As far as I know, Duke is the only well-regarded law school that has LLM programs, for students who are concurrently enrolled in JD programs, available for a range of fields other than tax.
I always thought that LLMs were for (1) international students, (2) people seeking special knowledge in tax law and (3) people who have JDs but want to “move up” and get a law degree from a better school.
I see no purpose for a Duke JD student to obtain a Duke LLM. I’d think that a Duke JD degree alone would be very marketable. An LLM would just be more tuition and less time in the summer spent working, which are both not good effects.
What am I missing here?
Duke, Harvard, NYU, Georgetown, Yale and others offer joint JD/LLM programs. A JD is a first level law credential; an LLM is a second level degree (don’t let the ‘doctor’ and ‘masters’ fool you). LLM is more specialized (there are a number of specialities, not just tax) and has international recognition.
A Duke law degree is plenty marketable; the value of the JD/LLM will depend on your goals.
Our son is currently a 3L finishing his JD/LLM at Duke Law. His LLM specialty program is the Law and Entreprenurialship program. I’ve copied and pasted the program description from the Duke Law website below:
The LLMLE program provides students with a deep understanding of the historical and current perspectives on entrepreneurship and the law; enables students to understand the business, institutional, and strategic considerations applicable to entrepreneurs; fosters an understanding of the public policy and legal frameworks that promote innovation; ensures that students master both the core substantive law and the lawyering skills that are necessary for effective representation of entrepreneurs; and provides students with an opportunity to explore their own potential for entrepreneurship.
JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship students complete requirements for both degrees over six semesters of law study and a startup immersion experience during the summer following their first year. Required courses include Advising the Entrepreneurial Client, Law & Entrepreneurship, Analytical Methods, and Business Strategy. JD/LLM LE students also participate in a non-law firm externship at a local startup company and the Start-up Ventures Clinic.
The startup immersion program was based in Silicon Valley and included programs at numerous tech firms and local big law firms in the area that specialize in start-ups, tech and the bio-medical industries. He ended up interviewing with several of the firms for his 2L summer associate program and received 9 summer offers. He spent the summer in the valley at one of the larger firms and was offered an associate’s position upon graduation later this year. He feels the program (there were just 10 students in his LLM entreprenurial group) was very beneficial and definitely aided him in getting interviews, call-backs and summer offers last year. His scholarship covered the additional cost of the dual degree program. As noted, there was no additional time in school other than the 1L summer start-up immersion program.