Hello

I graduated from two llm programs and I interned for two months in a law firm. Special circumstances I had prevented me from working in a law firm and getting work experience. So by 28, I almost wasted 4 years after graduating from law school at 22. I recently got admitted in a law firm and I will be working there for 2 years.

My purpose is to become an arbitrator. I know that many successful arbitrators have PhDs. I am currently planning to go for a three year jsd program after the two years of experience. Will the 3 year phd program hurt my career. Many advised me to focus only on work experience now. What do you guys think? Your opinions are greatly appreciated.

So please try to answer by a yes or no.

I am sorry to hear about your difficulties. The global economy is recovering from a slump and work (outside of the tech/medical industries) is not easy to find. The legal market has been hit especially hard and over the years the level of imbalance between the supply (number of attorneys in the market) and demand (# of available jobs to absorb newly minted attorneys) has shifted greatly. The supply simply grossly outweighs the demand. You are certainly not alone.

As for the SJD, I am not sure if it will help. It is more of an academic degree, meant for people who want to pursue scholarly/academic career in law. I am not sure how much of an advantage it would give you if you are interested in working as an arbitrator. I do know a few people practicing international arbitration and only one has a Ph.D. and his Ph.D. is in international economics. Personally, I would get in contact with some of the actual practitioners, actual arbitrators, and ask what they think about approach, what they think about an SJD. Just reach out and send them an email. I think most will likely be nice and respond to your query. Just send an email introducing yourself, describing your interests, circumstances, and what you plan to do (SJD), and ask them for their thoughts.

Dear Tristan. Thank you for your response. Your lengthy explanation gave me a great insight on how I should proceed with my plans. I will get in contact with professors and practitioners. I might be working while studying for the Phd so I hope an additional degree will not be time waste. For me, a phd is a must do even though my plan is not to become solely a professor. Kindly let me know if there is anything I might help with.