Hi,

I'm really confused about where to apply for an International Law LLM. (USA v. Europe).

Regarding the States, NYU is my first option (LLM on International Legal Studies, if i'm not mistaken is the #1 masters)... but i've also thought about Fletcher (i hear classes are smaller, and quite good!). As of Europe, i've really liked the programs in Utrecht and Leiden (Advanced Masters in Int. Legal Studies) (the latter being particularly expensive). [For all of these options, i'm applying for scholarships]

I love Int. Law (even if some say it doesn't pay the bills!). I mainly wish a future working in an International Court or IO or as a State Agent before an international court.

I'm really confused and I could use some advice! If anyone can help me with this?!
Thx you!!

NYU and Leiden are very good choices!The fees in Leiden shall be lower than in NY.
Anyway, considering that you want to work in an Int.Org. or Court you should consider some points:
- it may also be interesting to concentrate on Int. Crim. Justice instead of purely Int. Law (yes, usually it doesn't pay the bills) as this is more useful for the work in a Court
- try to get an internship/placement at an Int. Court
- consider going to Geneva to get contacts to the UN (NY is of course suitable for this, too)
- you should be academically outstanding. Depending on your origin. A friend of mine is from Colombia and has 3 LLM and 2 PhD and she said it was still hard to get into the UN. However, this is a bit different when you are from Europe or the US (1 LLM and PhD should be sufficient plus work experience)
- try to get top marks
- learn as many languages as you can (definetely English, French...also helpful Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, Arab, Latin)
- YOU NEED GOOD CONTACTS

NYU and Leiden are very good choices!The fees in Leiden shall be lower than in NY.
Anyway, considering that you want to work in an Int.Org. or Court you should consider some points:
- it may also be interesting to concentrate on Int. Crim. Justice instead of purely Int. Law (yes, usually it doesn't pay the bills) as this is more useful for the work in a Court
- try to get an internship/placement at an Int. Court
- consider going to Geneva to get contacts to the UN (NY is of course suitable for this, too)
- you should be academically outstanding. Depending on your origin. A friend of mine is from Colombia and has 3 LLM and 2 PhD and she said it was still hard to get into the UN. However, this is a bit different when you are from Europe or the US (1 LLM and PhD should be sufficient plus work experience)
- try to get top marks
- learn as many languages as you can (definetely English, French...also helpful Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, Arab, Latin)
- YOU NEED GOOD CONTACTS

I think this is a litte OTT - the most important thing is contacts... I would go to Leiden as you can intern in the institutions you speak of. I did that myself and let me tell you the top people don't have Phds coming out of their ears nor LLMs... in fact academic success does not always equate with success on the job. What's more important is experience - academic experience only goes so far, but studying so much is a mistake as you cast yourself as an academic. I know a top international lawyer who practices before various courts and tribunals and the key thing is contacts and experience.

Hey, Jimena! Looks like we're kindred souls! I am also passionate about international law, but will most likely study in the US because of the Fulbright scholarship I just received.

Would appreciate more info about Leiden though. They told me that if you want international humanitarian law, American University (Washington) is also a good choice. Good luck!

I've heard the best school for humanitarian and international law in the US is Georgetown... a little bit harder to get into than AU I suspect.

you should be academically outstanding. Depending on your origin. A friend of mine is from Colombia and has 3 LLM and 2 PhD and she said it was still hard to get into the UN. However, this is a bit different when you are from Europe or the US (1 LLM and PhD should be sufficient plus work experience)

I would say that some of the best places for International Law are NYU (US) and Cambridge (UK).

Especially Cambridge has earned much renown in that field of specialization with the famous Lauterpacht Centre and Professors like James Crawford.

I heard that they have a plethora of lecture series, coferences, study groups etc. there focussing specifically on International Law.

You should look for a place in any way that guarantees you to learn from the most distinguished scholars. Especially in International Law that's quite important. I mean, much is written in that field, and English Textbooks often have more than 1500 pages. But to really go ahead and get familiar with the argumentative structures in International Law, you need the few top-scholars to teach you.

Hola Jimena!

I see that this post it´s from 2007, but I hope you could still receiving the posts. I am more interested about International business law, arbitration, investments and trade. But I think a very good option to fill in the track to get your goals is consider to study in Geneva. The best university is indeed the University of Geneva bu there´s others very good universities over there. La ventaja will be to be able to get an easier opportunity for an internship in UN.

As the other fellows said, the relations and the work experience is the real key for be recognized as an international laws attorney.

Best regards colega,


Aníbal Mauricio Paz.