Hello everyone

I am a graduate of a foriegn law school (masters), and an interested in going into the field of arbitration.

Obviously I do not want to practice as a bar-certified lawyer in the states, but some people are telling me to go ahead and do a joint PHD/JD instead of doing the LLM and then consulting with a firm of some sort.

any ideas or suggestion?

Is the LLM enough? or should I really being shooting for the JD (I am an american citz Btw)

which of the two would make my options better?

Are they really alternatives? I mean if you have a possibility to finance five years (or so) of JD/PHD studies, you should definitely do it. But if you don't want to practice in the US, why an JD? And for what do you need a PHD for? Tell us a bit more about your aspirations.

Well I am caught between continuing on with school to the PHD/jd level (with 4+ kids mind you :) ), or just trying to get the LLM then working in the legal field.
I am interested mainly in international business arbitration, and really am not looking to practice law in the capacity of a lawyer in any country, I much more prefer to consult and/or the academic route.

The PHD/JD route was suggested as a middle ground that would give me the american legal education and a PHD in something like econ or near eastern studies, so if when i am finished I would then be able to go either way: academia or consulting.

If I were to get an LLM, start work and then decide I would much rather work in a teaching position or do research, would the LLM allow me to do so?

I am also unsure why you would need a JD/Ph.D, which would take 5 or 6 years to complete, for what you want to do. Do you have a business backround? I would start with an LL.M in Alternate Dispute Resolution, perhaps at Pepperdine or the University of Missouri, which would only take a year, followed by an MBA if you do not have a business degree of some sort. The Ph.D is unnecessary unless you really have a desire to teach at the University level. Although you have no desire to practice law, you will be working with lawyers, so bar admission in the US would probably be helpful. California or New York would probably be your best bet with only a foreign law degree and an LL.M.