Hello,

I am currently in a double-degree between France and England, which will give me both a Licence (equivalent of an LLB) in French Law from Nanterre University, and a LLB from Essex University.

The issue is that i would like to do an LLM in Intellectual Property Law in the UK, but because my mastery of English was far from perfect, i did not get great grades in my first two years. What's more, my third year (which i am doing now) is in France, which has a very severe grading system.

All in all it means that i will most likely end up with a 2:2, which does not meet the requirements of most of the LLM courses i am interested in.

I would like to know if i'm definitely screwed for getting into a decent LLM. Does my French degree provide an advantage, and does the fact that i have 6 months of experience in law firms help ?

Finally, would getting a French Master's degree help me get an English one afterwards ?

Thank you for any advice, it is much appreciated.

you will never know - if you do not try yourself. The requirements change from year to year due to the fluctuation of students. Your law firm experience might be an advantage, your French degree as well. If you are not applying for the top-notch law schools - you should be able to find a decent place.

Thank you very much for that response.

Would there be a way for me to find out, without officially applying to one, my chances to enter the LLM degree i am aiming for ? I tried contacting my University's LLM department but they were less than helpful...

You could check the websites of the universities you are considering. Some of them do state indicative ranges of the sort of qualifications necessary (e.g. "Applicants will normally be expected to hold a second class upper degree or better"). I don't think your own university's LLM department would be very helpful unless you were considering doing your LLM there also.

You could check the websites of the universities you are considering. Some of them do state indicative ranges of the sort of qualifications necessary (e.g. "Applicants will normally be expected to hold a second class upper degree or better"). I don't think your own university's LLM department would be very helpful unless you were considering doing your LLM there also.

i have a friend who got into KCL with a high 2:2. i heard KCL is good for IP? don't feel defeated before you even try, you never know what may come for you!

Remember for most universities it doesn't cost anything to apply. You just need to devote the right time to applications. You will also probably need a really good personal statement - remember an LLM is academic(not professional) study. So, personally, I'd give more weight to the French Licence (especially if you're considering comparative law subjects), than 6 months' work experience.

Maybe you're better off waiting a year? I'd expect many of the top universities to have completed a fair few applications (as they generally opened in October). Apply early, and you'd think you'd have a better change. Of course, if you can't wait, get onto it now.

Thank you everyone this was encouraging, i was slightly worried that a 2:2 would basically mean i wouldn't stand a chance to enter any decent LLMs but it looks like i have a shot, this is good news. Probably even more chances if i try European or Comparative Law (since i have the French degree as well).