As modern technology and infrastructure propel globalization, lawyers today must be prepared to navigate - and to lead others through - an increasingly complex legal system. The Master of Laws degree, commonly referred to as the LLM, is quickly becoming an important tool for practitioners to gain better access into this challenging business environment. Students pursuing an LLM will find that the degree program enables them an opportunity to gain more knowledge of the international market, focus on a specific course of study, and advance in their professional endeavors.

Generally, students pursuing an LLM wish to gain additional skills and knowledge beyond their first law degree. International students pursuing an LLM degree abroad will find the general overview of the basic legal system of the host country helpful in navigating comparative legal jurisprudence. To meet this need, many LLM programs in the United States offer the choice to pursue a general LLM, which provides for a broad survey of the American legal system. For international students and Americans alike, obtaining an LLM degree in the United States opens doors and allows an attorney to advance more quickly through the American legal system, all the while garnering an impressive business and legal network.

Other students might select a specialized field of study when approaching graduate legal studies. LLM programs in such areas as admiralty, business and taxation, banking, environmental law, health law, intellectual property, and other fields allow for lawyers to build on previous knowledge and develop expertise in a particular area or scholarly or practical interest. By commanding knowledge of a highly specialized aspect of law, the LLM student stands far above his contemporaries as an expert in his field and a fine product of determined study.

Today’s lawyers often seek out additional training through an LLM program so that they can expand their professional activities and gain mobility in the international market. Many foreign lawyers must obtain an LLM to meet the requirements to teach in their home countries, or to be eligible for appointments to the judiciary. Also, since foreign lawyers are eligible to apply for admission to practice in certain states in the United States upon completion of an LLM degree from ABA-approved law schools, many lawyers choose to complete an LLM in order to be able to practice in the United States. The ability to maneuver through an ever-expanding global market has become a vital requisite within today’s legal sector.

The LLM prepares lawyers for leadership roles by helping them gain additional expertise and understanding. LLM candidates should be eager to participate in a scholarly community and take advantage of the offerings available to them in their selected academic program. Lawyers interested in pursuing an LLM should take time to assess their professional goals, keeping in mind an advanced legal degree can expand their options in an increasingly competitive and global market.