Hey!
I was wondering whether a student in his/her final year of LLB course is eligible to apply next year LLM course, if he is due to receive his degree before the start of LLM

For instance, if I wil receive my degree in May 2010, can I apply for the September 2010 program (since the applications have to be sent by december 2009 at the last)???

Could you help me out please, am making some decisions regarding my career and need to know at the earliest
Thanx!!

you can of course apply, but your application will be stronger if you have some work experience. it is not unheard of, however, for fresh LLB grads to be doing their LLMs.

Is it important for an applicant to be actually working in full capacity as a lawyer before applying or will an internship also suffice.
I am planning to apply right after my LLB degree. I am currently working as an intern and by the time I finish my degree I will have 2 internship experience. Does this hold any good in my LLM application?

I realize that having some work experience is always an advantage but I am not in a position to delay my LLM. So I was wondering whether an internship experience is valued and what kind of experience they generally look for?

I think it is possible. My understanding is that your admission will be conditional --you will have to prove that you graduated and to submit your transcript before a LL.M. program starts. You should consult a website of a law school of your interest.

If you are very determined to start your LL.M. studies, I think you should apply. I think that to be admitted, the rest of your application should be very good -- above average (good TOEFL, publications, or something else..) It is just my opinion. And you should definitely list all your internships on your resume when you apply.

Hey,

You can of course apply in your final year as you say.

This is what I am doing, and it si what just about everyone in my year is doing too - work experience is good - but no not vital - depending on which School you want to go to.


Which Uni you at?

I am from India and studying in an uni which is at the 18 position in the country.

i think it would be possible to apply but your grades so far should be nothing but stellar. Also, it would be best if you apply to UK universities as they tend to be more focused on academic results. You'd probably be at a disadvantage if you apply to top US universities with final results pending because of the competition you face. :)

Perhaps a year off after your LLB while waiting for your LLM application would be good?

I am in the top 2% of my class and have done internships with national and international NGO's, 3 internships with India's leading law firms and 1 internship with a leading company. I have never participated in any moot courts but I am working on writing articles right now (which I hope to get published soon). I can get a recommendation letter from my dean.

With this background, can I hope to get through the top US (HLS, NYU, Columbia, or atleast Fordham) or UK (KCL, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE or atleast Queen Mary) schools???

You'll certainly get through some of the schools. Maybe not Columbia because you don't have any work experience, maybe not Harvard (but there is a possibility), but certainly NYU and LSE and with a very high probability also Oxbridge.

Good luck!

you can certainly apply while in the final year. i finished my law school (from India) last month, and am going for my LLM in Sept this year. Without any full-time work-ex I got through Oxford, NYU, LSE and KCL. A batchmate of mine got through UCB. So its definitely possible, but as already pointed out you'll need a good CV... grades, publications, etc. Internships would be helpful, though they're definitely not as valuable as work-ex, especially for US colleges.
Hope that helps. Good luck!

Hey Fingers crossed!

Nice to hear that you got through these top uni's! May I ask what college are from in India and your class standing or if you have any publications coz it would really help me in preparation of my aplication.
Also, I would love to know what program and uni you are enrolled in now :-)

Hey sv_hyd,

I finished my studies from National Law University, Jodhpur... class standing was around the top 5%. I have a few publications and have participated in some moots.

I've chosen the BCL at Oxford. Haven't decided on the subjects though.

Which college are you from?

I am from OU, Hyderabad. Although it is not at par with national law schools, I've heard that the admissions committee concentrates more on the class standing rather than the uni standing. Hope this is true :-)

So you are doing bachelor of civil laws... thats good. Sadly for me, Oxford does not have any international trade law programs. What made you decide UK? I have heard that US programs are more preferred by national law school students? I am in a bit of a fix as to deciding which continent to apply to :-)

The US is definitely a preferred destination for most. My choice had more to do with my future plans. Since I want to come back to India and practice, studies at Oxford were near ideal. Also, i've got a scholarship for Oxford. So there was little choice left!

But for someone who's more interested in commercial laws and international trade like you, Oxford might not be a very good choice... the US has much better options for you.