LLM degree is a global trend

The jury may be out on whether a legal Master’s degree equates to a better job, or more money, but the international trend to do an LLM abroad means it is broadening legal horizons.

New Zealand lawyers Simon Kellett (LLM Cambridge) and Matthew Smith (LLM Harvard) are unsure of whether their post-graduate legal education at two of the world’s most recognised universities enhanced their employability, but both endorse the experience.

“[I] absolutely recommend [studying an LLM abroad]. It was a wonderful experience,” Mr Kellett says. “It’s a social time, too, meeting people from around the world, enjoying what another country has to offer.”

“[People] shouldn’t be afraid to have a go. It’s easy to think ‘I could never be good enough to go to those universities’. But you never know unless you try. Even if one university says no, another might say yes. It may be case of applying for a university where you ‘tick all the boxes’,” he says.

“The process is arduous. But it’s worth taking time on the applications and getting it right.”

This process eventually paid off for Mr Kellett. He was granted a Commonwealth Scholarship, which paid for his tuition at a university of his choice in the United Kingdom.

The benefits of studying at Cambridge included scale, and the quality of both teachers and students, he says.

The New Zealand education system, combined with two year’s New Zealand work experience had set him up well for the challenge.

It was a “natural progression” from his Victoria University LLB (Hons).

“It felt like an extension of university. The teaching style was very similar. The law is very similar,” he says.

“In the UK it’s fairly surprising not to have the Kiwis and Aussies plumping for the top marks in the course.”

Otago University LLB (Hons) alumni Matthew Smith, who received the Frank Knox Fellowship which paid his Harvard University tuition fees, spoke along similar lines when asked if he was adequately prepared to study at the Massachusetts-based university.

“There was an adjustment period, but New Zealand tertiary and secondary education systems are fantastic,” he says.

“We’re taught very very well and prepared very well. That helps a lot, and it helps a lot that we don’t have to learn the common law method.”

Mr Smith had also honed legal research and writing skills in the time he spent working before studying at Harvard.

Graduating with their LLMs in 2009, and returning to a financial crisis, neither is sure of the direct employment or salary benefit of the LLM.

 “I wouldn’t say it’s been a help, I wouldn’t say it’s been a hindrance,” Mr Kellett, who currently works at Izard Weston, says.

“I think I would be more confident in putting myself forward for a job and with pay negotiations I would be more confident. But some employers will ask you to explain why a year of study is worth the same as a year of commercial experience. Recruiters also tend to ‘write-off’ a year of LLM study. So in some cases you are fighting to have it recognised as experience.”

Travelling to complete an LLM degree is a trend internationally and because of that the classroom is a melting pot of legal minds from around the globe.

This develops a “more grounded and broadly conceived” approach to the law and legal practice, Mr Smith, now in Thorndon Chambers, says.

“[When the] class disperses, you have people literally going to work in all the continents of the world (except Antarctica).”

“In a globalised world, it’s a really good thing having contacts and networks in other countries.”

“The bigger overseas universities have very organised and active alumni networks which play a really key role in bridging divides and networking.”

Auckland University law professor and former dean of law at both Auckland and Otago University Bruce Harris agrees.

“[There is] real value to having exposure to another legal system, and people in the [overseas] programme are very intelligent and engaging,” he says.

“I have never had anyone regret doing [an overseas LLM].”

On the flipside, Auckland University’s roll is made up of about 50% international students.

“Law schools all around the world are gaining international students,” Mr Harris says.

Victoria University director of legal post-graduate studies, Gordon Anderson, says these days there is a “really mixed bag” of local and international Master’s students.

Victoria is looking to re-shape the programme. Over the next 6 to 8 months the university will re-examine the LLM to see if it needs to also offer intensive courses, as now its LLM is mainly thesis driven.

Canterbury attracts around 15 to 20 LLM students annually, with the specialist LLM (International Law and Politics) attracting mainly overseas students.

Canterbury law professor Neil Boister says it is “healthy, really, to ship around from jurisdiction to jurisdiction”.

On the domestic front, he says the students study for a variety of reasons: “Some want admission to the UK (you now need a MA to gain highly skilled migrant status)…Some want jobs in government… Some want to research specific areas which they are interested in.”

This article was published in LawTalk 786, 2 December 2011, page 12.