a Fulbright scholarship, with the notion that it covers all expenses. I was thus ecstatic when I was selected as a principal Fulbright candidate in the Philippines for LL.M. studies in the school year 2008-2009.

1) Almost immediately, however, I received disappointing news. During the meeting wherein it was announced that I was selected as a principal Fulbright candidate, my co-scholars and I were informed that the cap of a Fulbright scholarship (at least in the Philippines) is US$32,500.00, around half of the amount required for LL.M. studies. We thus would have to secure counterpart funding from the schools, or would have to be capable of shouldering the balance of expenses, in order to be able to study at the US.

2) I then discovered that the Fulbright application process is extremely cumbersome. The national Fulbright office, along with its mother organization, the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York, is in charge of submitting all scholars' applications to universities. Fulbright scholars are not allowed to communicate directly with universities, and must course all correspondence through the local Fulbright office. This is a very impractical arrangement, particularly in the case of the Philippines where there is an 11-12 hour time difference with New York.

3) We were informed that our applications would be sent to two (2) of our preferred universities, while Fulbright/IIE would select the other schools our applications would be sent to. While the Fulbright application form is accepted in lieu of universities' respective application forms for most postgraduate fields, the top-tier law schools still require Fulbright scholars to accomplish their respective application forms (along with the time-consuming essays, personal statements, etc.). The advantages of this system are that only one (1) set of recommendation letters needs to be submitted to the law schools, rather than having to send a separate set per university, and that the application fees are shouldered by IIE. Also, IIE shoulders the TOEFL fee (and the GRE fee for non-LL.M. courses).

I chose Harvard and Columbia as my preferred universities, and went about accomplishing their application forms. I sent the forms to Fulbright, which in turn, mailed them to IIE in New York in time for the December deadlines of the two (2) schools. I emailed IIE directly and received confirmation that my applications to Harvard and Columbia would be sent in time. Come January 2008, however, I emailed IIE again inquiring whether Harvard and Columbia had confirmed receipt of my applications. IIE replied, explaining that Harvard had received my application but that my Columbia application was NOT submitted.

At this point, I was furious, as IIE had committed to submitting my Columbia application and I had exerted much time and effort in completing the Columbia application alongside my demanding work as a litigator in a top law firm. Fulbright/IIE explained that with their 20 years of experience, Columbia had not offered any cost-sharing, and thus they decided unilaterally not to submit my application.

At the very least, I should have been informed of this illogical position, and given the opportunity to substitute Columbia with another preferred university, rather than having to hope for admission into Harvard and being stuck with the schools Fulbright/IIE chose. Fulbright/IIE decided to send my application to Case Western Reserve University, American University, and State University of New York - Buffalo. While all of these are good schools in their own right, I was not interested in studying at any of them.

Preparing for an LL.M. is a long process, beginning long before the actual application process. The aspiring LLM student must get good grades in his undergraduate law degree, publish scholarly legal articles, engage in relevant extra-curricular activities such as joining debate/moot court competitions, and acquire relevant work experience, all in the hope of distinguishing himself enough to get accepted into a top law school. Accordingly, it was extremely unfair for Fulbright/IIE to ruin one's chances of getting into one's desired law school. At most, they should have honored my choice, and should I be admitted without cost-sharing, it is up to me to accept it or not. Fulbright/IIE should not have written my chances of getting a tuition waiver from Columbia off immediately, without allowing me to first try my luck. I conveyed this sentiment to Fulbright/IIE, and they fortunately had a change of heart and submitted my application to Columbia. Luckily for me, Columbia accepted my application even if it was already late January.

4) While waiting for the application results, my fellow Fulbright scholars began receiving their results. One such scholar was admitted into NYU for a non-law postgraduate degree, but would have to shoulder US$7,000.00. Eventually, he was accepted into the University of Missouri, which would cost US$7,000.00 LESS than the US$32,500.00 Fulbright scholarship cap. He was told that should he still wish to study at NYU, he would have to pay US$14,000.00, and not just US$7,000.00, as he would have to compensate Fulbright for the amount it would have saved had he gone to Missouri! The lack of logic in this reasoning was extremely appalling.  Fortunately, Fulbright did not insist on this irrational policy and allowed the student to enrol at NYU at the original cost. It is nevertheless frustrating, however, that Fulbright/IIE would even come up with such an illogical policy.

5) I eventually received the results of my applications, and was informed that I was accepted into Columbia. Not only was I accepted, Columbia granted me a US$20,000.00 tuition waiver! Unfortunately, this was still not enough as I would still have to shoulder US$14,500.00, as the estimated total cost of LL.M. studies at Columbia was US$67,000.00.  Shouldering this amount, however, was not an option for me. Not only was this amount beyond my means, it would have been impossible for me to repay this amount. We were informed that Fulbright scholars (at least those in the Philippines) would have to leave the US immediately after their studies, and would not be able to stay for an extra year to undergo an internship at a law firm. Moreover, we would not even be able to extend our stay in the US until July in order to be able to take the New York bar exam! With no possibility of working in the US after LL.M. studies, it would be very difficult to repay US dollar loans with Philippine peso salaries.  

In the end, I rejected Columbia's offer and withdrew as a principal Fulbright candidate, and opted for the British Chevening scholarship instead. The Chevening scholarship can cover the entire cost of LL.M. studies in the UK. Moreover, Chevening scholars apply to the schools directly and are allowed to communicate with the schools without any intermediaries. Chevening scholars are thus in full control of the application process. They can communicate with the universities directly.

I cannot understand why Fulbright/IIE does not reduce the number of scholars (there were 10 principal Fulbright candidates for the school year 2008-2009, while only 4 Chevening scholars for the same period) so as to enable all of them to study in the US at their preferred universities, regardless of the amount of cost-sharing they receive. Should they receive generous tuition waivers, then that is when Fulbright/IIE can send an alternate candidate to the US. Moreover, Fulbright scholars should be allowed to submit their applications to more than two (2) of their preferred universities. Had I been allowed to do so, I may have had a more affordable, yet personally acceptable, alternative to Columbia in addition to the schools chosen by Fulbright/IIE. In fact, a  fellow Fulbright scholar had to turn down an offer of admission into NYU's LL.M. program despite this being the best university for his intended specialization in international finance. Instead, it appears that the goal of Fulbright/IIE is to send as many scholars as they can to the US, regardless of the quality of the schools they go to. Fulbright/IIE would thus prefer that their scholars go to the University of Missouri, even if they had qualified for Columbia or NYU. This ruins the dreams of the scholars, and is obviously very frustrating for the scholar who is forced to go to a lower-tier school when he had qualified for a top-tier school.

 

While I am deeply honored to have been chosen as a principal Fulbright candidate, and am very thankful for Fulbright/IIE’s efforts at processing my applications, I sincerely hope that reforms to the current system be undertaken. The Fulbright scholarship should be a means for scholars to achieve their dreams, rather than be an obstacle thereto. For all of you out there considering applying for a Fulbright scholarship, check whether the system in your country is similar to that in the Philippines. If so, perhaps you will be better off seeking scholarships from the schools themselves, which will be free of the limitations and frustrations brought about by the Fulbright/IIE system.

]]> Mon, 19 May 2008 21:54:00 +0200 Second piece of advice: What the New York Times, a good TOEFL score and John Grisham all have in common - They will help you do better during your LL.M/JD http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/351/276/second-piece-of-advice-what-the-new-york-times-a-good-toefl-score-and-john-grisham-all-have-in-common-they-will-help-you-do-better-during-your-llmjd Let’s face it. One of the biggest hurdles non-native English speakers encounter during their LL.M/JD programs is breaching the language barrier. And by breaching it I don’t mean being able to converse with others in the subway or getting through the latest edition of Time Magazine.

What I mean is being able to participate in class when called upon by professors and, more importantly, being able to complete extensive and complex reading assignments which are hard to get through even for native speakers.

It is not uncommon for some incoming students to focus on getting high TOEFL scores to get into the programs of their choice, and then forgetting about their English skills altogether until they get to the U.S. to start their programs. Others expect that because they are fluent, they do not need to think about their English proficiency until they go to their first class. I beg to differ.

Don’t get me wrong, a good TOEFL score is an important tool and a good check on what your proficiency level is. However, there is more to it than what the score alone reveals.

Throughout the course of your program, you will encounter plenty of situations where your comfort level with English will highly impact your performance. To give you an idea, most classes require out-of-class preparation which, as mentioned, often involves extensive reading assignments. (It is estimated that for every hour of class 3 to 4 hours of out-of-class study are required for native speakers). These classes are structured around the idea that students will cover the assigned reading material in advance of the in-person session, during which the professor will succinctly cover the reading (by asking students to summarize it verbally) and will touch upon the most important issues that need to be taken away for that particular topic. By engaging in Socratic conversation, students are encouraged to think about the issues for themselves, develop what I call a “legal radar” to spot legal issues, and think of plausible arguments for all parties involved.

As you can imagine, being able to understand the concepts covered in the reading and articulate them in a way that makes sense to your professor is critical for your success during the program. This will be particularly important during your final examinations which, in certain schools, can account for 100% of your grade. (Note that as stressful as in-class participation (also known as “cold-calling”) can be, it is often ungraded; so even if you struggle a bit during the verbal presentation of the facts of a case and muddle up the issues, nothing will suffer, except perhaps, your ego... So no need to worry too much about this, as you will soon discover that many of your classmates will be in a very similar situation).

Your English proficiency will also be critical during the job hunt process. Unless you are able to effectively communicate with potential employers during the interviewing process, your prospects of getting a position in the U.S. may suddenly look quite slim.

So my advice to you is, don’t underestimate the importance of your English skills. Don’t wait until you arrive at the airport to start thinking, reading and speaking in English. In advance of your program, try picking up some legal reading (articles, law reviews, etc.) a John Grisham novel (other legal thrillers will also do and will keep your preparation interesting) and/or a copy of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Also, try to make time to watch the news and e-mail/speak to friends in English. If still rusty, think about taking some courses to get you up-to-speed. This will help you “warm-up” before you leave home.

Once you have started you program, I advice you not to limit your circle of friends to students who speak your same language or, if you do, make an effort to speak in English amongst yourselves. This will make the experience more interesting (as you meet people from all around the world) and will keep you thinking in-language.

For purposes of your graduate program and for your future practice, one of the most valuable assets you can cultivate is the ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, counterparts and clients in English. That is what motivated many of you to pursue an LL.M/JD degree in the first place. And although your graduate program will help you (and sometimes even force you) to advance that agenda, starting ahead of the game never hurts! It will in fact enhance your entire experience.

*Johana Mantilla Gómez has a JD from Northwestern University & an LL.B from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. She is currently the Main Lecturer at LL.M Studio in Chicago. Her e-mail is johana@llm-studio.com. For more info, please see Johana's LL.M Guide profile (www.llm-guide.com/about/Johana) or her lawyrs.net profile (www.lawyrs.net/profile/johana-mantilla-gomez).
]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 03:31:00 +0200 REFLECTIONS: One year after completing my LL.M http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/16/271/reflections-one-year-after-completing-my-llm Dear Readers,ONE YEAR LATER I have been emailed by so many blog-readers lately that I am inspired to add one more post. I will begin this post by attempting to answer the one question that more readers have asked me than any other: "was it worth it?"  Then I will turn to the second most-asked question: "what have you been doing since you graduated?"Was the LL.M. worth it?Yes, in every possible way- it was worth it for me.  Not only did I attain an advanced degree from one of the finest law schools in the world, write a thesis that is soon to be published, make connections and friends with people from all around the world, but the degree paid for itself in less than a year.  I know it's hard to believe that the $50,000+ I took out in loans for the GW LL.M. paid itself off in less than a year, but its true thanks to the opportunities that the District of Columbia (Washington DC) has to offer for legal professionals.When trying to determine whether to do the LL.M. I kept thinking back to something one of my J.D. professors said.  "Take the Risk!" was the exact phrase, I can't exactly remember the context of her saying the phrase but it has reverberated in my mind over and over in every opportunity that has presented itself since that time.  I offer the same advice to anyone who stumbles on this post "Take the Risk!" What have I been doing since graduation? Well, immediately after graduation I began my bar review studies.  The previous year I passed the NC bar so I already knew what I would have to do to pass the Virginia Bar Exam.  I set a study schedule as follows, working Monday through Saturday with Sundays off:6:00am wake up; 6am-7am coffee and breakfast; 7am-12pm do practice Multistate questions; 12pm-2pm exercise; 2pm-3pm shower and break time; 3pm-6pm study for the essay portion; 6pm-8pm or so do research for my part-time jobWithin one week of taking the Virginia Bar Exam I was offered a temp-job at a large DC law firm doing primarily review for a huge international antitrust case.  This temp job lasted almost eight months.  It was grueling; I worked literally 70-80 hour work weeks, and even did one 100 hour work week.  Amidst the blur that was these eight months, I remember in mid-October I found out that I passed the Virginia bar and was waived into the District of Columbia Bar (by my scores on NC bar from the previous year) but was too busy and making too much money to justify applying for jobs in Virginia at that time.Upon the completion of the above contract, I applied for jobs and started interviewing.  I must have had over a fifteen interviews and a handful of offers over the coming months.  While going through this extended interview process, I took on another temp-job at a different large DC firm.  This one was regarding an acquisition of a telecommunications company and only lasted six weeks.  It paid a little less and the hours were just as long, so I was quite happy for the short contract.After the acquisition contract ended, I took on one more contract (temp-job) with the first large DC firm I worked with.  It was another antitrust case and lasted a couple of months.  While employed there, I finally accepted a position as a part-time associate at a boutique Virginia law firm, and then a part-time attorney position also with a DC firm.  At this point in time, I'm litigating in court in Virginia for the Virginia firm and doing research for the firm in DC simultaneously.  Outside of work, I have been very active in the DC legal and trade community.  I've been attending many section events, organization meetings in DC and VA, and networking events.  By the way, having the LL.M. doesn't hurt for social networking either.

All of this while trying to maintain a positive social and personal life.  It's not easy, and I'm often working late into the night... 

As always, any blog-readers out there, feel free to email me with any questions about GW.  It may take some time, but I will respond to you.

Maybe I will post again next year...good luck with your journey...

droit

  ]]> Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:43:00 +0200 For Students from India planning to do a LLM from UK http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/352/269/for-students-from-india-planning-to-do-a-llm-from-uk

Hi

I've been posting on this site for quite some time now and I finally took Mr. India's suggestion and decided to combine whatever information I have gathered (after extensive research) about doing an LLM from UK into one blog. I hope this blog helps the Indian students in taking the right decisions on doing an LLM and also becoming aware of how things stand in general. The purpose of the blog is not to discourage Indian students but to make them aware of the facts so that they can take the right decision on going for the LLM or not and how to fund their studies. 

I've obtained admission for the 2008-2009 LLM in a number of Universities in UK and will probably go for the LLM but my reasons for doing the LLM are not really from the perspective of a job in the UK.

FYI, I have 10 years of work ex in India and my experience has been very wide and general ranging from litigation to corporate/ transactional work in law firms to working with MNC's and running my own law firm. I am now concentrating on corporate/ transactional work.   

1. CONDITIONAL ADMISSIONS (Requirement of English Language tests):  

I got a conditional offer from a college in London and had to submit my TOEFL/ IELTS scores to get an unconditional offer. Other Universities have given me an unconditional offer.

I spoke to the London college a few days back and informed them that I had studied all throughout in English. After speaking with me, they informed me that if I submitted a Certificate from my University where I did my LL.B stating that I studied the LL.B in English, they would waive the TOEFL/ IELTS for me and give me unconditional admission. Maybe others who have studied all throughout in English and have to fulfill the English language condition can make a similar request to the colleges where they have received conditional admission. 

2.  JOB PROSPECTS IN UK AFTER THE LLM: 

2.1 The UK law firms really don't care if you have a LLM or not. Their hiring decision is not made on the basis of the LLM but on the basis of the LL.B and your relevant work experience. By relevant work experience I mean a specialized work experience which is related to the law firm's areas of expertise. Unlike India where you need a more generalized experience and sometimes in a smaller law firm you're dealing with various areas of law, in UK your experience is more specialized. There's no point in having a general kind of work ex in India if you plan to work outside India. This is feedback that I have received from UK law firms and UK recruitment consultants. In fact not one response from the UK law firms and recruitment consultants has been positive about getting a job in UK after a LLM, for persons with a LL.B degree from India especially as the market is also down in the UK at present. The LLM may have more value in other countries like Singapore, Hong Kong etc. but even then you're not sure. Even after significant work experience in India, you would probably start at a Trainee level or at best as a newly qualified solicitor (if you clear the QLTT). Your previous experience in India would be considered to a certain extent but will not be given a very high preference. Another point which I got to know recently is that the more experience you have in India, the less the chances of getting a Trainee position as you would be then be over qualified for a Trainee position. Therefore for persons with more than 6-10 years experience in India, it becomes even more difficult to join a UK law firm in my view.  

2.2 Just to give you an example of how tough it is to get a job, there was a friend of mine who did his LLM a few years ago from one of the top UK colleges. Before he went for his LLM he was a salaried partner in one of the big Indian law firms in Delhi. After the LLM he didn't get a job for almost one year despite his 6 years of specialized work ex and finally managed to get a job with a UK law firm after a lot of struggle and after sticking on in UK for a couple of years.

2.3 Consider this point, why would a UK law firm hire you after a LLM, when there are persons applying to them who have done a 3-year LL.B degree from UK and also have UK work experience in comparison to Indian work experience or no work experience? Though India is booming right now and foreign law firms are hiring Indian lawyers for their India Practices as well as other practices, but those lawyers are being hired more for their previous work experience than for their LLM. The foreign law firms are hiring Indian lawyers because they see the market in India opening up for the foreign law firms in a few years and it is to their advantage that they set up "India Practices". They definitely don't have an altruistic reason for hiring Indian lawyers but are doing it only for the reason that when the Indian market opens up for them, they can then send back those lawyers to work for their offices in India or advise their clients' on setting up in India. Further only a small percentage of the Indian lawyers who apply for jobs to foreign law firms get them. I personally know some persons from India, who have gotten jobs with foreign law firms without doing a LLM, after about 5-6 years of transactional work, so a LLM is really not that important for getting a job in a foreign law firm. 

3. QUALIFYING AS A SOLICITOR OF ENGLAND AND WALES (Please check the SRA website for more up to date info): 

My understanding of the SRA Regulations is that if you don't have 2 years work experience in India then in order to qualify as a Solicitor of England and Wales, you'll need to do the LPC/ GDL and a training contract. But if you do have 2 years experience in India then you need to provide the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) with a letter from your employer certifying your 2 years experience and certain other documents. Once you get a Certificate of Eligibility from the SRA, you can then sit for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) in India itself or in UK and clear that to qualify as a Solicitor of England and Wales. For Indian lawyers with a LL.B degree from India, you need to clear the Professional Conduct and Accounts paper and the Principles of Common Law paper (you can get an exemption from this paper if you provide them a Certificate from your Law School stating that you did your LL.B in English). The decision to impose conditions in the Certificate of Eligibility is that of the SRA. The QLTT is not cheap, it'll cost you almost Rs. 80,000/- to Rs. 1,00,000/- and maybe more. But it will help to a certain extent, because after clearing it, you can apply to become a Solicitor of England and Wales. But please don't bank on getting a job in UK even if you have cleared the QLTT and have a LLM degree. Contrary to popular belief, clearing the QLTT and becoming a Solicitor of England and Wales does NOT guarantee you a job with a law firm in UK. The QLTT regulations will change from September 1, 2008. It will now be mandatory for foreign lawyers to obtain 1 year of training in English law. Those who apply for the Certificate of Eligibility after September 1, 2008 will now be governed by the new regulations for the QLTT. 

You can check out the QLTT regulations here: 

www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/qltt.page



www.sra.org.uk/documents/solicitors/qltt/qltt-expe…

www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/qltt/transfer-regulation…



www.sra.org.uk/documents/solicitors/qltt/qltt-regu…

http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/qltt/revised-guidance.page  

but please be sure to check the SRA website regularly as the rules may change.

4. MY PERSPECTIVE IF YOU HAVE TO COME BACK TO INDIA AFTER THE LLM:

4.1 From an Indian law firm perspective, the LLM really doesn't help you if you come back to India immediately after the LLM. This has been mentioned to me by the Managing Partner of one of the top 4 law firms in Delhi, India, a Senior Partner from another big law firm in Mumbai and a number of other senior lawyers. If you plan to come back to India or are forced to come back for a job after the LLM, then it's better that you get some work experience before you go for the LLM. After 3-5 years of work ex in India, the LLM may help a little bit but not much with Indian law firms. Your salary with the Indian law firms will certainly not jump drastically after the LLM. Yes, if you manage to get 4-5 years work ex after your LLM with a law firm in UK and then come back to India, that would certainly help you in the law firms in India. Starting salaries in the bigger law firms in India have increased drastically in the past few years. The reason for that is self preservation. :))) The Indian law firms have realized that they are losing good talent to the foreign law firms and have therefore had to increase their salaries to retain the good talent. Therefore working in India is now a good option too.

4.2 The LLM may have some value for a MNC and a Legal Process Outsourcing Company in India but there also a lot will depend on your previous work experience in India.

5.  FINANCING YOUR LLM STUDIES

5.1 If you have a scholarship and only need to take a minimal loan, go by all means. The LLM will add value to you as a person, academically and give you an exposure that you would not get here in India. Do it for yourself and to get more in depth knowledge in subjects of your interest and in an international environment. 

5.2 If you're going to take a huge loan and finance your LLM, then you should acquire significant and highly specialized work ex in India to be able to pay off the loan in case you have to come back to India. At a lesser work ex level, it will be very tough to pay off a huge loan especially since your salary in India after the LLM will not increase drastically. I have 10 years work ex in India, so I'm really not worried about getting a job and paying off my loans if I come back to India. My reasons for doing the LLM are definitely not from a UK job perspective although it would be welcome if it happens, for the experience.

5.3 If you're taking a loan and you think you can pay off the loan easily, then go by all means. But don't take a huge loan just from a foreign job perspective cause the risks involved are large. An important point is that a large loan puts a lot of pressure on you and gives you much less flexibility till you pay off the loan.

5.4 Another suggestion is to postpone your admission to the next year and earn some money to finance a major part of your studies/ living costs especially if you have age on your side. J 

5.5 Banks in India have the highest rate of interest for an Education Loan unlike the UK and the US. The interest ranges between 12% per annum to about 13.5% per annum and for an amount of Rs. 7.5 lakhs and above most banks require a collateral of similar value and a third party guarantee. Even the housing loans are offered at a lower rate of interest than the education loans. Ha. I would personally prefer the Nationalized banks to the Foreign banks in India. But that's your decision. My calculation of taking a 20 lakhs loan from India banks repayable over 5-7 years is that by the time you repay it, you would be paying back approximately 31 lakhs instead of 20 lakhs. Think about this figure because the repayment starts one year after you finish your course or 6 months after you get a job. The interest clock keeps ticking while you're studying, unless you're able to service the interest while studying. The expected EMI on the above loan of 20 lakhs is about Rs. 30000/- per month. This is a huge figure unless you're earning 1 to 2 lakhs a month (which you're unlikely to earn as a fresh graduate/ after only 2-3 years of work experience or directly after your LL.B and the LLM) and even then it’s a great pressure on you. 

5.6 If you/ your family can’t finance your studies, minimize the bank loan, even if you have to take one. Apply for all the scholarships available and take soft loans from parents, relatives, friends and well-wishers. This way, you don’t have the pressure of paying an EMI after your course or after you get a job.    

6. REASONS FOR DOING THE LLM:

6.1 Do the LLM for the right reasons and not just from the perspective of getting a job in UK. I want to study further and become more specialized in the subjects of my interest and in areas of law where I already have experience in India. That’s the main reason I'm opting to do the LLM after 10 years of work ex in India.  

6.2 For those of you planning to do the LLM right after your LLB, my suggestion is to work for some time and get some experience in India. The main reason for my suggestion is that after working for a while, you’ll be very sure about which areas of law really interest you. If you go for the LLM at that stage where you know what you want to specialize in, it will help you much more than if you go without work experience. You might make the wrong decisions about the choice of the LLM or the subjects you choose if you don’t have work experience. Of course if you come from a family background of lawyers, then you can go right after your LLB especially if you plan to work in your family practice. The other advantage of obtaining at least 2 years of work experience in India is that it enables you to try for the QLTT after getting the Certificate of Eligibility from the SRA.

Hope my views above help Indian students wanting to do a LLM from UK. Please conduct your own research on the LLM, job prospects etc. and let me know if there is any information above, which needs to be amended.  I’d be happy to receive any comments and any additional information which persons on this forum may have to share.

All the best and Cheers

Prashant

Delhi, India

sane24@hotmail.com

 

  

]]> Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:17:00 +0200 First piece of advice: Prepare, prepare, prepare http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/351/268/first-piece-of-advice-prepare-prepare-prepare By now, most foreign applicants to LL.M (or JD) programs in the U.S. have heard whether they got accepted into the program(s) they applied to. If that is your case, (and the news was good) congratulations! Getting accepted to an LL.M (or JD) program is an accomplishment in and of itself, and is one that will surely prove to be very rewarding on a number of different levels in the months and years to come.

Now that the first big hurdle has been overcome (you are in after all!), you may be wondering: Now what?

At this stage, many accepted students wonder how to best plan their trip, what they'll need to do once they get to their destinations, etc. Most law schools provide accepted students with comprehensive binders full of information on the school, a listing of available classes, booklets on what the city is like and jam-packed orientation schedules. All of which is very helpful (and greatly appreciated) but often, not nearly enough.

Given that taking a year "leave" from their regular lives and jobs is such a big (and logistically complex) step, most students focus all their energy on what they need to do to physically get to the U.S. (fill out the paperwork, get visas, coordinate flights and initial stay, get an apartment, set-up accounts to have access to their funds, pick what they are going to bring, say goodbye to their friends, etc.). Some even contact their future classmates, in an effort to learn a little bit about who they will be spending the next year with and establish rapport before the get-go.

Most, however, don't think about preparing for the actual coursework and the challenges of learning advanced law in a completely different system (and for many, a completely different language).

Some think about it but feel they don't need to prepare. After all, they are accomplished lawyers in their home countries and did very well during law school the first time around. The fact that they already are stellar lawyers should be an advantage, right? Well, for many that is not necessarily the case. Particularly for lawyers trained under Civil Law (i.e. based on Roman law) due to the big differences between systems.

I speak from experience. As a Colombian lawyer (Colombia's legal system, like most countries', is rooted in Roman Law), I was not expecting the "legal culture shock" I got during my first semester at Northwestern. Although a lot of the substantive concepts were similar and some of the terminology was familiar, the way issues were "spotted" and analyzed was simply completely foreign (and often counter-intuitive) to me. (Even with subjects I taught prior to coming to the U.S.!). At first, I thought there was something wrong with me. Then, I looked around and talked to a number of my fellow foreign classmates, and realized we were all pretty much lost... and making up a system as we plowed on and stayed up late struggling with our reading.

I eventually figured it out, and thankfully, did very well. But it took me (as it takes most of the foreign law students I know and have spoken to over the years) a full semester to "get it."

Because I was coursing the 2-year JD at Northwestern, luckily, I had time to fully take advantage of the time I had left, but to this day I wish I had known what to expect and how to tackle it before my first day of class. I have heard most of my peers (both JD and LL.M) say the same thing, particularly the LL.Ms, since their program lasts only 1 year.

So my first piece of advice for all of you newly admitted students out there (particularly Civil lawyers) is prepare, prepare, prepare. Learn as much as you can about the classes you will be taking, the method of teaching and grading, how to manage case law, how to prepare for class, etc. Contact LL.M alumni from the program you'll be attending and get their take. Read about how the systems differ and how issues are analyzed under each. In sum, get a sense for what the academic experience will be like and what is expected of you before you set foot in your first class.

Cheers and good luck! Johana

Johana Mantilla Gómez has a JD from Northwestern Universisty & an LL.B from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. She is currently the Main Lecturer at LL.M Studio in Chicago. Her e-mail is johana@llm-studio.com. For more info, please see Johana's LL.M Guide profile (www.llm-guide.com/about/Johana) or her lawyrs.net profile (www.lawyrs.net/profile/johana-mantilla-gomez).

]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:03:00 +0200 GW - My Choice! http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/294/266/gw-my-choice Finally, I got the news of my admission. I will go to The George Washington University Law School and I am very happy about this. International and Comparative Law is my favorite and I will concentrate on International Business and Corporate Law. I like the school. It ranks 20 according to the US News and Reports Ranking and its International and Comparative Law program ranks 8 in US.

Washington DC is a very nice place and I specially like its springs. I have been there for some days before during the very nice days of spring. Being the capital of the country makes the city more attractable to the international students who want to get more familiar with the US institutes and governance. GW which a four blocks from the White House puts you in the heart of a place with high political movements. For me it is even better that I would be there during the 2008 presidential election. For example, since Hillary Clinton became a candidate, she had two speeches in GW.

In order to be more prepared, I will participate in the Pre-LLM Program which takes four weeks in Georgetown University. Again that is in DC.

]]> Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:10:00 +0200 The R-Word and the Job Market for Lawyers http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/1/251/the-r-word-and-the-job-market-for-lawyers Hi Everyone! Even as the admissions decisions arrive from US and UK law schools, one of the liveliest discussion board threads has been one about the current job market for lawyers and LL.M. graduates. How has the sub-prime crisis, turbulence on the global financial market, and fears over a recession affected the job market for lawyers and graduating LL.M. students?

It's true, there have been widely publicized layoffs at big-league firms lately, but overall assessments of the legal job market depend on who you ask. Some papers are forecasting tough times ahead for lawyers, particularly for firms specializing in finance, mergers, and acquisitions. Others see light at the end of the tunnel, particularly for lawyers who can help out with insolvencies, sub-prime litigation, and the like.

At least these are the media reports coming out of New York and London. Does anybody have an insider view of the job market that awaits LL.M. graduates in these places, as well as other financial hubs like Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, ...? How bad is it out there?

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