Leading employers agree with that view. The head of graduate recruitment at one of the City of London’s top five ‘magic circle’ law firms points out that while undergraduate law degrees are very much about the theory of law – especially in the UK itself – an LL.M is increasingly geared to being much more vocational in nature. ‘And that’s where having an LL.M adds more value,’ comments the magic circle personnel executive, ‘people end up having more formal legal knowledge.’


Re-energising careers


Giving candidates an edge over the competition is just one – albeit important – reason to embark on studying for an LL.M. It can also re-energise the careers of those who for a variety of reasons – for example, redundancy or maternity leave -- have been out of the legal profession. Likewise, in a rapidly evolving professional market, doing an LL.M is one way for qualified lawyers to move from moribund areas of law to more profitable sectors. Studying for an LL.M creates new areas of expertise and, indeed, can deepen knowledge of existing specialisms.


And ultimately – apart from improving professional status – doing an LL.M considerably boosts the earning potential of a prospective or practising lawyer. Experts point out that perhaps the most crucial point about LL.Ms is flexibility and options, with those programmes offering


the most of both being likely to be the most useful. Another piece of common sense advice is that those considering signing on to an LL.M should have a firm idea of exactly what they’d like to achieve during the process.


Helping hand


A scholarship scheme is launched with the intention of easing the expense of the forthcoming full- time LL.M for four qualifying students


A legal education is expensive. There’s no denying that bald fact – but the International Bar Association (IBA) and the College of Law are combining in an attempt to ease the pain for at least four talented students by offering scholarships on the full- time LL.M in International Legal Practice.


Creative faculties


Awards worth £2,500 each will be made to the winning LL.M students for the course beginning this September. All students who have booked a place on the full-time course are encouraged to apply for the scholarship programme, with the closing date for submissions being 20 July.


Applicants must submit a piece of work assessing the rather vexed issue of why the world needs lawyers.


Course administrators acknowledge that the essay subject is intentionally designed to tax the creative and analytical faculties of


The judging panel will include representatives from both the college and the IBA, and they will assess applicants on a range of professional skills, such as creative thinking and commercial awareness. The results will be released by 27 July.


Future expansion


While this year the numbers on the scholarship scheme will be limited to four students, college administrators point out that the programme could be expanded next year.


The full-time LL.M course itself begins this September and will be offered at the college’s Moorgate branch in the City of London. It will consist of face-to-face lectures and is designed to take advantage of its close proximity to some the offices of all the world’s biggest law firms.


For full and further information on how to apply for a scholarship please visit the College of Law website www.college-of-law.com


applicants, but they point out that the work does not need to be submitted in traditional essay format; Powerpoint and video presentations will also be accepted. However, conventional written essays are also encouraged.


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