Good day,

I am an American lawyer that would like to go back and get an LLM. I do not want to accumulate debt in the process, however. What schools are known for being generous with their LLM merit-based assistance?

A little about me: I graduated near the top of my class from a third-tier HBC law school in 2006, and went on to clerk for a judge at the state level. Last year I published two academic articles. I applied to many faculty positions last year but did not have any luck. While I am applying again this year, I have my doubts that I will have success in this competitive market. Therefore, I would like to continue my academic pursuits and potentially increase my desirability for academic positions. I believe that completing an LLM will help me do this.

If at all possible, I would like an LLM program that is heavy on writing as opposed to coursework. There are no LLMs in my special area of research, but a general or international law LLM program would provide the platform I desire to further my scholarship.

Thank you for any advice you can provide regarding schools generous with merit scholarships.

Sincerely,
Merit Miner

Just about any law school, U.S. or otherwise, offers a number of merit-based scholarships. The most substantial of these will be for the full cost of tuition (and perhaps living expenses). As a matter of common sense, these will probably be given to a school's top candidates.

You appear to be looking for such a free ride (or close to one), which means that you aren't actually looking for the school with the best (or most) scholarships: you're looking for the schools at which you yourself would be the most attractive candidate out of the entire pool of applicants.

No one can guess that for you. If Harvard, for example, were the U.S. school most "generous with merit scholarships", that information wouldn't matter, since you most likely wouldn't win one of them.

By the same token, the worst U.S. law school with an LLM program (whichever that is) would by all rights crown you as their monarch, inviting you to rule with a lazy fist. (You probably don't want to go there).

The only answer you're actually after, then, is: "of all the U.S. law schools that would give a full scholarship to a near-the-top graduate from a third-tier law school, which are the best?".

I have no idea. Anyone?

I appreciate your time, and that is, indeed, the question I will ultimately seek to answer. For the time being though, I would like to stick with my original question. That way, I can get the maximum helpful information and I can evaluate the likelihood of whether I would qualify. It also gives people with more general knowledge of the topic the opportunity to contribute something which, even if too prestigious a school for me, may be helpful to others.

From other posts on this board, I know of three schools that are known to be good with LLM scholarships: Tulane, SIU, and U Arkansas. I was wondering if anyone else with general knowledge knows of any others?

Thank you all for your help.

Sincerely,
Merit Miner

Good luck with your applications!

I just completed the LLB in UK. any generous with merit scholarships? I wanna know. 

I just completed the LLB in UK. any generous with merit scholarships? I wanna know.