Paying??

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I have no previous undergraduate debt. But I would like to continue to Law School. I'm a US citizen, my parents are expats living abroad. So I studied my undergraduate degree abroad where I live. I do want to move back to the States, but I'm unfamiliar with Financial Aid. My parents spent their savings already in my UG degree, so I really have not much saved money. I would have to pretty much loan/scholarship my way. I intend on working if possible to afford my living expenses, as much as I'm capable of. </p>

<p>Also, I don't know if this matters or not:
*My current degree is a law degree (LLB) and I will have license to practice abroad (where I currently live).
*I would love to work in the military, government, public defender or inhouse counsel.
*IT/IP/Intl Criminal Law/Intl Humanitarian Law interest me greatly.
*Although I did conduct research for my UG degree (thesis), I don't really have career oriented work experience. I've actually had to work to help out a little in my house and unpaid interships weren't the best options.</p>

<p>What options do I have?</p>

2

<p>As a US citizen you’re eligible for guaranteed federal loans up to the cost of attendance, including living expenses. Any scholarships beyond that are generally at the discretion of the school. Google “federal student aid” for details of the loans.</p>

<p>Since you have a foreign law degree it is most common to enter an LLM program in the US (1 year) rather than a JD (3 years). An LLM will let you take the bar in most US jurisdictions and is faster and cheaper than a JD, but I am not sure employment prospects are quite as good. You will have to take the LSAT for a JD but not for an LLM. There is an “LLM Guide” forum which has more information and discussions about this.</p>

<p>Depending on the school, I would estimate $60k-$70k debt for an LLM, including living expenses. This is much less than the $200k law school debt that many JD students incur. Obviously you should consider your career prospects from the school you get into to better understand how easy or hard it will be to pay off this debt.</p>

<p>Just out of curiosity, is your LLB from a common law jurisdiction or not?</p>