I am interested in pursueing a LLM after my undergraduate degree(business and law UCD) and was wondering first of all what are the general requirements for acceptance into the top programmes e.g cambridge, oxford, ucd, trinity and also some of the american colleges. I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has been accepted to any of these in the past. Are there any extra curricular activities, groups or socities which are particularly impressive.

Secondly I am interested in becoming a solicitor and was wondering would an LLM give me any kind of an advantage when attempting to secure an apprenticeship? Is it necessary to pursue an LLM in Ireland before one in the UK? I guess what I mean is would employers view an LLM from Cambridge as being better than one from UCD or would they prefer an applicant undertook a masters in the country in which he/she wishes to practice?

Also aside from the obvious financial factors which arrise. Would you recommend undertaking a masters before professional training i.e the FE1s or would you wait until after?

Any other general information woud be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance,
Niamh.

Niamh hey.
Im also an Irish law student. Firstly an LLM does not greatly enhance your employability. This is especially so amongst the London firms- magic circle etc. Irish firms however do seem to like a candidate with a masters, but most students are able to secure an apprenticeship without them.

As for the institutions you listed they vary widely: Oxford and Cambridge are obviously some of the best in the world and gaining admittance is very difficult. UCD does, however, have quite a tradition of sending students to Cambridge. But a first class degree is a prerequisite. And from what I've heard you almost certainly have to be within the top 5% of your class in UCD to have a good shot at admission. Though it does depend on each candidate and second guessing is very difficult.

UCL LSE KCL all require a good 2.1 but plenty of UCD students head to the London Unis every year. And while they are not cheap they do have excellent masters programmes. Personally, Im planning on applying for a masters after my professional exams but its really a matter of choice. Good luck.

Hey there, Niamh. I'm a B&L UCD grad, who went out to the US to do a JD degree. I looked very closely into LL.M admissions in the US and elsewhere, before I decided to apply instead for the JD.

As for the choice of Ireland v. elsewhere, I think it largely depends on what you want to get out of your LL.M. Lots of my mates did UCD and Trinity LL.Ms and found it pretty easy (just another year of the same old experience...). I don't think it'd do much to improve your candidacy with the big 5 solicitor firms, though it wouldn't hurt.

There's absolutely no comparison between Oxbridge and UCD/Trinity - the latter group is fine, if you want an additional, easy-going year before working, but UCD and Trinity are nowhere in the same league. Oxbridge would be a huge benefit to you, whether you're looking for work in Ireland or anywhere abroad. Unsurprisingly, admission selectivity reflects this fact. So, if you've got a strong first, I'd recommend Oxbridge all roads ahead.

As for Oxbridge vs. the top US universities, the debate is more interesting. I've heard people argue either way, but the majority view I've heard is that the top few US law schools are a notch above, in terms of resources, selectivity, global reputation etc. The experience would likely be very different - the US model is heavily Socratic and more academically intense, whereas the UK follows the more traditional lecturing format (which to me is inferior, though Oxford has the wonderful tutorial system)

If you could get into Harvard, Stanford or Yale, I'd go there in a heartbeat (consider 2 Irish Harvard LL.Ms - the managing partner of Arthur Cox and Mary Robinson - that's some good company!). NYU, Columbia, and Chicago are also excellent, but I think it'd be a close call between them and Oxbridge. It also depends what your interests are. International law? NYU. Law & economics? Chicago. Corporate governance or intellectual property? Stanford. Academia? Yale.

The only thing I'll say is that the top US LL.M programs generally look upon post-graduation experience very favorably. It's not impossible to be admitted straight from your bachelor's degree, but it's definitely tougher. In contrast, I've heard of plenty of UCD grads getting straight into Oxbridge (though they admittedly all had 1sts)

Last, but not least, if you're interested in European law, you should look very closely at the Colleges of Europe, in Bruges. It's the world's best spot for EC law, hands-down.

Good luck!