What Can You Do with an LLM?

What Can You Do with an LLM?

14 May, 2024

We live in a world of complex, globalized connections that affect every industry and institution, including the law. The legal profession has undergone dramatic changes in the 21st century and continues to evolve. From challenges like understanding an organization’s ethical responsibilities when handling customer data to considering the legal ramifications of international trade agreements, today’s lawyers must have a wide breadth of expertise to serve their clients.

Developing the latest knowledge and skills is especially vital as the employment market becomes more competitive: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected 8% growth in positions for lawyers between 2022 and 2032 but cautioned that there are more law school graduates each year than there are jobs available.

A Master of Laws (LLM) degree is one way to keep your skills up-to-date and help you stand out among other professionals who have a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. This article will explain why an LLM can further your career.

What is an LLM?

The Master of Laws (LLM) degree is an internationally recognized postgraduate credential. These master’s programs are typically geared toward early- and mid-career lawyers who are interested in expanding their legal credentials. Professionals who have already earned their JD may want to expand their knowledge in a particular legal discipline. Many attorneys who were educated overseas also earn an LLM degree to familiarize themselves with the nuances of the U.S. legal system.

What are the Benefits of an LLM?

1. Prepare for the California Bar Exam

Each state in the U.S. has its own rules for admission to the bar and its own exam. Northeastern University School of Law offers an LLM focus area specifically to provide international attorneys with the grounding in legal principles needed to prepare for the California bar exam. Notably, the California state bar allows qualifying coursework to be completed online as part of an LLM.

In this focus area, you’ll become familiar with California’s requirements in areas such as:

• A lawyer’s obligations to clients, the court and society
• Ethics rules and resolving conflicts of interest
• Advertising for legal services
• Areas of specialization
• Solicitation of clients
• Legal malpractice

2. Stay Current on Your Legal Knowledge

The legal landscape evolves daily, placing high demands on lawyers to keep up with the latest precedents and leaps in technology. An LLM program can update your knowledge in major areas of the law like intellectual property, corporate compliance and international trade.

LLM students enrich their experience with up-to-date training for the real world. Areas of study can include:

• Bar Examination Prep
• Intellectual Property and Technology
• International Business

Courses in an LLM curriculum investigate the demands of advising corporate leaders as in-house counsel, the challenges of maintaining compliance and strategies for conducting international trade.

3. Expand Your Career Possibilities

A major factor that makes an LLM degree worth it is the competitive edge in the job market. The LLM can help you get your foot in the door at a law firm, corporate legal department or government agency.

If you have decided to shift your professional focus, this degree may lay the groundwork for new opportunities by helping you expand your knowledge into a different area of law. Earning an LLM degree can also be beneficial if you’re interested in business law and international trade, since these programs offer a global perspective on the relationships that drive our hyperconnected world.

4. Grow Your Network

An online LLM program gives you the chance to meet and collaborate with fellow legal professionals from across the country and around the world. Networking with fellow students, professors and industry professionals can open many doors to rewarding career opportunities. For international students, an LLM can give you the chance to form invaluable connections.

5. Increase Your Earning Potential

An LLM may improve your salary potential by helping you develop in-demand expertise related to a specific area of law. An analysis of job posting data from Lightcast and Payscale found that salary premiums are associated with skills in intellectual property law, drafting contracts, and mergers and acquisitions (based on a $135,741 average salary for lawyers, as estimated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Salaries for Lawyers With Specialized Skills

*Please note that this salary information includes a range of numbers pulled from both Lightcast and Payscale. Lightcast draws from job posting data to pull salary information, which is updated daily as data changes. Payscale’s data comes from surveys and is “voluntarily self-reported by employees.” Both sources are included to provide a wider range of salary information for each professional title. It is also important to note that salary data varies by location and experience, among other factors, and does not directly reflect the salaries of Northeastern Law graduates.

Northeastern University’s LLM program features an industry-informed curriculum designed to familiarize you with high-demand areas of the law. Request more information to find out how the online program can help you achieve your career goals.

Career Options for LLM Graduates

Intellectual Property (IP) Lawyer

These attorneys counsel clients on how to build and protect their intellectual capital. As an IP lawyer, your day-to-day responsibilities may involve copyright registration, licensing deals, technology transfers, filing for patents and product distribution.

In an era of digital technology and globalization, intellectual property concerns have grown in both prominence and complexity. These legal considerations impact innovations in software and pharmaceuticals as well as works of art, making attorneys who specialize in IP essential to the operations and financial well-being of a variety of organizations.

Brook K. Baker, a professor of law at Northeastern University, applies his knowledge of IP rules to advocate for access to healthcare around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that meant arguing to maximize the availability of vaccines and treatments by changing the way pharmaceutical companies pursue research and protect their investments.

“Many people, myself included, wonder whether the current exclusive-rights system is the best way to incentivize research and pay for it,” Baker explained. “If [pharmaceutical companies] are focusing on a blockbuster, they’re not focusing, say, on pandemic preparedness. There are whole areas of research that are neglected because drug companies can turn most of their attention to the profit areas.”

Northeastern Law offers an Intellectual Property and Technology track to help prepare for a role in IP law.

International Business Lawyer

A business world of instant global communications and international supply chains demands legal experts who understand the laws, regulations, economic conditions and ethics policies of multiple countries. Lawyers who specialize in international business may represent their clients’ interests in a wide range of issues involving two or more sovereign countries.

Many of these attorneys deal mainly with matters involving trade law, securities and banking. Others focus on the regulatory regimes pertaining to specific industries or sectors like technology, energy, intellectual property or healthcare. In this field, you can leverage your knowledge and negotiation skills to enable organizations to grow and compete on a world stage.

Northeastern Law offers a focused curriculum track in International Business, preparing international and domestic attorneys for roles in business law.

Compliance Counsel

Regulatory compliance is increasingly important for businesses that rely on digital tools to monitor operations and gain insights into their customers.

Lawyers who work as compliance counsel are tasked with duties such as conducting audits and leading internal investigations, advising and collaborating with management to promote transparency and accountability. Legal experts may also provide training on ethics and compliance for employees, ensuring everyone in the company has the information they need to align with regulations.

International Trade Lawyer

These professionals advise both domestic companies that conduct business abroad and foreign businesses operating in the United States. They may also negotiate and draft trade agreements for federal agencies and international organizations.

International trade lawyers provide guidance on international trade rules and compliance, prepare voluntary disclosures and conduct internal investigations. To work in this field, you need a thorough knowledge of variations in trade regulations and tax law across multiple nations and regions.

About the Online Master of Laws (LLM) from Northeastern University

Northeastern Law’s 100% online Master of Laws (LLM) was designed for both the global practice of law, and for international lawyers to gain a better understanding of the U.S. legal system.

The online LLM program can be completed in as little as 12 months, and features three in-demand focus areas: Bar Examination Preparation, Intellectual Property and Technology, and International Business.

Northeastern Law’s Master of Laws program was designed with input from a legal advisory group, featuring a curriculum of industry-informed courses that allow students to enhance their practical skills and foundational knowledge.