Hi All,
I am Anuranjani from India...i graduated with an engineering degree(B.E.) this year.I wanna pursue a career in Law esp Patent law / Intellectual property.Since i hve done my graduate prog in a non-law deg..i wanna know whther any law school is offerin a Masters law prog in Europe for applicants from a non-law degree..Investments would be huge if another ug law degree shld be taken..Please do reply!!
cheers,
Anu

Depending on the level of your final undergraduate award, and subsequent commercial, NGO or academic experience you should be able to find an LL.M which will allow non-legal students to apply.

You will find that there is a very steep learning curve at the beginning of an LL.M as you become familiar with western legal traditions, the legal research resources, the legal lexicon, and many other law specific items.

LL.M generally requires a lot of research and essay writing at an advanced level, so if you are comfortable with reading and writing you have a good start over some legal students who dislike essays. You may be asked to submit your dissertation and/or essays as part of your application, or even prepare a special written piece of work.

Either way if you know how to work hard and you have a keen mind, you'll succeed.

If you would like a more considered opinion, you could email me your CV. I work with the LL.M Innovation, Technology and the Law programme team at the University of Edinburgh, so I have a good idea as to which non-legal LLM applicants have a good chance of admission.

Also, remember that an LL.M isn't necessary to practice law. And you may have to remain an undergraduate for a year or three more to achieve the right to practice. Probably best to avoid part-time study, as you will take twice as long!

You could also become a patent attorney (in the UK for example) and you can find details of that at CIPA's website: http://www.cipa.org.uk/pages/home :

"So what qualifications does one need to have to be a patent attorney?

To start with, all patent attorneys need a scientific or technical background. Nowadays, this usually means a science or engineering degree from a university or similar institution that confers eligibility for both UK and European qualifying examinations. A scientific training, however, is not enough. The would-be patent attorney must have the ability to acquire, and enjoy exercising, legal skills of drafting, analysis and logical thought, and, particularly the skill to use the English language aptly and accurately, in written work. In addition, because patents are increasingly international, a knowledge of at least French and German, although not essential, is highly desirable. Patent attorneys act at an exciting interface between disciplines of law, language and science. "


So you see, if you were to become a patent attorney, an LL.M covering patents and IP, as well as some of the more fundamental subjects in Law, would be useful. Certainly more more so than if you aim to become a solicitor, barrister or advocate (in the UK as an example).

If you want to study for legal practice as a solicitor, lawyer, etc then you should find the website of the law society (or equivalent) in the country you wish to practice and see what they say about graduate entrance into law.

Hope this helps a little.

Depending on the level of your final undergraduate award, and subsequent commercial, NGO or academic experience you should be able to find an LL.M which will allow non-legal students to apply.

You will find that there is a very steep learning curve at the beginning of an LL.M as you become familiar with western legal traditions, the legal research resources, the legal lexicon, and many other law specific items.

LL.M generally requires a lot of research and essay writing at an advanced level, so if you are comfortable with reading and writing you have a good start over some legal students who dislike essays. You may be asked to submit your dissertation and/or essays as part of your application, or even prepare a special written piece of work.

Either way if you know how to work hard and you have a keen mind, you'll succeed.

If you would like a more considered opinion, you could email me your CV. I work with the LL.M Innovation, Technology and the Law programme team at the University of Edinburgh, so I have a good idea as to which non-legal LLM applicants have a good chance of admission.

Also, remember that an LL.M isn't necessary to practice law. And you may have to remain an undergraduate for a year or three more to achieve the right to practice. Probably best to avoid part-time study, as you will take twice as long!

You could also become a patent attorney (in the UK for example) and you can find details of that at CIPA's website: http://www.cipa.org.uk/pages/home :

"So what qualifications does one need to have to be a patent attorney?

To start with, all patent attorneys need a scientific or technical background. Nowadays, this usually means a science or engineering degree from a university or similar institution that confers eligibility for both UK and European qualifying examinations. A scientific training, however, is not enough. The would-be patent attorney must have the ability to acquire, and enjoy exercising, legal skills of drafting, analysis and logical thought, and, particularly the skill to use the English language aptly and accurately, in written work. In addition, because patents are increasingly international, a knowledge of at least French and German, although not essential, is highly desirable. Patent attorneys act at an exciting interface between disciplines of law, language and science. "


So you see, if you were to become a patent attorney, an LL.M covering patents and IP, as well as some of the more fundamental subjects in Law, would be useful. Certainly more more so than if you aim to become a solicitor, barrister or advocate (in the UK as an example).

If you want to study for legal practice as a solicitor, lawyer, etc then you should find the website of the law society (or equivalent) in the country you wish to practice and see what they say about graduate entrance into law.

Hope this helps a little.