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  • First Person Accounts: Aaina Duggal on the LLM at Columbia Law School

    First Person Accounts (FPA’s) are meant to provide a first-hand account of law graduates who have pursued, or are pursuing, a post-graduate course (an LLM or otherwise) from different universities across the world.

    Aaina Duggal graduated with an LLM from Columbia Law School in 2015, two years after she completed her Indian law degree from the University School of Law and Legal Studies
    Aaina Duggal

    Aaina Duggal graduated with an LLM from Columbia Law School in 2015, two years after she completed her Indian law degree from the University School of Law and Legal Studies. She is currently working as an Attorney at Potter Handy, LLP in San Francisco.

    In this FPA, she discusses her reasons for choosing CLS, prepping for the US Bar Exams, and finding employment as a foreign trained lawyer in the US. 

    After working at a law firm for two years, how did you know that it was a good time to apply for an LLM?

    I always intended to study further, and I felt that some work experience would give me more perspective on what to pursue going forward.

    Once you decided on pursuing an LLM, how did you go about the process of selecting the right law school? Why narrow down on Columbia?

    I applied to several law schools based on their locations and courses. Subsequently, once I was admitted to a few, I researched the courses more deeply, and found Columbia most exciting.

    With a few years of work experience under your belt, did you find it difficult to make the switch to student life once again? Looking back, do you think your work experience helped you in any way during your LLM experience? 

    Quite the contrary.

    It was delightful to go back to student life in a city like New York.

    My work experience likely informed whether I was invited to the LLM at all, and also presumably had shaped who I was and how confident I felt in my self-perception as a lawyer.

    I have also been constantly guided and supported by my first ever boss and mentor, Mr. Anupam Varma, and so I have my prior work experience to thank for the friendship and advice of one of the finest lawyers I have ever known.

    Not quite connected to the LLM experience, but how easy or difficult was it to find housing in NYC? Any advice for prospective students?

    It’s not difficult to find housing. There are many informal fora online, and universities have formal channels as well (mine did).

    My advice would be to look sooner than later, since the best places fill up. Your search will also be informed by how much you’re looking to spend, where you want to live, whether you’d like roommates or not, etc.

    I lived in International House, which was an exquisite experience.

    You must get asked this a lot but how does an international trained lawyer look for job opportunities in the US?

    There’s really no single perfect way to look for employment. My advice to someone pursuing further studies only to be employed in the US would be to do a JD (Juris Doctor).

    While that may seem strange, because the JD is an LLB equivalent, and an LLM is a masters, and therefore a “superior” degree, a JD means three years of legal education in the US.

    Firms are aware of this, and therefore, it is a better guarantor of employment, specially if you rank well. However, many students don’t want to spend another three years, and corresponding monetary costs, studying.

    After an LLM, landing a job depends on your prior work experience (with fields like corporate M&A, and arbitration being most easily adaptable across jurisdictions), your visa status, how effectively you network, and how early you start your job-search.

    Follow up question – any advice on how to go about preparing for the Bar Exams? 

    For LLM students, it’s important to recognize that the bar exams in the US are very different than other exams they’ve taken, even though Indians are used to closed-book exams and are generally very good test-takers.

    I took the bar exams in New York and California, and they were highly time sensitive. It’s imperative to practice answering questions.

    Often, in prior exams, you might’ve gotten away with reading through course materials and not practicing answering questions (I did).

    That would likely be fatal in this case.

    You would generally use a bar review course (sort of like a bar exam tuition), and most will advise you to start testing even before you feel you know the subject-matter perfectly.

    Lastly, any advice for the Indian law graduate who is considering a master’s abroad?

    Don’t drift.

    When making any big decision, it’s important to consider why. Many people pursue a masters because of ennui, or to escape a dull job that demands far too much of them.

    I’m not judging your reason, but spare a thought for what’s ahead, and you’re likely to plan everything better.

    In Alice in Wonderland, when Alice comes to a fork in the road, she asks the Cheshire Cat, “Which road should I take?”. “Where do you want to go?” responds the Cheshire Cat. “I don’t know”, Alice answers. “Then”, says the grinning Cat, “it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

    (This interview was conducted by Swati Sabharwal, a law student at the University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University)

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  • Four things I learnt from a webinar on financing a US LLM

    Four things I learnt from a webinar on financing a US LLM

    Last week, I hosted a webinar after a gap of more than two years which must be some sort of record for the Zoom Era that we live in. Focusing on the financial aspects of a US LLM, the webinar had Harvard Law School LLM grad Megha Mehta take us through several important, and yet overlooked, topics related to funding a US LLM.

    I personally thought the webinar was quite interesting for two reasons: one, the content was the kind that really needs to be discussed more openly, and two, I got to learn. Which is always a good thing.

    In this post, one with a headline that takes me right back to good ole Buzzfeed, I share four of these learnings.

    When it comes to financial aid, negotiate hard. And with numbers.

    One of the biggest takeaways from the webinar came when the talk veered to renegotiating the quantum of aid that a law school offers. While I won’t go into the specifics, the underlying message was that you, the LLM applicant, must make the argument that without the aid, the admission offer can not be accepted.

    It really boils down to this.

    Also, it helps if you can back your request with numbers. For instance, provide details as to how much financial support your family can provide, or the percentage of current savings you can utilize on tuition.

    Conversations about finance can get awkward. But don’t avoid them.

    I personally think this awkwardness stems from Indian culture but whatever may be the reason, the fact of the matter is that discussing money can entail uncomfortable conversations. Especially when the LLM is being funded by one’s family.

    Failure to hold these discussions though, can have disastrous consequences.

    Take the example of the parent(s) who has pledged financial support without fully understanding the complete costs of the US LLM. Or perhaps failed to consider the volatility of exchange rates – what happens then? What impact could this on professional and personal relationships during the LLM as well as after the course is completed?

    Bottomline? Have that conversation. Have it now.

    Financial planning can be terribly boring

    I don’t think there is any other way to put it.

    Right from choosing which currency to take an education loan in, to calculating the tenure of interest payments, to identifying if the school’s health insurance covers dental to choosing the best bank to open an account with – all of these require some level of research and/or number crunching.

    Which, to a lot of people, can come across as intimidating or boring or a bit of both.

    But, like a lot of life, there are no real shortcuts to success here. So, invest some time and effort in the research. The results will be worth it.

    Law Schools (and LLM candidates) need to be more transparent with quantum of aid

    This is more of a wishlist item rather than anything else. I understand that law schools simply might not be able to disclose the quantum of aid that they offer to each and every candidate.

    But they certainly could provide a bit more information than is currently shared. For instance, the number of successful LLM admissions (ie those who joined the program) that were offered aid.

    Equally important is LLM candidates being a bit more upfront about the quantum of aid offered. Ideally, this information would be up on the law school website. This would not only help corroborate each side’s claims, but also give prospective applicants some useful and much-needed information rather than rely on heresy and/or their own social networks.

    (Lead Photo by Philippe Bout on Unsplash)

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  • NUS Law offering fully-funded PhDs in your field of law >> Apply by November 15, 2022

    NUS Law offering fully-funded PhDs in your field of law >> Apply by November 15, 2022

    The Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore (NUS Law) is one of the premier places for legal research in Asia. It has an active research culture with seven research centres, an intense and diverse array of research events and seminars, and large numbers of eminent researchers visiting it from around the world. In 2021, the Law School was ranked 8th globally by the Times Higher Education and 10th in the world by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

    NUS Law is offering several fully funded places for its PhD programme starting August 2023.

    Successful applicants will receive:

    • A monthly stipend of between S$2,200 and S$2,800 per month (Please click here for the full list of scholarships available), and
    • A full tuition fee subsidy for a maximum of four years.

    PhD students who successfully pass the Doctoral Candidate Qualifying Exam will receive an additional monthly stipend of up to S$500 per month.

    In addition, NUS Law will provide funding for research expenses and conferences up to a maximum of S$8,000 during the period of the programme.

    Outstanding applicants in any field of law are strongly encouraged to apply. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the Faculty Research Interests here.

    The closing date for all applications is 15 November 2022.

    Application instructions and requirements can be found here.

    For any enquiries about these positions, please e-mail lawGRADadm@nus.edu.sg

    You can also view the profiles of current NUS Law PhD students here or read first-hand accounts of NUS Law scholars Umika Sharma and Shilpi Nanda.

    Download the Call for Applications below

    Doctoral_Research_ScholarshipsDownload

    (Lead image taken from here)

  • First Person Accounts: Mallika Mendhiratta on the LLM at Cornell Law School

    First Person Accounts (FPA’s) are meant to provide a first-hand account of law graduates who have pursued, or are pursuing, a post-graduate course (an LLM or otherwise) from different universities across the world.

    Mallika Mendhiratta

    In this FPA, we get Mallika Mendhiratta to talk about her LLM experience at Cornell Law School, the LLM application process, preparing for the NY Bar Exams, and a whole lot more. 

    You have a pretty interesting career trajectory leading up to the LLM – What got you thinking about an LLM in the first place? Was this something you had considered right after your law degree? 

    For my first degree in law, I went to an average law school. Therefore, getting internships and jobs was an uphill battle. I knew I had to have a reputed law school on my CV if I wanted to have the kind of career I envisioned for myself.

    So, to answer your question, an LLM was always on my mind, right after I finished my law degree and began searching for jobs. My first thought was to apply for LLM at one of the National Law Schools.

    However, my research indicated that an LLM from India did not do much in terms of making one a more desirable candidate in the Indian job market. It was only advantageous for people who wanted to pursue academia in the future. That has never been my plan.

    In 2015, I pursued the post graduate diploma in International Law and Diplomacy from Indian Society of International Law. During the course, I met several research scholars, fellows and students from some amazing universities around the world. I think that was my cue to look towards a foreign LLM degree instead of one in India.

    However, it took me a while to process all of this, put my affairs in order and finally take the leap.

    How did you go about selecting just where to apply? And what were the schools you shortlisted?              

    I was very clear that I wanted to be in New York and that I wanted to go to an Ivy League school. To me, it did not make sense to expend resources without considerably improving my pedigree.

    Luckily, New York is home to two Ivy League schools. I applied to Cornell, Columbia and NYU.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Why narrow down on Cornell?

    Cornell has an interesting list of courses offered besides just those required to qualify for the Bar Exam. It also offers several clinical courses which gives students a chance to get their hands dirty while having someone to guide them along the way.

    The law school also has a smaller class size as compared to other law schools. This was definitely the most outstanding part.

    In the long run, it gave me a better opportunity to know my peers and interact with the outstanding faculty.

    Lastly, the Cornell campus is one of the most tranquil and beautiful places. I was excited to be able to study in a place seeped with so much history and become a part of a legacy.  

    Any thoughts on how one should go about the LLM application process? From a procedural perspective, what are the things that LLM applicants ought to be cognisant of? 

    I believe it is very important to figure out the goals you want to achieve from your LLM. Are you looking to do a specialization? Or do you just want to bear qualification of another jurisdiction? Do you want to go back to your home country after the program is over or do you want to pursue a career elsewhere?

    Answering these questions is important and would help the applicant identify the correct LLM program which fits the bill as per their requirement.

    Start the application process early. The TOEFL/ GRE test dates are sometimes booked out. Plus they have their own schedules by which they release the test results which may or may not match your deadlines.

    Make sure that these dates are WAY before the deadline. I remember that I scrambled at the last minute to find a testing location which had availability. Even then, the results for test were to be released too close to the application deadline for Cornell.

    The same goes for Letters of Recommendation (LOR). Make sure that they go on time. Gentle reminders are the way to go. Also, getting a LOR from a Supreme Court Justice/ Senior Lawyer who you have connections with is great.

    However, personalized recommendations made by people who actually know you, also go a long way in making your case to the admissions committee.

    A Statement of Purpose is one of the most important parts of your application. A common mistake that applicants make while writing the SOP is that they list out all their achievements and experience in paragraph format. That is not required.

    The admissions committee can see all of that on your CV. Instead, draw on your experience to demonstrate how the program will be a good fit for you, how the program will further your career and/ or your goals. Don’t forget to add a paragraph about why the particular law school would be great for you.    

    Looking back, what have been some of the most rewarding aspects of the Cornell LLM? More specifically, how did your work experience play a role in the LLM experience? 

    As I reflect on my experience so far, I realize that before the LLM program, I was just a law graduate who had enrolled with the Indian Bar Council. The Cornell LLM program made me a lawyer in the true sense of the word. (Not paid to say this). The teaching as well as the testing pattern pushes you to think like a lawyer. Courses like Intensive Trial Advocacy were really helpful in gaining valuable lawyering skills.

    This was a novel experience as compared to my Indian law school experience where we just crammed laws and the important judgments to pass our exams.

    I believe that my work experience before the LLM helped me build a profile which was strong enough to get the coveted acceptance letter. It also made me a more mature learner, away from the idealistic tendencies that I had after having just passed law school.

    How have you gone about preparing for the NY Bar? Are there any resources/organizations whom you would recommend to others who are looking at the NY Bar? 

    I am using BARBRI’s bar prep course to prepare for the NY Bar along with Adaptibar.

    One piece of advice that I have consistently received from colleagues who have passed the NY Bar is to take the bar prep as a full time job. It is not something you do on the side. Consistent study for at least 8 hours a day plus revisions are the only way to pass the Bar.

    The NY Board of Law Examiners requires foreign candidates to submit their foreign transcripts for evaluation. This process takes anywhere between 3-6 months. Be cognizant of this.

    If you have decided to take the NY Bar, it is prudent to send in your documents as early as possible.

    This will help you in two ways. Firstly, it will help you in deciding whether you need to take qualifying courses for the Bar during your LLM. Secondly, since the foreign evaluation is a pre-requisite to register for the NY Bar, an early assessment will ensure that you do not miss the deadline to register for the bar exam. 

    Lastly, any advice for the Indian law graduate who is considering a master’s abroad? 

    Read about impostor syndrome. Particularly about managing it. Do not let it get to you. It has the ability to hold you back from being an active participant and marring your law school experience.

    Also, networking is the best piece of advice that anyone will give to you. You need to make connections, whether or not you plan to return to your home country.

    I know that it doesn’t come easily to a lot of us. But the rewards of this particular skill are worth the effort.

    Needless to say, plan your finances. Do not hesitate to ask your institution for financial aid. 

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  • First Person Accounts: Sudipta Purkayastha on the LLM at the University of Cambridge

    First Person Accounts (FPA’s) are meant to provide a first-hand account of law graduates who have pursued, or are pursuing, a post-graduate course (an LLM or otherwise) from different universities across the world.

    Sudipta Purkayastha

    In this FPA, I get talking with Sudipta Purkayastha who graduated with an LLM from the University of Cambridge in 2018. Currently working as a Legal Assistant at the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the GNLU graduate discusses her LLM experience, the Cambridge LLM application process, and a whole lot more. 

    Keeping aside every single thing for the moment, in 2015 you interned with the then Chief Justice of Bhutan – how did you land up here? And how was this experience? 

    My internship with the erstwhile Chief Justice of Bhutan was purely fortuitous – I wrote to the Chief Justice that I was interested in learning about their judicial system, and he was open to take on an Indian intern to introduce them to the Bhutanese system.

    I was truly lucky.

    The experience was simply brilliant. I was able to gain first-hand experience across the district court, high court and supreme court levels, and the Chief Justice ensured that I worked across a variety of civil, family and criminal cases across those court levels.

    Bhutan isn’t as overwhelmed with cases as India, so it was good to see how efficient the judicial process can be if the courts are not flooded at all times. I drafted a research paper/opinion on Bhutan as a potential neutral arbitration seat for SAARC countries at the end of my internship. 

    Moving on, you applied for the Cambridge LLM right after completing the B.Sc. LLB course – how early on did you know you wanted to apply for an LLM? And when did you start the application process?

    I knew I wanted to apply for an LLM around the end of my third year/by the beginning of my fourth year. I did not apply for any law firm internships, nor did I sit for the day zero (recruitment day) in the fourth year, although I was eligible for it.

    I started the application process around 2-3 months before the application date, which included obtaining reference letters and various documents from the administration of the university.

    I will say I should have started even earlier and kept track of the various scholarships available – unfortunately missed the deadline for most of them. IwWould urge those students who know they want to apply early on to start researching into the various scholarships available and make a proper list – many of them have very early deadlines, so be careful.

    Were there any other universities you applied to? What were the criteria used to shortlist these universities? 

    Yes, I applied to New York University (International Law program), and Leiden University (International Criminal Law program). These programs fit my ultimate goal of pursuing international law (particularly international criminal law) best, and if I did not get through to any of these programs, I would most likely not have done an LLM.

    The Cambridge LLM application requires one to be quite succinct – any advice on how to go about this? Any other challenges in the application process that were specific to Cambridge alone? 

    My only advice would be to keep reviewing the personal statement over and over again. Take a break, then come back and review it again, and each time, you will see something that can be rewritten or can be removed altogether.

    Most personal statements start out having lots of superfluous information, and the more you look at it, the more you will find it needs editing. The statement doesn’t need to be unique in its content as much as it has to be well-written. If it’s well thought out and succinct, it automatically becomes a standout application.

    For Cambridge specifically, I think the biggest challenge was figuring out which college I should apply to – Cambridge has a college system, and you apply both to the Cambridge University Faculty of Law as well as the individual college.

    Both have to accept you for you to obtain a place in the program.

    Even as an LLM candidate, you managed a fair number of activities – was this something you planned beforehand? Was it difficult to balance the academic and the extra curricular?

    Yes, the LLM program is truly stressful, particularly because it is so short, so it was difficult managing extra curricular activities.

    That said, the extra curricular activities were all within my area of interest, so I did not mind devoting a few hours outside of study for them every week.

    You also completed a mini-pupillage in the UK – could you tell me a bit more about how you went about applying for this? And what were some of the learnings made? 

    For a mini-pupillage, one needs to send in a formal application to the chambers of their choice. It’s a two-week experience where you shadow a barrister and understand the relevant legal process.

    The experience was great – I did my mini-pupillage at a criminal set, since my interest lies in criminal law. I accompanied the barrister to various Crown courts, and was able to see criminal proceedings across various stages of trial and pre-trial.

    You are now working in the field of international criminal law – was this where you saw yourself way back when you were applying for an LLM? How do you think the LLM proved to be instrumental (if at all) in the journey thus far? 

    Yes, this is exactly where I hoped to be when I was applying for an LLM! The LLM was critical to me being where I am – in this field, an LLM is considered the basic qualification for even an internship.

    Lastly, any advice for the Indian law graduate who is considering a master’s abroad?

    Stop focusing on which country and which LLM will ensure you a job, because the truth is, no LLM will ever guarantee a job. I wish students would approach an LLM program with the aim of obtaining further knowledge in the area of their choosing rather than as a gateway to gain any employment outside of India.

    If all you know is that you need a job outside India, but don’t know the area of law to specialise in, don’t go for an LLM immediately; instead, work for a few years in India to understand which area of law suits you best.

    You may be shocked to learn where your strengths and interests actually lie.

    Don’t be shy to try out diverse internships/switch jobs to pin down what you really want to do.

    Once you know, focus on which LLM has the most suitable course structure, alumni base, fees, and then see how the university’s location may be beneficial for future employment (in terms of visas, existence of international organisations/relevant law firms, etc)

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