Is an LLM right for me?

anon22

1 2

Posted Feb 07, 2011 01:09

Hi everyone,

I am interested in a career in international arbitration/litigation in London. I graduated from a US law school in May 2010 and passed the California exam in November. While I did some international law extracurriculars in law school (international law review, international moot court), I never took any courses in the field. I am currently working in a firm's litigation department.

What should I do? Should I do an LLM? Take the NY bar exam? Take the qlts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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P_Martini

136 272

Posted Feb 08, 2011 04:17

Hi everyone,

I am interested in a career in international arbitration/litigation in London. I graduated from a US law school in May 2010 and passed the California exam in November. While I did some international law extracurriculars in law school (international law review, international moot court), I never took any courses in the field. I am currently working in a firm's litigation department.

What should I do? Should I do an LLM? Take the NY bar exam? Take the qlts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

The QLTT (Is it the QLTS now?) and the foreign lawyer qualification process have changed, the latter now requiring a year of practice under the laws of England and Wales before you can be admitted. That basically means that you have to get hired and work somehow before being eligible to become a solicitor, making the task of transferring much more difficult than if you could get your qualification and then market yourself as a rare commodity with U.S. training and an English qualification. That's my understanding, anyway, and while you should still pursue the option (as I think I will at some point), it may change how you decide to proceed. You should also be aware that there are some pending (and unfavorable) changes to the immigration and visa scheme which might affect you.

P

<blockquote>Hi everyone,

I am interested in a career in international arbitration/litigation in London. I graduated from a US law school in May 2010 and passed the California exam in November. While I did some international law extracurriculars in law school (international law review, international moot court), I never took any courses in the field. I am currently working in a firm's litigation department.

What should I do? Should I do an LLM? Take the NY bar exam? Take the qlts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! </blockquote>

The QLTT (Is it the QLTS now?) and the foreign lawyer qualification process have changed, the latter now requiring a year of practice under the laws of England and Wales before you can be admitted. That basically means that you have to get hired and work somehow before being eligible to become a solicitor, making the task of transferring much more difficult than if you could get your qualification and then market yourself as a rare commodity with U.S. training and an English qualification. That's my understanding, anyway, and while you should still pursue the option (as I think I will at some point), it may change how you decide to proceed. You should also be aware that there are some pending (and unfavorable) changes to the immigration and visa scheme which might affect you.

P

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anon22

1 2

Posted Feb 08, 2011 06:22

Thanks for the reply but with all due respect the information regarding the qlts is incorrect. The solicitors regulation authority has recently enacted the qlts which removes the experience requirement.

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P_Martini

136 272

Posted Feb 08, 2011 08:40

Really? When did that happen? Obviously, I did not know that. Thanks for the update. Can you post a link?

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NZ Girl

40 79

Posted Feb 09, 2011 19:22

Does your firm have a US office in London with an international arbitration practice? A lot of US firms do. In this case, perhaps you could request a seat or secondment to the London office to gain some exposure.

Otherwise you could try to apply directly for jobs in Paris and London (the main arbitration centres in Europe) in the field of arbitration. Many former litigators have made the switch successfully. While you would need to learn arbitration rules and procedure and there are definitely some other nuances, the basis process is essentially very similar (discovery, witness statements, submissions, hearings etc).

Personally, I don't think undertaking an LLM will be of much assistance, given you already have a JD and doing so will be very expensive, not to mention the time factor.

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