I am a Columbia Grad. The answer to your questions is a lot of ifs and a lot of luck, unfortunately. I had a fantastic experience and I’d recommend it to everyone. However, if the ultimate goal and sole reason to do this is to get a job abroad, my answer would probably change. Specially if you’re planning to take a loan to do this. I don’t know the rest of your background, PQE etc but I’ll just share some facts based on my experience which might help you decide : - if you’re at a Tier 1 firm, SA/PA level and have decent connections with folk within your firm as well as experience working opposite US counsel in biglaw, your changes of bagging a job become a bit better. An LLM in the US will be useful then. - if you have debt or funds experience of 3-4 years, UK could be an option after the LLM (but you don’t need an LLM for this necessarily) - if you’re a capital markets lawyer, your skills are more transferable and there’s a decent change of employment here, but again this isn’t necessarily dependent on a US LLM.
If you do take the bar and pass it, several opportunities do open up but I’m still of the opinion that an LLM is an investment in the long run. What is gives you is an exceptional and immersive experience, solid contacts over the world, and a tag you will have with you for life. I’m still not convinced it’ll pay back in the medium term though, and I wouldn’t take a 50-60 lakh loan to do it.
Firstly, congratulations on your admission! As a former Columbia grad, I can say that the LLM is a great experience. However, not sure if I would have gone through with it if I had to take a loan for the full amount. Advise which I received prior to the LLM, was to not do it if the sole objective is to work abroad. The LLM has a lot of benefits, which are 'softer' in nature and you may not see immediate gain professionally in the short term. Getting a job post the LLM is definitely a possibility, but is contingent on numerous factors such as PQE, practice area, networking skills etc. Wish you the best!
- if you’re at a Tier 1 firm, SA/PA level and have decent connections with folk within your firm as well as experience working opposite US counsel in biglaw, your changes of bagging a job become a bit better. An LLM in the US will be useful then.
- if you have debt or funds experience of 3-4 years, UK could be an option after the LLM (but you don’t need an LLM for this necessarily)
- if you’re a capital markets lawyer, your skills are more transferable and there’s a decent change of employment here, but again this isn’t necessarily dependent on a US LLM.
If you do take the bar and pass it, several opportunities do open up but I’m still of the opinion that an LLM is an investment in the long run. What is gives you is an exceptional and immersive experience, solid contacts over the world, and a tag you will have with you for life. I’m still not convinced it’ll pay back in the medium term though, and I wouldn’t take a 50-60 lakh loan to do it.
All the very best either way!