I have a JD from a US school, but I was wondering what kind of job prospects are available in Asia after getting an LLM at one of the Hong Kong schools.

bruinft:

Complicated question. From what little I've heard (so take this with a grain of salt), the ideal situation is having your firm send you to HK or China. Doing the LLM and looking for work there is probably the tougher route. The LLM doesn't hurt, but does it help a lot? I've asked friends who have recently gone to HK for business and those with contacts over there. They all said, yes there is opportunity there. No, unless you are there, they can't paint a more detailed picture.

Other than LLM, there are many other issues for a job in HK. They include: language. Probably would help a ton if you could atleast speak some mandarin or cantonese. Another is connections: Hk is big on connections (atleast when I lived there in the 90's). Another issue is the fact that HK is under the solicitor/barrister system - so many areas are closed off to foriegn attorneys. Although, a lot of attorneys do a sort of consulting role as a registered "foriegn attorney." Also another issue is financial. You should know that salaries in HK firms are less. The work culture in HK is more like NYC or Tokyo, higher hours.

So, I'm approaching it with an open mind. If it doesn't work out, I'll just go back to the states, (a little poorer though!)

Anyhow, feel free to send me an e-mail here if you want more specific details, if you have any further questions.

Since the only work that I've been doing is contract work, having a firm sending me there isn't going to happen. Unfortunately, I don't have much of a network there, only an aunt and uncle and maybe a few other relatives that I've never met. I was hoping that going to school would give me a chance to start networking out there.

There's several months until the next deadline, so I have plenty of time to think about it.

well i dont know much about hong kong but i did some research and in that i found one survey on the financials ..and it seemed the HK is actually one of the best paid places ever to be for a lawyer....

I have been doing LLM in International Commercial law from a Cardiff Law school my studies will be completed in September but I am wondering what kind of job prospects are available in Asia after getting an LLM .

i m practising as an advocate in high court, jharkhand and i want to do my llm from "THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG" so i just want to know the procedure to take admission there and what is the fee structure there.