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Does anybody have any good resources on this? I am interested in getting an LLM after my JD and would like the opportunity to practice internationally. I am looking for information about the requirements for practicing law in different countries around the world. Perhaps I've overlooked this information, but I am having a tough time finding anything on it.


(Sorry if this is posted in the wrong area!)

You need to specify where in the world you would like to practice and what kind of job you would like to do.

I´ts completly different to do corporate work in some countries in Asia, than litigate in Brasil. So please be more specific (I can tell you how things are in Latin America but don´t know about the rest of the world)

Thanks for the reply. I am only a 0L so my plans are still somewhat fluid. I don't have a particular region in mind yet, although I am partial to Latin America (because of my Spanish skills) and Europe. I have varied interests in the law, and I know I will need to narrow this list down sooner rather than later. Some areas of law that pique my interest are: litigation, cyber, technology, IP, entertainment, corporate, international, national security, and defense.

Any information you have in any particular path that involves the LLM degree would be much appreciated.

North wrote:

I am interested in tax, assuming i went to NYU, Georgetown, or Florida for an L.L.M, what are the tangible benefits career wise, do employers care about L.L.M.s, is it worth the extra money, etc . . . ?

I know these questions are very broad, and without my particulars the tangible benefits of an L.L.M., may be hard to quanitify, but I am just curious.

OP: You have it backwards. Foreign lawyers wishing to practice in the US earn an LLM designation in Comparative Law in order to be eligible to take the bar exam in a handful of US states. Otherwise, an LLM in Taxation is useful for practicing tax law in the US.

North wrote:

This, unless you are an international student. Getting an L.L.M. doesn't mean you can practice internationally, it means you can practice in 'murica.

SMU2013 wrote:

North wrote:

I am interested in tax, assuming i went to NYU, Georgetown, or Florida for an L.L.M, what are the tangible benefits career wise, do employers care about L.L.M.s, is it worth the extra money, etc . . . ?

I know these questions are very broad, and without my particulars the tangible benefits of an L.L.M., may be hard to quanitify, but I am just curious.

If you're attending SMU as your name suggests, why not get an LLM in tax from SMU?

OP, an LLM is generally for foreign attorneys who want to practice here. It's not the golden ticket to international law practice. The only thing that could get you practicing abroad would be working at an American firm that has offices abroad and trying to get assigned to one of them. That, or practice for a few years, apply to the DOJ-OIA, USAID, State Department, etc.

OP; Several law schools offer joint degree programs that qualify one to work as a lawyer in two different countries. Most joint degree programs award US & Canadian law degrees although the University of Texas has a fairly new joint degree program with a Mexican law school.
Otherwise, if you are proficient in reading French, then McGill will equip one to work in Quebec & in France &, I think, other European countries since it is a civil law degree.

It seems like I may not be the only one without a firm grasp of this topic. For clarification, I am a 0L attending an American law school in the fall. Tax law is the one area which I do not see myself becoming involved in.

Thanks for the replies. Please keep the discussion going.

futurelawyerJ wrote:It seems like I may not be the only one without a firm grasp of this topic. For clarification, I am a 0L attending an American law school in the fall. Tax law is the one area which I do not see myself becoming involved in.

Thanks for the replies. Please keep the discussion going.

Just out of curiosity, do you have any int'l work experience?

I had a summer internship at an international think tank in the UK. I've also done (short) study abroads to Guatemala and China. Unfortunately, I do not speak Mandarin.

Since you don't speak Mandarin, Guatemala is out of the question.

Not easy to practice in China as a foreigner. You can, however, work for a branch of a US firm in China that uses Chinese lawyers, but local language proficiency or fluency would be needed.

Requirements are much easier for the UK. Check out the current thread on TLS discussing US versus UK lawyer salaries in the Legal Employment forum.

Going to American TTT Law School and you expect "international law"? I would really rethink what you are doing here.

American grads can't even get jobs in america let alone overseas (only 1/3 become real attorneys):
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futurelawyerJ wrote:It seems like I may not be the only one without a firm grasp of this topic. For clarification, I am a 0L attending an American law school in the fall. Tax law is the one area which I do not see myself becoming involved in.

Thanks for the replies. Please keep the discussion going.

Then don't pursue an LLM. That is not the process for working internationally as others have already stated.

Kapachino already answered your question: "work at an American firm that has offices abroad and try to get assigned to one of them". You can also go to a foreign country and get your law degree there.

futurelawyerJ wrote:Thanks for the reply. I am only a 0L so my plans are still somewhat fluid. I don't have a particular region in mind yet, although I am partial to Latin America (because of my Spanish skills) and Europe. I have varied interests in the law, and I know I will need to narrow this list down sooner rather than later. Some areas of law that pique my interest are: litigation, cyber, technology, IP, entertainment, corporate, international, national security, and defense.

Any information you have in any particular path that involves the LLM degree would be much appreciated.

Listen, I´m a lawyer in Colombia. The LLM here would be useful a priori only in academia. If you want to do tax law in any latin american country you need to learn the tax law from each country, which means studying or doing a postgraduate degree in the country you intend to practice.

Maybe, if you complete an LLM in a prestigious school (T-14) you could find a job in a "big" law firm, but for that you will also need contacts. (And the investment would not be justified).

A more realistic approach would be transfering to a better school, get a prestigious JD and work in a law firm with branches in Latin America.

futurelawyerJ wrote:Does anybody have any good resources on this? I am interested in getting an LLM after my JD and would like the opportunity to practice internationally. I am looking for information about the requirements for practicing law in different countries around the world. Perhaps I've overlooked this information, but I am having a tough time finding anything on it.


(Sorry if this is posted in the wrong area!)

Best thing to do internationally with an LLM is pose for LLM pictures. I think you get to keep the cap and gown.


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pferaso wrote:

futurelawyerJ wrote:Thanks for the reply. I am only a 0L so my plans are still somewhat fluid. I don't have a particular region in mind yet, although I am partial to Latin America (because of my Spanish skills) and Europe. I have varied interests in the law, and I know I will need to narrow this list down sooner rather than later. Some areas of law that pique my interest are: litigation, cyber, technology, IP, entertainment, corporate, international, national security, and defense.

Any information you have in any particular path that involves the LLM degree would be much appreciated.

Listen, I´m a lawyer in Colombia. The LLM here would be useful a priori only in academia. If you want to do tax law in any latin american country you need to learn the tax law from each country, which means studying or doing a postgraduate degree in the country you intend to practice.

Maybe, if you complete an LLM in a prestigious school (T-14) you could find a job in a "big" law firm, but for that you will also need contacts. (And the investment would not be justified).

A more realistic approach would be transfering to a better school, get a prestigious JD and work in a law firm with branches in Latin America.

This a thousand times. Same goes for the UK.