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An LLM degree meets tomorrow’s needs
The interest from international graduate students in LLM degrees is growing at its fastest rate in the last ten years. Drawn by career opportunities and an increasing globalization of the legal profession, US universities are particularly successful in offering a more international outlook to international students from every corner of the world.
When Berlin resident Kirsten Hoffmann decided to spend a year abroad obtaining an LLM (Master of Laws) degree and chose the University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, she did so for specific reasons: she wanted to meet people from all over the world, and she wanted to broaden her horizons by studying in intercultural surroundings. The decisions were the right ones for her. She describes the time spent at Minnesota obtaining her degree as a “great legal experience.”
Hoffmann is not alone in choosing to study law abroad. According to the website of the American Bar Association (ABA), about half of students enrolled in LLM programs in the United States are graduates of foreign law schools. Law schools have recognized this potential and are developing their LLM programs accordingly. Today, of the 196 law schools in the United States, 46 offer LLM degrees specifically designed for foreign lawyers.
LLM degree gains popularity
Interest in LLM programs is growing nationwide. In the early 1980s, American universities awarded only about 675 LLM degrees, but by the early 2000s that number had jumped to more than 3,700, according to the ABA.
Several factors make pursing the degree advantageous. But why the recent rise in popularity of LLMs? This is in part due to the fact that employers are beginning to consider them more favorably. One reason for this is the increase in the representation of foreign clients at home, as well as the Bologna Accord and technological advances opening the door for cross-border, distance learning and personalized study. The choice of a huge array of specialisms is also desirable.
Carole Silver, Senior Lecturer at Northwestern's School of Law and an expert on LLM education comments on this growth in popularity: “Some students explain that the LLM provides legitimacy for them in their practices at home, especially in relation to their representation of foreign clients and work in transnational transactions. Transnational work is often the most sophisticated, but in order to gain entry to that practice they must be fluent in English and be familiar with US law and business culture – those are powerful reasons for coming to a US LLM program.”
Foreign graduates like Hoffmann account for much of the growing demand. She had finished her first law examination in Germany before coming to Minnesota. After obtaining her LLM degree, she returned to Germany to finish her two-year internship and take her second state examination to become a certified lawyer there. Her LLM degree helped her obtain a prestigious internship at the Berlin offices of the American law firm of Hogan & Hartson.
Lawyers who can handle business matters and complex legal issues in multinational transactions are in ever-greater demand because of growing globalization and international trade.
Increasingly, the legal job market requires that lawyers be well versed in international aspects of banking, intellectual property, environmental regulation, and employment law. Employers, employees, and potential clients consider an LLM degree from a US law school to be concrete evidence of a background in and facility with US law. Law firms want employees with an LLM degree to show clients that their firm can handle complex, multinational transactions. Lawyers want the degree to prove to potential employers that they can handle these types of transactions.
Another benefit of obtaining an LLM degree from a US law school is the social and professional network that typically results--an important consideration for lawyers who plan to work in a multinational setting. For example, a European lawyer who attended a US law school probably will have a valuable network in place if an issue emerges regarding a US business transaction. Many students maintain contact with professors and classmates long after they graduate, and these associates can be invaluable professional resources.
