<p>Hey all. I'm currently a freshman at Wake and I'm thinking about law school. Can I go for a LL.M. at a US college or are those reserved for foreign students? Also, would it be wise to go for a Ph.D. on top of a J.D. (either in govt or econ)?</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that you can get a LL.M no matter where you are from, but they don't really matter to US firms - they are respected more abroad. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.</p>
<p>Americans are free to get an LLM. Just keep in mind that LLM programs are designed for those people who are interested in academia, especially in a career in teaching law. Furthermore, you don't really need an LLM in order to teach law. It's just an another program that you can use either on top of a JD or in place of one if you want to study academic law formally.</p>
<p>As far as getting a PhD goes, it depends on what you want to do. If you just want a simple and straightforward career as a regular lawyer, then having a PhD will not be of much benefit. However, if you are interested in becoming an academic, then the PhD will obviously have some value. Just keep in mind that while some law professors hold advanced degrees beyond the JD, many others do not.</p>
<p>Just my thought - but if you are 18 or 19, don't get too hung up worrying about that much education. The next four years will take a lot out of you. If you get a JD, then either an LLM or a Ph.D., even assuming you go straight through, you'll be in school until you are 30. Also, the extra schooling really won't help you much at all (beyond putting you into tons of debt, unless your parents are footing the bill). My guess is that, four years from now, most law schools will run between $50k and $60k/year. There is very little available for merit aid - so you're really looking at $150k of debt. Pile on Ph.D or LLM work (even if the former is paid for), add some interest for the JD loans - and you'll be a) paying over $2k/month for 10 years or b) be in debt until you are 50 and sending your own kids through school.</p>
<p>Essentially - before you do that much schooling, think long and hard about WHY you want it and where you want it to get you. Law school is not something I would recommend to anyone who doesn't want to be a lawyer.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the posts! I suppose you all are right, besides, I do believe job placement is harder in the others than for JDs. I'm not planning on teaching law. Well, I have three and a half more years to think this through. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Ariesathena: I would respectfully disagree with you on your suggestion that law school would not be recommended to anyone who doesn't want to be a lawyer. As an older student who went to a major law school's night program, there were many in my class who specifically wanted to go to law school even though they never wanted to actually practice law. These folks were in insurance, real estate, hospital management, journalism, and they all went to law school for at least one common reason: they all dealth with lawyers on a daily basis and wanted to stand on a equal footing with them.</p>
<p>Just a different point of view.</p>
<p>CD: I will respectfully agree with you. I should have been more clear - here's attempt #2: don't go to law school unless you have very specific reasons for being there, and know what you want to get out of it. </p>
<p>I would NOT recommend law school to defer adulthood or, although the education is outstanding, to be a better thinker. In short, one's reasons for law school should not be nebulous. </p>
<p>I was concerned at seeing law school in with significant amounts of post-graduate education, which just seems to be saying "I don't want to be a lawyer, but a legal education might be nice." Read somewhere that people with the most solid, specific reasons for going to law school and who were the most sure of what they wanted to get out of it did the best. </p>
<p>At the very least, I'm sure that we can agree that law school should not be done on a whim. ;)</p>
<p>Absolutely ariesathena, especially with the high costs and low prospects of merit aid, as you previoulsy noted.</p>
<p>Also, your first semester of law school is a huge success in my book. You have already learned to gracefully concede a well-made point and thereby bolster your credibility with your audience. Bravo!</p>