Hi Guys and Girls,

I needed some advice and although some posts have been really useful, I am somewhat stuck. I have just finished my LLB from a UK law school and hope to do my LLM at Cambridge in the Autumn. However, I ideally want to work for an international organisation (sorry if this sounds like a cliche) like the UN. I know the minimum places like the UN need are ppl to have LLM but, I would like the chance to study in the US. I do not think doing 2 LLM courses will be that useful therefore, I am thinking about applying for an SJD or another research based degree at a US ivy-league school. I applied to Columbia and Berkeley for LLM and got into Berkeley but, for money reasons I could not go and thought that Cambridge is just as good if not better. I have a training contract with a leading UK law firm ( within the best 7 UK firms). Finally, I hope to graduate with a high 2:1, although there is a chance I may graduate with a 1st class degree.

Sorry about the long winded post. I wanted to know from those attending US unis...what is the likelihood of getting onto a US research degree without a US LLM. I would love to attend either Harvard, Yale or Columbia and wanted to know the chances of getting in with my creditnals and finally for those with any insight what are the chances of getting employment with the UN with just a UK LLM.

Many thanks for your help. :-)

I have a few questions: Did you get into Columbia (I assume not from your post, but not sure)? Were you waitlisted at Berkeley? Did you apply anywhere else? How long have you been out of school?

I would do the LL.M. at Cambridge, especially if you intend to study international law. UC Berkeley is, without a doubt, a top notch school. However, that being said, I am not sure where it stands in terms of international law. When it comes to international legal studies, Columbia and NYU take the top spot, with Harvard, Georgetown, American U, and Yale closely following. All of these schools have an S.J.D. program. In terms of getting accepted, however, that will vary with each school. Harvard, for example, provides quite clearly (on their website) that "students who have not received an LL.M. from Harvard or another leading U.S. law school are virtually never admitted to S.J.D. candidacy." (Cambridge is neither) Whereas, both Columbia and NYU will consider any applicant, so long as he/she holds an LL.M. (no distinction is made between U.S. and foreign schools). It would be up to you to research each individual school. When it comes to the S.J.D., your LL.M. (not the LL.B.) will matter most, in addition to, perhaps, professional experience, the thesis proposal, among other factors. Cambridge is Cambridge, one of the most revered institutions of higher learning in the world, especially when it comes to international law.

There are always external factors one cannot control which do play a role in a committee's decisions, such as the volume of application, the subjective opinions of the various committee members as to the worth of one's thesis, etc.
However, assuming that you do well in your LL.M. course at Cambridge, and provide the admissions committee with a clever thesis proposal, I think that you would certainly stand a chance of gaining admission into an S.J.D. program at NYU, Columbia, Georgetown, or American.

As far as the UN is concerned, an LL.M. by itself will not likely open doors for you.....prior experience experience experience is important...

All the best........

Thanks for your help!!! Sometimes it helps to get an outsider's opinion. I know that Cambridge has the best postgrad course for international law. So, I think i'll end up applying to NYU and Columbia for an SJD.

@bhp I applied to Berkeley and Columbia, I did not get into Columbia but was accepted to Berkeley but turned it down in favour of Cambridge.

i think you'll have a great time in cambridge, i'm a recent graduate (ie: yesterday!) and had a great time studying international law subjects with the best international lawyers.