Hi, I am an attorney borned and raised in Puerto Rico. I went to the School of Law of the University of Puerto Rico and I am currrently working for a medium-sized employment law firm on the island. As a third year associate, I have been gaining hands-on litigation experience and, inasmuch as I am also a Certified Public Account, I have been delving with some frecuence into employment benefits, payroll issues and other tax related matters.

For the last year or so, the idea of a Harvard LLM has been circling my mind. The reasons for such an idea might be classifed as both, personal and professional. For instance, inasmuch as I have had to pay my way through college and law school, I have never had the chance to completely focus on academic life and take full advantage of its benefits. I would like to have that experience, and Harvard seems like a good place to have it. By the same token, I would like to have the opportunity later on to teach a class or two as a part-time proffessor at some law school. On the other hand, although I am fairly sure that a Harvard LLM will have little impact on my legal career here in Puerto Rico, I believe that it may open some doors stateside. Thus, the Harvard LLM could become a springboard for a position in a stateside law firm. To these effects, if the chance presents itself, I would consider firms in the the Boston area and Orlando, Fla. (my mom lives there).

I have discussed the LLM idea with the Managing Partner at my law firm and he has emphatically expressed against it. He believes that, at the development stage where I am at, a year of full-time study is a waste of time, regardless of wether it is in Harvard or at the local Junior College. Then again, I wonder if his thoughts are somewhat influenced by the possibility of losing one of the firm's top billers.

Could anyone provide some insight? It would be of much help and it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi "Erga Omnes"

I am a forthcoming LL.M. at Harvard, but I am not your best advisor since my position is very different from yours. I am 22, Portuguese, never practiced, just graduated a couple of weeks ago and am very much academic-focused. Anyway, I might have something interesting to say to you.

You wonder, in what respects to your employer, if "his thoughts are somewhat influenced by the possibility of losing one of the firm's top billers." YES - no doubt about that. I can tell you the story of a friend of mine who went to Harvard last year: she was advised by her employers not to go, she eventually decided to go just to taste the flavour of an outstanding academic environment, and she got a job in a firm in NYC, earning ten times her previous salary. However, the truth is that not allways LL.M.'s get jobs in big firms so easily. It seems that - I heard this from three different people who were at Harvard last year - the market is very active this year, because a lot of corporate activity (mergers, acquisitions, etc.) is going on. I was told that this trend will likely last for at leat two more years, but I don't know if this is credible information. Normaly, firms hire JD's, not LLM's. Only some lucky people get highly paid jobs in the US. This year, however, it was much easier and everybody appears to be extremely happy with the LL.M. as an investment.

Nevertheless, my personal opinion is that your choice should be based on how excited your are with the opportunity to taste Harvard's intellectual environment. At Harvard, you will have the chance to explore some of the best academic legal resources in the world (the same applies to Yale, Stanford, etc). If you neither want a job in the US legal market, nor find the intellectual motive good enough, the LL.M. is obviously an enourmous waste of time and money.

Best,
Goncalo.

Erga Omnes, there was a good discussion about the value of an Harvard LLM in this board last year, which you should check out: www.llm-guide.com/board/4337
Best, Nikolas