I am considering an LLM but many law students seem to think an LLM is not worth it. Any thoughts? What are the pros and cons? Any major seem the best or the worst to peruse in an LLM? Why do you think so many lawyers and law students seem to against the idea of getting one?

Does it matter what school you get it from?

It's not really worth doing an LLM if you are a 3L at a US School. Unless, however, you would like to become an academic or specialize in tax etc.

what do you mean by etc? Would it worth it for any specialty or just some?

You may find this article helpful:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202537948154&Big_law_firms_dont_care_about_your_LLM_recruiter_warns&slreturn=1

Thanks for the link. Why do you think so many people get them if not needed then? I know it sounds odd but the idea of being the holder of a post-doctorate degree still sounds appealing to me.

There must be some benefit it to for so many students who are ABA grads to enroll anyways each year. Think they're all just nerds like me? ;)

There must be some benefit it to for so many students who are ABA grads to enroll anyways each year. Think they're all just nerds like me? ;)

I mean 8 hrs per week. Law professors are the laziest people I know

Maybe. I think it's a pretty bad idea if not for tax. The only people who benefit are the cows who work 8hrs a day for 300k per year. Just the way it is.


There must be some benefit it to for so many students who are ABA grads to enroll anyways each year. Think they're all just nerds like me? ;)

Well, more to the point, I would be very cautious about any LLM program right out of law school. It is expensive and law schools use the programs to help subsidize already exceedingly high costs of their JD programs. They will justify it in every possible way, but the bottom line is always $$$. If you can find a reliable stat that indicates increased hiring potential from obtaining a LLM, more power to you.

I believe these programs could be helpful if you were going solo or have been in practice for years and want to increase your service range. Obviously, the price for this is probably not going to be worth it IMO.

There must be some benefit it to for so many students who are ABA grads to enroll anyways each year. Think they're all just nerds like me? ;)

I think that is a myth, the Prof's I've know all teach mutliple classes and people like to pretend that is all they work is the hours they are doing seminars, but they still have to grade all the reports, respond to all the emails, have the hundreds of meetings with students both from the current term and those from the past term wondering why they didn't get the A they wanted, etc,etc. I'd say they work at least a solid 40. Students like to pretend the Prof just works when they see him, it makes the students feel better about themselves somehow, but in reality it's just the students being lazy to think that is in any way real.

Then again a tenured Prof might be different. I mostly dealt with ones gunning for tenure.

Why not look into getting an MPA/MPH or something outside the law to complement the JD? I don't know a whole lot about those degrees but my understanding is that they are at least used for something...

Well, more to the point, I would be very cautious about any LLM program right out of law school. It is expensive and law schools use the programs to help subsidize already exceedingly high costs of their JD programs. They will justify it in every possible way, but the bottom line is always $$$. If you can find a reliable stat that indicates increased hiring potential from obtaining a LLM, more power to you.

I believe these programs could be helpful if you were going solo or have been in practice for years and want to increase your service range. Obviously, the price for this is probably not going to be worth it IMO.

There must be some benefit it to for so many students who are ABA grads to enroll anyways each year. Think they're all just nerds like me? ;)

worth looking into all options

If you're struggling to find work, believe me I feel your pain. I think an extra degree can help if you can afford it, and it is targeted to a specific area that leads to a career track. Best of luck.

Thanks. I think I may lean towards the Tax one if I do it.