Hi all,

Considering which program / law school to apply to, I would be glad to get some advice. I received my legal education in Germany, with a low (9,x) "vollbefriedigend" grade in the Erstes Staatsexamen (upper "befriedigend" in the state part and "gut" (top 6 %) in the university part). Additionally, I completed a 5 year M.A. program in philosophy and history, with a thesis on legal philosophy. Presently, I am working on a doctoral thesis in law, after which I would like to do an LL.M. and then continue towards an academic career.

I understand that based on the law grades alone there is hardly a chance to get admitted to one of the top law schools, with Yale, Cornell, Berkeley and Oxford being my first choice, but I am unsure what impact my second degree and the doctoral thesis might have. Any ideas?

Hey,
with an exam around 9 points you should have good chances to get into Edinburgh Law School, KCL, UCL, QMUL, Nottingham (NLS/NTU or UoN), Durham, Manchester or Bristol (UWE or UoB)...These are good law schools and therefore, if you want to embark on an academic career, good choices. For the US UCLA, NYU or UMich (Ann Arbour) might be adequate choices to consider. Depends on what you expect from ur LLM course...
Don't know whether the MA will help a lot...don't think so to be honest. I'd say internships or relevant work experience may help much more.