I am a JD from a top5 US school. I am going to go for LL.M. to reenter the labor force after 10+ years mostly raising my kids and ignoring the law.
My dream job is to be a professor in Europe (do they have professors of American/Common Law in European law schools, biz schools or unis?) or in an Intl agency in Europe. I am not interested in working in a law firm (neither a US law firm in Europe nor a European one.
My questions are
--How unrealistic is it for an American to be hired for a teaching or agency position in Europe
--If not completely unrealistic, would it be more useful to get my LL.M. in Europe or from another top5 law school in the US?

Most good law programs in Europe are increasingly requiring a Ph.D. in law (equivalent to the JSD in the US) to teach as a Lecturer (equivalent to Asst. Prof in the US).

If you have an LLM from Cambridge or a BCL from Oxford and finish at the top of your class, you should have a bit less trouble (but remember that the LLM is a one-year degre in Europe and, for many students, only their 4th year of study at a university). Otherwise, your best chances are with a Ph.D.

The market is flooded with holders of this degree in Europe (as it is in the US...with top US law school grads who want to be law professors), so it will not be easy. Of course, as always, when there's a will, there's a way.

Thanks for your message. Yes, that competition thing is tough ;)
With regard to a position in continental Europe, would it be most advantageous if my SJD or PhD degree was from the US; the UK or the European country of the position? On one hand, I imagine Harvard SJDs are quite rare, and perhaps then desirable, in say, Italy; whereas on the other hand, perhaps they would want greater familiarity with European legal systems so that one would have the perspective of both?
Would the answer be the same with regard to academic positions, as with regard to international agency positions?
Thanks

You seem to have the same conversation in two threads. Please check out my reply in your other thread.

Hi
thanks for your reply. i was actually trying to have two conversations at once (much like simultaneously walking and chewing gum!)
This is a eurocentric one: if I want to have a career in europe, should I get a degree there or US? (whereas the other, US-centric, is if I get an LLm in US does that lead anywhere for me besides to a SJD/PhD)

Ahhh...I see!

I replied in the wrong post then (and understood this question from the other post before reading this one).

Either way, I think that you should skip the LLM option unless there is a particular subject of interest for you. Most PhD or JSD programs will accept you without an LLM as far as I know. You may even want to get a PhD in a non law field so that you can teach classes in other subjects (if you are interested in this).

Like I said in the other (wrong) post, the EDLE program is a very good choice for a European doctorate. There are several others that are highly regarded as well.

You may want to apply to teach at one of the on base universities in Germany, the UK, or Italy. This is a good option if you like the idea of teaching American service members and their families. I do not know how European universities would view a US applicant to teach with a JD (I'm sure some may be positive and others negative).

I am a JD from a top5 US school. I am going to go for LL.M. to reenter the labor force after 10+ years mostly raising my kids and ignoring the law.
My dream job is to be a professor in Europe (do they have professors of American/Common Law in European law schools, biz schools or unis?) or in an Intl agency in Europe. I am not interested in working in a law firm (neither a US law firm in Europe nor a European one.
My questions are
--How unrealistic is it for an American to be hired for a teaching or agency position in Europe
--If not completely unrealistic, would it be more useful to get my LL.M. in Europe or from another top5 law school in the US?

Thanks for your advice.
Do most European PhD programs offer funding? Since you say it is a crucial question, is this something that can be researched before application, or it's something that one finds out after acceptance, on a case-by-case basis?
You mentioned that getting the degree in Europe is preferable to show my commitment to Europe; should I further narrow it down to a country in which I would like to work (the Francophone regions and Italy) There are some English-language programs; is that preferable or local language.
I guess my fear is of getting a European degree, then not being able to get a job in that locality, and then finding that I have ghettoized myself with a degree that is not respected elsewhere (e.g., is a French or Italian PhD respected in, say, the Netherlands, let alone in the US?)

This is such a huge area it's hard to give advice.

In terms of PhD funding, it is difficult for international students to obtain full funding. Research funding is generally available to domestic students and other EU students. There are, however, a number of scholarship/funding opportunities for US students (Fulbright/Rhodes etc), and law schools often offer in-house scholarships/studentships which are not limited to EU students. Each country may also have their own scholarship opportunities for US students. Eg. Germany has DAAD scholarships directed at US students. Many continental universities employ PhD researchers (you'll be paid for teaching/admin duties etc and often PhD fees waived). Often universities will advertise for specific PhD opportunites - check out jobs.ac.uk. Obviously the system varies for each European country. You can do a huge amount of research on funding before applying.

You should also be aware that some EU countries have doctorates which are 'lighter' compared to the PhD of Commonwealth countries (or the US), and after obtaining the doctorate, you may then need to do another thesis - the habilitation - to proceed to obtain a faculty position. This is many years of work! If you did an EU doctorate and nothing else, then I agree, you may ghettoise yourself.

Personally, I would say a PhD in law from America (there are some PhD law programmes in the US) or the UK will give you more flexibility (and will be more attractive) than any French/Italian doctorate. Maybe a European LLM plus a UK PhD would be the way to go, or a US JSD plus European LLM.

One of the biggest factors steering your choice/locality of PhD work will be your speciality.

Yes, it is a huge area, so not only is it hard to give advice but also to know what to do. ;)
When you mention the US JSD plus European LLM, that we be in the opposite order, right, since most JSDs you need an LLM (although often from the same school)

I don't think it is a rule that you get your JSD and LL.M. from the same institution. I think that it just makes sense for an aspiring law professor to go this route since the LL.M. is a one year program that often prepares him/her for the JSD program. On the contrary, I think that admission people for JSD programs may find it interesting if you get an LL.M. from a top European law school because it will set your application apart from other applicants.

Yes - sorry for the confusion - I mean do a continental European LLM first, and then the SJD/JSD or PhD. Doing the LLM will be your best option to get first-hand experience of the country you wish to work, and whether employment options are available.

With regards to doing a European LLM first, then a US JSD ....
A lot of Top American Universities generally only accept their OWN LLM students for the JSD. And even those that do accept LLMs from institutions other than their own, the general rule is that internal applicants are accorded preference as compared to external applicants.

This is explicitly stated on several law school websites including Harvard, Yale, UPenn et al.

Something you might want to consider if your ultimate goal is to get a US JSD

The advice given by the wise posters in this thread is top-notch. If you follow it, you will be in good shape.

I certainly agree with the point that the UK law programs will likely provide a better entre into European (and other) law teaching positions.

Certainly, a JSD is not required to teach in American law programs, but I have seen an increasing number of new professors holding doctorates in fields unrelated to law (e.g., economics, philosophy, literature, etc.). I do not believe that earning such a doctorate is worth the time (although spending additional years on a university campus is an attractive option compared to entering the humdrum world of work).

You might want to consider preparing some good law review articles for publication -- such achievement is looked upon favourably/favorably by many institutions.

Best of luck, and enjoy the journey.