Study Law in Grad School Forum

[Palavra]

The consensus seems to be that a master's degree can be a small soft but that it doesn't matter much. What about a law-related master's degree? There are for example a bunch of master's programs in human rights law in England that I've looked into. Could a master's degree in human rights law give my application a small bump or will it be a complete waste of money? Does it make any sense to first get a law-related MA and then a JD?

[cinephile]

Maybe it makes sense if you could get the masters for free, have no living expenses, and want to take some more time off and live in England before starting law school. Doesn't make sense if you're just doing it just to get into law school.

[Kimchi_smile]

I think an undergraduate law degree will be more helpful.

In Best Law School's Admission Secrets, Joyce Curll, a former HLS admission dean, wrote:

If you are especially interested in international law, it might be worth seeking admission at a foreign law school, and bringing your foreign degree into the equation of your academic record when you reapply. If the foreign school you attend is in a common law country like England, Scotland, or Australia, you could reapply and then, if admitted, request consideration for advanced standing into the second year. Even if your degree is from a civil law country, you may receive as much as a year's credit toward your electives in the second and third years.

But I think you must have to love law a lot to go through a law school abroad and then go back to the US for more law school...