Hi! I am interested in getting an LLM in International Law or a related subject. I am a 3rd year law student in the US, and really don't know much about LLM's in the UK. Which schools have strong International Law LLM programs, what the acceptance rates are for international students, and so on. Any information anyone thinks would help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Top international law LLM programs in the UK are Oxford (they give a BCL rather than an LLM), Cambridge, LSE, UCL, KCL, Warwick, and Nottingham, just to name a few. No idea on the acceptance rates. I applied to Cambridge and LSE, and plan to study international business with a focus on GATT/WTO law. Accepted at LSE, no word yet from Cambridge. Regardless, I plan to attend LSE due to my strong desire to live and work in London. Did my BBA and JD at Iowa, and am currently in the final year of a two year federal clerkship. Grades were good (top 1/3) but not exceptional. Probably got in w/ a good essay, recomendations, and a transcript revealing many international law / business courses. Both the Guardian and the Times post rankings (league tables in brit-speak) of the top universities, further broken down by subject. Put about as much stock in these as you would any ranking, such as U.S. News - i.e., not much. The caveat is that the rankings do tend to generate/acknowledge prestige in the eyes of employers. Your individual goals and circumstances should of course be your decisional guideposts, however.

Thanks for the info! Do you think that an international LLM will help if we end up coming back to the US? I have a great desire to spend some time over seas, but don't know if I will make it my permanent home. Will the LLM carry any clout in the US? Thanks again.

I hope the LLM will help. I am admitted in NY and would like to spend a few years practicing overseas before returning to the US when I am older (26 now) and ready to start a family. From what I have heard from professors, judges, attorneys and these boards, if you go to one of the prestigous UK universities it will carry some clout here in the US. Oxford, Cambridge, and the London schools are all well known internationally and here at home, especially along the East Coast. If you go to martindale.com and search for attorneys from those schools you will find a number who practice in the US offices of top firms.

I also applied to Columbia, NYU, and Georgetown (admitted at GULC but declined, no word from the NY schools as of yet) and my judge (US District Court) was way more impressed by the LSE admission. If you go to a top tier school (US or UK) you should not have too hard a time finding a job you want, and no trouble if you hit the books hard and do well. In general, though, you will be more marketable if you do your LLM in a specialized area like tax, IP, etc., than if you choose a more generalized program. This is because the specialized programs are generally more rigorous and show firms that you have a demonstrated interest and aptitude in a specific subject area.