Grace asked me why I was thinking about getting a LLM (Master's of Law) after graduating from law school next year. (For anyone that's wondering, you can't get a LLM until you get a JD)
There are a couple reasons why it seems like a good idea.
- A degree from a more reputable school. I'm currently getting my JD from a school in the Top 50, but I could get the LLM from a school in the Top 10.
- My grades aren't that high. I'm trying to graduate with a 3.0, but even that is subpar. A LLM will make me more marketable.
- Jobs may still be scarce in 2010. This will delay my job search by one year.
- Classes in the field I'm interested in. I haven't had time to take any (I'm consumed by bar classes) and that likely won't change in the next year.
- Loan repayment will be deferred. This will give me another year to build up savings and pay down my other debt.
What do you think?
18 comments:
From what I've heard, LLMs are really only neccesary for tax or if you want to teach. As someone who's currently up to her eyeballs in law school debt and dealing with a shaky employment outlook, I'd rather work at Applebees then to take on even more debt.
That being said, I love school and could even see myself going back one day (maybe for a phd) but not right away and only if I received a scholarship.
But don't you think my resume would be greatly improved by a LLM in the field I want to go into from a good school? If that could help me land big firm 140k job versus landing small firm 70k job, it seems worth it to take on more debt.
I was never interested in biglaw so I'm not the best person to ask but from what I've heard getting an LLM fresh out of law school doesn't help much at all. But I'd be curious to see if you find out more. Also I know more than a few people who've been laid off from biglaw jobs recently so nothing is certain in this market. Good luck!
Thank you! And I know; I keep hearing about all the associates laid off in the ABA newsletters... scary.
I'm interested in big law only for the money. I figure I could work there a few years, get all my debts paid off, then hunt for something that really makes me happy.
That's the dream anyway. :p
I worked for one year as a paralegal in an NYC law firm and it just turned me off to big firm life but I hear you about the money. I live in upstate NY and make about a third of what newly minted NYC lawyers make but I wouldn't trade it. I value my personal time and the autonomy I get in my career. Sometimes the loan debt is intimidating but so far I'm making it work.
I am thinking heavily about law school or pursuing a PhD in forensic psychology and this post enlightened me because I was not really sure what a LLM was. Your post made me google that. :O I currently babysit for a lawyer whos is very reputable and he told me the other night right now that people who want to practice law are lucky if they can even find a job that will gross them 70,000 a year. His advice for me if I wanted to go to law school but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it was to find the cheapest law school and go there because right now alot of people aren't even batting eyes at what school you attended. Major blow for me because I do have my eyes set on Notre Dame. I'm very interested though, what type of law are you hoping to practice?
I didn't even know what an LLM was! Sallie's Niece sounds like the one for advice. Good luck whatever you decide, it must be very tough on graduates this year. I finished college in a much better job environment.
@Serendipity: I don't think I'd agree with him. At the law firm I used to work at, they ONLY hired from top 10 schools (we're talking graduates, not lateral hires). There are quite a few big firms that follow a similar practice. Those law schools have extensive networks of alumni. Your grades can be mediocre and you're still likely to get a job. The curves at some of those schools are amazing (they set "average" at a B+). There are many, many, many upsides.
As you go farther down in the rankings (as long as you're still in tier 1), it starts to matter less, and then yes, I would more heavily take into consideration cost, location, etc.
@Sallie's Niece: I used to work at a big firm as a legal assistant. (can't be a paralegal without a certificate here) I've also worked at a small firm. What appealed to me about the big firm, besides the money? Help around every corner - accountants, document production, IT, marketing, mail center, etc, not to mention all the fellow attys to talk to if you need guidance. Sure, there's a lot of politics and bs, but the small firm had plenty of its own drama, in addition to long hours.
I will definitely make time for a personal life, no matter what kind of law I go in to. No job will consume me... ever. (I say this now; we'll see how things go :p)
@Serendipity: I'd like to go into entertainment law or estate planning. Once upon a time, I wanted to go into environmental, and then I took the class and couldn't care less about it. <.<
@Miss M: Thanks! :) I know, I really feel for the people graduating this year. Makes me happy I still have one year left!
What year are you in? I work in a relatively non-trad job right now so my opinion is a little biased. That being said, just having the degree (and passing the bar!) means I have options (err sort of, screw you economy). I do think an LLM may help but you may want to do a cost/benefit analysis at that point. Good luck, I'll be reading!
Hmmm. I only knew one person with LLM and just as Sallie said, he had it in tax law. If you're already graduating from a Top 50 law school, I'm not sure how much of a boost an LLM from a Top 10 school will get you. I never worked for a big firm but just witnessing my fellow classmates who went to work the prestige firms, the $150k+ salaries came with a big huge sacrifice and price. Good luck.
@Sallie's Niece: I'm a 3rd year... but I'm an evening student (I worked full-time my first two years), so I still have a year left. I regret it! I'm so done with school right now! But I have to keep reminding myself that it's a GOOD thing... b/c of the recession. sigh.
I have to admit, biglaw wouldn't be a dream job. In-house counsel! I'd love that. And I like the idea of a non-traditional job. :) Do you mind telling me what you do? (I understand if that would make you too un-anonymous -- that's not really a word, I guess <.<)
@Shtinkykat: I really only have the experience from my one big firm to go on (no excessively long hours; healthy social life; partners fairly pleasant - at least on my floor), and maybe that was atypical... maybe I should shoot for eventually working for them. ;)
Honestly, it's probably going to be a "take what I can get" type of thing in the beginning. I have experience on my resume, but I just don't have the grades. And yeah, my school's ranking isn't terrible, but the schools basically adjacent to it are ranked VERY high... how can I compete with people like that? That's why I thought the LLM would help. But you're right; everyone recommends it for either tax or teaching. I can't really find any info about the LLM I'm interested in (other than a bunch of forum posts saying "LLMs are useless" :p).
Email me at salliesniece (at) gmail (dot) com and I can tell you more about my job.
What about your current job? Is it something you can make a career out of after you have your J.D.?
I work for one of the two legal research companies (you know the ones I'm talking about ;) I don't want to mention names because I'm paranoid! haha), and it would have to be a last resort... I hate the marketing aspect of it. :\
Oh ok, I know what you mean. I might actually apply to one of those two if need be.
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