Weighing in on the LLM: a bottomless resource

Most law students tinker at least once with the idea of pursuing an LLM overseas. Taking into consideration career goals and financial viability amongst a plethora of other personal and professional reasons, some pursue the LLM right after their LLB (or LLB equivalent). Some work for a few years before going for their LLM. Some defer it for quite a while altogether. And there is a number who don’t eventually end up pursuing it.

The LLM also can serve many purposes: a tool to change gears and switch between fields of law (for e.g., general corporate to start up law, criminal litigation to human rights law and so on); a platform to specialize in the broad field of law you already practice in; and a means to deepen your knowledge (comparative or otherwise) and skillset in the field you already practice in. These are perceivably the direct benefits of an LLM, which in my opinion are extremely important but are only the tip of the iceberg.

Having completed my LLM, I have a fuller perspective of the benefits of the LLM experience. Many of these I fully understood and appreciated only after completing the LLM. Find below a non-exhaustive list of benefits, apart from those that I have already mentioned, in no particular order.

1. Developing a global network: Almost all LLM programs admit students from all parts of the world. Each of these bring expertise in their practice and/or interest area, their home professional and personal culture, and a different set of skills to the class. By the time you graduate, you have access to a strong professional network of lawyers from different parts of the world and, depending on how much you invest in the network, a general idea of the field of law in their countries. Most LLM programs pride themselves on the rich diversity of their LLM class and this goes a long way in building a rich network. With the legal fraternity becoming more globalized and business becoming increasingly transnational, a global network can go a long way irrespective of the field of law one practices in. A global network can directly lead to more opportunities and resources and indirectly can help lawyers serve their clients better.

2. Access to a wealth of resources: Studying a top law school gives you access to an incredible set of resources such as alumni, job opportunities, academic resources (access to library and seminars/conferences), networking events, and brand building. Graduating from a top LLM program builds your profile considerably regardless of the field or geographical location you practice; and this brand building will most definitely get you through the door whether in a client’s office, job interview, promotion interview or otherwise. Sometimes, it can take you even further.

3. Grooming of soft skills: One of the most important benefits of attending law school outside of India is the focus on the development of soft skills. Skills like negotiation, mediation, advocacy and trail techniques, board room communication, organization (for law firms) and management that most law schools in India do not really teach are given importance in law school overseas. In my experience, this is especially true of US law schools. Soft skills themselves are often undervalued, but in my opinion wrongly so especially as far as legal practice is concerned. The law is theoretical, and theory is easily accessible by any lawyer via online portals, statutes, commentaries and articles. On the other hand, a lawyer’s soft skills can set your practice apart. Soft skills also help incidentally for client handling, time management, ability to articulate (essential in every work place), and business development. Law school abroad groom soft skills in a multitude of ways: classes that directly target particular(s) soft skills, co-curricular and extra-curricular projects that foster growth of soft skills, and a competitive global setting that inadvertently forces you to develop your soft skills.

4. Fostering a multi-disciplinary approach to practice: Indian law schools, at least in my experience, tend to teach us what the law actually is. On the other hand, law schools abroad focus not only on what the law is, but how it came to be, the political and business landscape during its passing, and its actual purpose. In essence, studying in law schools abroad is a studying law in reality rather than in a vacuum. This makes the approach multi-disciplinary. Multi-disciplinary approach helps understand the interpretative approach taken by courts and the general rationale of law-making bodies. It also helps us better understand a client’s decision-making process, considerations, and struggles.

5. Experiential/Hands-on Learning: Most law schools overseas offer opportunities via student organizations, clinics and externships to get involved in the community and gain hands on experience under the supervision of professors and highly trained lawyers. This is an unparalleled advantage for any law student.

6. Making personal growth: The LLM experience is also a great opportunity to make tremendous personal growth via the friendships you build, some of which will last a lifetime, travel experiences you gain, interactions with people of different cultures, and independent and critical thinking that law schools abroad foster. In essence, the experience will deepen and broaden your horizons both professionally and personally. It also makes you more confident as a person in general in my experience.

7. Building lifelong friendships: The LLM experience gave me the opportunity to develop friendships with amongst the most intelligent and driven people I know. And I am nearly certain that some of these will be lifelong friendships, both from my understanding and that of other former LLMs who have graduated much before me, and who still very much happen to maintain their LLM friendships.

This is a non-exhaustive list because, frankly, the benefits of an LLM are too long to list. I discover new benefits every day, and I’m still discovering. Besides these that I have listed, the opportunities to sit for a bar exam and the prestige of getting into an excellent LLM program (especially top law schools) are also unparalleled. I can say, without a doubt, that the LLM was the most challenging, yet rewarding, and incredible experience of my life. I would highly recommend it to every lawyer who is interested in studying further because it is also an academically intense program. The value of it is fairly difficult to fully comprehend because it is life-changing in multi-faceted ways, but this article aims to share my perspective with you all. If you are looking to apply for a LLM, check out yourllmdream.com and come build a strong LLM application with us or set up a strategy session.