Columbia offers - in conjunction with a Parisian school - the opportunity to complete a JD and Master in French Law in four years, making the student capable of sitting for both a US and French bar exam. Does anyone have insight on how such a program could be beneficial? It seems as if such a program would be detrimental rather than beneficial for a student, unless an individual has something very specific in mind. Furthermore, is there any type of position where being a lawyer in two countries would be valuable?
I would think that someone with those degrees would be snapped up by a large firm such as White & Case or one of the UK “Magic Circle” firms.
A French law degree would be useful as an “add-on” only in narrow contexts in the US, principally in small niches of large law firms in NYC or boutique law firms (which don’t hire straight from law school).
I would think that a US law degree would be more useful as an “add-on” in France. Thus someone with that dual degree would probably be most likely to end up working in France or somewhere else in the EU.
I have worked in law firms in Europe. No point in using a Columbia law degree for a job in one of them, as they usually don’t pay well; US lawyers (wherever stationed, either NY or overseas, and whether with a US or UK firm) are paid much better, as associates, than European associates are, so the end game with those degrees should be to get a job with a foreign office of a large US or UK law firm, which is certainly doable.
Thank you for your response! In your opinion, would fluency in a European language, such as French, be helpful in finding employment in firms which deal with cross border legal issues? NYU also offers a JD/MA in French Studies; could that be useful to some degree? Also, when focusing on law school electives, would it be better to take classes in international law or to take classes in a certain area of specialization (e.g. antitrust)? Lastly, do the firms you mentioned and the firms you worked at in Europe make their associates work hours comparable to Biglaw firms in the US?
@alaink, I also speak a European language fluently. It can come in handy in getting a job but usually not. It depends on your goals and where you want to work.
Do you want to work in Europe? When I worked in Europe, one firm was in a multicultural city and English alone was required, even for working in a local firm. One was in the capital of one of the main European countries and the local language was required.
Or do you want to work in the US? I also worked in a London-based firm in the US. English alone was useful and there was no need for any other language, despite numerous cross-border transactions and international travel. There are pockets of needs for French in the US, though; some firms will have a French partner or the like in them and speaking French would be useful for those specific opportunities, but those jobs are so, so rare in the US.
The most likely outcome for someone from Columbia or NYU with an international bent would be to go work at a large NY-based or London-based firm and end up in one of its overseas offices in continental Europe. Those assignments usually last just a few years but if you also have a French law degree, I guess (but have no first-hand experience) that you could use an assignment like that to have a career working in continental Europe for good if you want. If that’s what you want, then I’d think that speaking French would be critical. I would think that someone with US and French law degrees in France could do very well in the long run.
An MA in French studies would be a waste except for showing interest in French issues (and thus showing interest in a job with French connections); the knowledge you gain in the MA would be useless. You can show interest in French issues in many other lower-cost ways, such as interning there one summer or heading up an international law club at school.
When focusing on electives, don’t bother with classes in international law; those are a waste if you want a private-sector career since nobody practices “international law” except people who work for the UN or the EU. Take things in your intended area of practice, such as securities law if you want to be a corporate lawyer, or antitrust if you want to be an antitrust lawyer.
London-based firms are for all practical purposes for someone with a US law degree the same as NY-based firms. Local firms in Europe (i.e., not London-based) do work significantly less than Biglaw, in my experience, but they also pay significantly less. (London-based firms pay Europeans a lot less than Americans as well but require lots of work from both, so if you go to a London-based firm be sure to go into the US practice group in it-which means practicing NY law, not European, but with a golden name like Allen & Overy or the like on your resume plus US and European law degrees, surely you could transition over to a top European-based firm once you’re at the senior associate or partner level, which would probably mean decent pay).