hi ppl, im a final year law undergraduate in Sri Lanka and was wondering if it is possible to stay on in Singapore after a LLM and work for a few years. Is a diferent Visa needed for this and how long must one stay in order to gain a PR status in Singapore?thanks a lot

You can apply for Master by course and Master by research.

I think the "by course" LLM is more for practical purpose, but it is not absolute. I am working in one of the biggest local firm in Singapore after graduation from LLM by research.

I've been in Singapore for 3 years. In 2002, not many international graduates found jobs, however, it was during SARS period and the economy was so bad. I found my current job in 2003. Including me, altogether 4 LLM graduates who came from China found jobs in Singapore. In that year, there were about 8-10 Chinese LLM. I think the rate of finding jobs is high considering that a lot of Chinese students prefer to go back to work in Shanghai or Beijing, China. I am not very familiar with the situation of other country's LLM graduates' job-huntering, but I do know some Indian and Malaysian working in law firms in central business district.

The policay of Singapore government is to attract as many intellegent talents as possible. So PR (permanent residence) is easy to obtain after graduation from NUS. Actually, even during my candidate period as LLM student, I received a letter from the Immigation Authority, inviting me to apply PR after graduation. The letter stated that upon my successful finding a job, they will give me PR (I wonder, however, the salary must be higher than S$2500 for application for PR).

In order to know the laws of China, Singapore is really a good place to study in and to practice in. There are a lot of transactions relating to China. Many private companies in China are looking for IPOs in Singapore. The Chinese-relating work has occupied a substantial percetange of singapore's legal market. Some law firms even rely on it. As my discipline in NUS is not Chinese law, I am not in a good position to comment on the Chinese law course in NUS. However, I strongly believe that working in Singapore, you will surely be exposed to lots of experience in Chinese law.

Hi,

I completed my LLM (Corporate and Financial services) in May 2005. Now, am currently working in a local law firm (one of the top five) for their India Desk.

I agree with yzg with regard to the PR requirements to stay in in Singapore. Nearing completion the ICA sends you a letter stating that if the student is able to find a job in Singapore withing one year of graduation, they can apply for PR status in Singapore. However, I dont think the salary restriction exists any longer.

With regard to the LLM course in NUS, in my opinion the courses are tailored to take into account the industry concerns and is not the typical classroom lectures. There are a lot of modules wherein case studies are given to the students and the students are encouraged to resolve the issues. This is very vital especially from the job perspective as you are not expected to reproduce what you have learnt rather apply them. For eg, the modules I took on International Corporate Finance, Mediation, Tax planning and policy, securities regulation (to name a few) was very useful as these modules have been structured by professors who knows exactly what the industry is expecting from the students. Moreover, NUS offers a wide range of scholarships to deserving international students. The worldwide recognition of this University is increasing.

Also, in my view this is an ideal time for Indian students to think about pursuing their LLM in NUS especially with the India Singapore, Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement. The two countries are expecting flow of foreign investments between them and it will be easier for students with an Indian law background and an exposure to singapore law to find jobs not only in the local law firms but also as in-house lawyers.

hey aditya!i am a law graduate from symbiosis law college ,pune...and would like to know if u got ne idea about llm at nus in international business law..till date i havent recieved ne information..kindly help me out...bye!!1

Hi all.. first of all I must say that the posts on this website are very informative and its an excellent forum to interact with ppl in the same shoes.. equally confused abt issues.

I'd be glad if someone could pls tell me:
1. How many seats are theer in NUS for LLM. I read research seats are only 1 per semester... dint quite get it. cd anyone pls expound.
2. what matters more.. is it the work experience or academics. I have been an integral part of high profile international conferences, how much will that help, if help at all
3. Im planning for Corporate Finance or International business law.. in terms of working in a law firm which one wd be better.. or they are both almost equal.
4. How much expense approx would be involved (annual)
5. what are the chances of getting a job in Singapore itself or maybe in south asia as a whole.
6. Since a lot of ppl are alraedy working in singapore.. cd u pls tell me what is the starting salary which an average firm should pay you after LLM.. just an idea of the slabs which i may fit in after LLM.

Well.. now there are too many questions.. but i guess these are doubts which almost everyone might be having... i hope u ppl would help.

Regards

Ruchir


I completed my law college this year from ILS Law College Pune, India and have been working since

I just graduated from NUS but from its LLB program, so I can't really say with much confidence what the LLM program is like - except that they share classes with the LLB students; just as how the JDs and LLMs share classes in the US.

In terms of seats and expenses, I think you are probably best off asking the school directly, if the information isn't on the website. The staff are generally helpful and you should have little problem getting an answer in that regard.

As far as working in Singapore is concerned, we do not have the equivalent of a bar exam in the sense that any foreign grad can take the course. Generally, Singaporeans studying abroad in specified countries and universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand must take a one year conversion program called the Diploma in Singapore Law, after which they will take the Practical Law Course (which is sort of like a bar exam), and must complete 6 months of internship (we call it pupillage) at a private law firm before being called to the bar. I'm not aware of the situation regarding foreigners doing an LLM. I tried looking at the statutes but they don't seem to indicate what the position is. Perhaps, again, you might want to ask the school, or the Board of Legal Education (blegale@singnet.com.sg) - there are provisions regarding practitioners who have practised in certain countries for a period of time gaining admission to the Singapore bar, but otherwise, I'm not sure what the position of someone like you would be.

Pupillage salaries are $2000 Singapore dollars per month, rising to about $4000 per month after you are called to the bar. This is for entry level Singaporeans. The salaries may be more or less depending on which firm you are at and the economic conditions at the time. They've been known to fluctuate.

I hope this helps somewhat...

Thankyou very much for your help. It has cleared my doubts to quite an extent.

Regards

Ruchir

Dear all
I'm thinking of applying at NUS, however I don't know which course I should take. I'm interested in corporate and financial services but also in international and comparative law. I've wondered whether I should just apply for the general LLM and hope to get into all the courses I like (in the other areas). Does anybody know how the chances are that the course one wishes to take are already full or, respectively whether there are chances that you might not be able to chose the subjects?

Thanks on any answer!

Judith

hey ruchir..i am smita..pass out from symbiosis..m interested in pursuing my llm from nus..i would be glad if u could share ne information regarding d same..ne ideahow respected the program in international business law from the recruitment perspective would be..thanks!!

Hey smita,
Im planning to apply to NUS this december itself.. its gonna be difficult to coordinate thru llm - guide... u can mail me on ruchirsinha81@gmail.com. I have a few frnds who've grad from NUS and another batchmate who's pursuing LLM in IPR from NUS.
It'll be good to receive a mail from you. have u arranegd for LOR and which courses are u loking for

Ruchir

Hey all,

I applied for NUS LLM on International and comparative law on 28 December 2005. I just got an email from NUS stating that they're going to conduct a phone interview tomorrow. Has anyone got the same email? And is this a common procedure for NUS?

Leo

hi

why does everyone want to go to singapore? i am more interested in japan especially the kyushu univ program and i posted a question under that category but it seems that no one ever looks at it. this is why i am posting here although i know this post is a little out of place. hope you guys can help me out.

does anyone know anything about that pprogram? the reason i have interest in this program is because it seems to be near nagasaki hiroshima and kyoto, the cities i know of in japan and also because i found it's name ranked highly in the world ranking published by shanghai jyao tong univ.

please help me out!!

No clue.. I suppose language might be a problem in japan unless obviously you are from japan or know japanese.. Singapore is definately more cosmopolitan.. But sure as you say the kyushu university is ranked very high , It comes down to a matter of one's perception..

Hi leobernard
I got a mail that my phone interview would be on 13th march. I am in the situation. How did your interview go.. any idea what they ask.. i heard they ask very general questions

Hi Sarvath. I Just finsihed my phone interview. They asked really general questions, like why I'm interested in international law, my activites after I graduated, and why I choose NUS. It took about ten minutes, and in the end they told me that I will hear from them on april. I'm not sure whether that means good news or bad news. Anyway, good luck for your interview!

thanks for an answer!!

i did take on japanese in college but i can't imagine commencing legal study with it. from the official information that they give out the classes are conducted in english so i thought there's nothing to worry about. or is there?

anyway since most people seem to be considering singapore for legal study in asia i might go do some research on it too.

thanks for your reply!! wish everyone luck on there application.

Hi everybody

Does anyone know how we will know the results, i.e. by email or mail. I wish it was email.

Thanks for any answer
Ju