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  • Parens patriae or where I realise that educational choices are rarely made alone

    Parens patriae or where I realise that educational choices are rarely made alone

    One of the more interesting aspects of my job is that I get thrown into new situations every other day. Whether I have asked for it or not. Which is mostly not fun at all; not only is the illusory nature of free choice made quite clear, but to be made to stand face to face with your own incompetence is a deeply unpleasant exercise.

    Of course, and thank the good Lord for that, there are some exceptions. What I am about to describe to you is one of them.

    Some time back, I had the chance to meet a potential client. Along with the client’s father. In fact, it had been the father who had initiated the meeting, something which is unusual in my line of work. Post-graduate students, at least in my experience, do not involve their family in the counselling/consulting process (even though the tuition itself will be paid by the Family Bank Incorporated).

    Anyway, so there I am sitting in front of father and “child” watching so many competing, clashing and cooperating emotions jostle it out. There was concern. For the father it was concern over whether this was a good choice to make, whether this is what his child would enjoy, what the career prospects would be. For the “child”, there was concern about her own future, whether the financial investment would be justified.

    There was also an element of competing, well not competing but divergent interests. The daughter wanting to go on her own path, perhaps a tad bit shakily. The father, wanting somewhat of the same (this was a hands-off parent as far as I could tell) but also unable to be completely detached.

    And there was also this aspirational element. The daughter wanting to do well, to find approval at some level, while also chasing her own, individual ambitions. The father watching this all from a distance, slightly unsure, but willing himself to not step in too close.

    Of course, there was also plenty of love. Plenty of it. That much was clear, and it was beautiful to watch.

    At work, I think I often get far too caught up in the race for admissions, forgetting that my clients are humans after all. Or as close to humans as lawyers can get. And we human beings so often have conflicting, diverging, clashing emotions that shape our decisions. Emotions that involve more than one individual, and decisions that are taken with a very real sense of togetherness. This is probably more true in India, than elsewhere, and makes for such an interesting study.

    Of course, the cynic in me would say that the greatest learning here is that I should start targeting parents rather than their offspring. And I probably will.

    But that would be missing the point.

    Of that I am sure. Quite sure.

  • First Person Accounts: Sneha Priya Yanappa on the BCL, Oxford University

    First Person Accounts: Sneha Priya Yanappa on the BCL, Oxford University

    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 (LL.M. or otherwise) from different universities across the world.

    Sneha Priya Yanappa is graduate of Symbiosis Law School, Pune (BA LLB ’18) and a BCL candidate at the University of Oxford (’19). In this FPA, she shares her reasons for choosing the BCL, finding adequate scholarships and funding, the BCL experience itself, and a lot more.

    At what stage of your undergraduate days did you start considering a post-graduate degree? Did you consider working for a few years before embarking on post-graduate studies?

    It was right from my first year. I think very often we take our education for granted. The general attitude is that because we have five years in hand, we can take things lightly. This is exactly what I did not want to do. So, I set up short term and long-term goals. Short term- of what I wanted to do immediately. Long term- of what I wanted to do in a span of a year.

    Oxford was a dream. But this would not have been possible without the support of three people who have been my mentors for the past 6 years- my brother- Ritesh Yanappa, and my seniors Vadeendra Joshi and Ayush Sharma.

    I think it is very important to dream big. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I am thankful for having studied in SLS, Pune. Nothing came easy so it made me work harder for everything I wanted to achieve.

    “I think it is very important to dream big. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I am thankful for having studied in SLS, Pune. Nothing came easy so it made me work harder for everything I wanted to achieve.”

    Yes, I did consider working for a few years before embarking on post-graduate studies. However, as time passed by, I think my choice was clearer-I wanted to pursue it immediately. The change came about when I went to Germany to do a semester exchange where my zeal and hunger to study more became apparent. For me, doing a master’s was to broaden my knowledge base of the fields that I was interested in and not to score a high- paying job. Besides, being part of a diverse environment brings with itself lessons of life that last forever.

    “For me, doing a master’s was to broaden my knowledge base of the fields that I was interested in and not to score a high- paying job. Besides, being part of a diverse environment brings with itself lessons of life that last forever.”

    How did you go about selecting law schools, and why narrow down on the BCL?

    I wanted a healthy balance – a university that is known for its reputation overall and is known for the subjects that it offers. I think it’s very important that one has an overall experience. Therefore, Harvard, Oxford, NYU and Columbia were my choices. BCL was a challenging course and hence I did not even think twice before doing it.

    The BCL brings together people of different jurisdictions together on discussions on the most difficult issues in law, with an in-depth engagement requiring immersion in law as well as an openness towards discussing on neighbouring areas. What separates it from other courses is the way it is conducted-we have a demanding schedule requiring independent study, highly participative seminars and a complementary system of small group contact with tutors in the form of tutorials.

    One of the other reasons I chose the BCL is because of the subjects it offered- the interaction it has with neighbouring academic disciplines allows one to appreciate and develop a critical attitude towards law. Oxford gives you the intellectual freedom to think differently and independently, and that is exactly what I wanted.

    “One of the other reasons I chose the BCL is because of the subjects it offered- the interaction it has with neighbouring academic disciplines allows one to appreciate and develop a critical attitude towards law. “

    Did you apply for financial aid of any kind?

    I was awarded the Jesus College/Law Faculty Scholarship at Oxford. Along with this, I was awarded the J.N Tata Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad, 2018 and the K.C Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies, 2018.

    I received other scholarships during my course- the J.N Tata Gift Scholarship for Academic Excellence and the Hanuman Bursary Award by the Oxford Hindu Society to pursue the BCL.

    There are many scholarships that can one apply but it is very important to be aware. For instance, many of these scholarship applications have deadlines even before you get your admit from the university.

    “There are many scholarships that can one apply but it is very important to be aware. For instance, many of these scholarship applications have deadlines even before you get your admit from the university.  “

    The writing requirements for BCL admissions are fairly demanding – any advice on how to go about the application process?

    I only have three important things to advise to anyone who wishes to apply for the BCL- Believe, prepare early and stand out. Belief is very important, for even when I was wishing to apply for the BCL, many of my friends laughed at my decision.

    “Belief is very important, for even when I was wishing to apply for the BCL, many of my friends laughed at my decision.“

    So, it is important to not allow people’s negativity to stop you from chasing your dreams. I think it is important to start preparing early- it just helps you understand the process better. The selection panel looks for individuals that have a good balance between academic and extra-curricular achievements. It is good to have great academic credentials, but it is also important to have participated in other co-curricular activities. Let every activity in law school shape your application.

    “It is good to have great academic credentials, but it is also important to have participated in other co-curricular activities. Let every activity in law school shape your application.”

    The BCL application is one of the longest applications that you’d ever come across, and for good reason too- it’s Oxford!

    It is important to stand out- and it is here that every little detail counts. The best thing is to be honest and be straightforward. References play a huge role in the determination of your application. It is important to choose someone who knows you well enough. The other two components are the essay and the personal statement- both of which must be as focused and clear as possible.

    Your personal statement needs to be presented in a manner that can connect your achievements with your reasons for pursuing a master’s degree.

    How has the BCL experience been thus far? What have been some of the highlights along the way?

    The BCL experience has been nothing but overwhelming. It has been academically challenging yet extremely rewarding. It helped me understand critical legal issues across various areas of law in an in-depth manner through robust discussions with professors and fellow course mates alike.

    It was an exhilarating experience being taught International Criminal Law by Judge Theodor Meron, a legend in the field. I also had the opportunity of being taught by excellent professors like Antonios Tzanakopolous, Sandra Fredman et al. I think it is not just the academic study, but also the lifelong friendships that I made in these 9 months, which was complemented by the unique student life at Oxford, marked by dinners (in academic gowns) and clichéd pictures almost everywhere. I met so many people from different corners of the world, each with a unique story to share.

    “I met so many people from different corners of the world, each with a unique story to share.”

    The biggest highlights of my experience in Oxford has to be the two committees that I was part of. I was the editor of the Oxford Transitional Justice Research Group (OTJR), an inter-disciplinary network of academics and students working on issues of transition in societies recovering from conflict and/or repressive rule.  I also worked as a Research Officer for the Oxford Pro-bono Publico, an organization dedicated to promoting the principles and practice of public interest law on a pro bono basis.

    I worked on two projects- one relating to Anonymity protection for child victims and witnesses in South Africa and the other on Tort/delictual and constitutional damages arising from the death of a child as a result of the breach by the state of its constitutional obligations. I also received the Bonavero Institute Fellowship under the Eric Lewis Internship Fund and will be working in an organization called REDRESS in London for three months.

    What is your reading of the UK recruitment market when it comes to BCL graduates?

    The UK recruitment is extremely competitive. This automatically makes it difficult for one to secure vacation schemes or mini-pupillages.

    I think it is very important to do a background research on the market prospects at the same time when one is applying for masters abroad. A meritorious application, nevertheless has great potential and the BCL holds great value in this respect.

    Lastly, any advice for Indian law grads who are considering a post-graduate course outside the country?

    One of the most important things that I realized is that everyone has a different perspective towards when one should pursue masters, I don’t think there is a right answer to this, especially because everyone has different experiences.

    “One of the most important things that I realized is that everyone has a different perspective towards when one should pursue masters, I don’t think there is a right answer to this, especially because everyone has different experiences.”

    Therefore, it is important to create your own opinion as opposed to listening to others. You need to be motivated, inspired and prepared as the battle out there is not easy. Very often, people get disheartened when they compare themselves with others. But it is important to realize that we are our only competition.

    If we don’t realize our potential, we are bound to fail. One important thing- it doesn’t make you a smaller person if you reach out to others for help. It always helps when you hear out experiences from people who have gone through the process.

    “It doesn’t make you a smaller person if you reach out to others for help. It always helps when you hear out experiences from people who have gone through the process.”

    Lastly, you may always not get what you want, so it is important to not be disillusioned by this; it is important rather to make use of every opportunity that comes your way and work towards your dream.

  • First Person Accounts: Vidya Madhusudhan on the LL.M. at Maastricht University

    First Person Accounts: Vidya Madhusudhan on the LL.M. at Maastricht University

    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 (LL.M. or otherwise) from different universities across the world.

    Vidya Madhusudhan is a current LL.M. candidate at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Law, specialising in Corporate and Commercial Law. A graduate of Karnataka State Law University (BA LLB 2018), Vidya discusses the process of shortlisting just where to apply, what attracted her to Maastricht University, writing a good personal statement, and a whole lot more.

    (Edited excerpts)

    Since you enrolled for the LLM right after your undergrad, when did you start the application process itself? 

    The application period opens in mid-October for Maastricht University and for the Netherlands in general, so I think I applied by the last week of October.

    How did you go about selecting just where to apply? What were some of the schools you shortlisted, and what made you narrow down on Maastricht? 

    I started researching toward the end of my third year of Bachelors of Law and decided to use a few criteria to consider while deciding which universities to apply to.  Some of them were the course content, the reputation of the faculty and faculty members, the system of education, how international student friendly the university/country was etc. I decided to see the ranking only after I shortlisted the Universities and not the other way around.

    “I decided to see the ranking only after I shortlisted the Universities and not the other way around.”

    I chose Maastricht University because of the PBL system that they use in the tutorials as I feel it is the best way of self-learning and learning from your peers. Maastricht University also has a well-reputed law faculty, it is very friendly to international students, and the city is beautiful like all other Dutch cities.

    Also, any advice on the application process itself, for instance on writing personal statements, sourcing letters of recommendation etc?

    The Personal Statement is a way of them getting to know who we are and what are aspirations are. Our marks are not everything or who we are. The best way to write one is to note down your own thoughts about yourself in brief and then refine it to fit the requirements.

    Mine was totally unique and I did not go by samples on the internet as none of them reflected my story. I do believe that it makes a lot of difference to our application. I think like all other universities, Maastricht University admissions office is looking to know who a person is, their background, their inspiration to pick up a particular line of study and why they want to pursue a particular course here, and how it will be beneficial to them in the future. I think keeping all this in mind while drafting a personal statement is crucial.

    “Like all other universities, Maastricht University admissions office is looking to know who a person is, their background, their inspiration to pick up a particular line of study and why they want to pursue a particular course here, and how it will be beneficial to them in the future.”

    While looking for someone to recommend you, it is important that you approach someone who knows you and what you have done over the course of your undergraduate degree is very important. I got two letters of recommendation from Professors in my college who knew me from the first year of law school and one from my senior at my internship as had I interned directly under him for one and a half years and he was aware of my work and me as an individual.

    It is very important that you have all the documents ready by September of the year in which you intend to apply as most applications begin by September/October every year for the following September intake.

    Did you apply for/receive financial aid? 

    No, my parents funded my education.

    Was there an option of moving to another specialisation once you had enrolled? What attracted you to the Corporate & Commercial law specialisation at Maastricht University?

    Yes, it was definitely an option to change my specialisation once I was enrolled at Maastricht University. I found that all the course coordinators/Professors were well-reputed in their own fields, they had excellent in-depth knowledge in their field of expertise, I was allowed to choose courses that were of interest to me, thus it made it easy for me to tailor-make my courses within the field of Corporate and Commercial law.

    “I was allowed to choose courses that were of interest to me, thus it made it easy for me to tailor-make my courses within the field of Corporate and Commercial law.”

    UM also has events where you can network with various people in the industry, the UM career services gives you inputs on your CV and cover letter, and also has an option where you can have a mock interview and get feedback about it.

    How has the LLM experience been thus far? Any highlights along the way?

    The experience has far exceeded my expectations as I grew personally and professionally in the past one year. I have had so many experiences and learnt things that I will always use in the future.

    One major highlight would be the system of learning in Maastricht as I realised that this system was best suited to me and I loved studying and learning in the Maastricht University PBL system.

    Could you also tell me a bit about the Premium programme that you are also a part of?

    The Premium programme is an Honours Programme at Maastricht University. There is a multistep selection process. Once selected, you are allotted a real-life project in a Company/Organisation along with a team which is interdisciplinary in nature.

    You have a mentor and a coach who help you along the course of the project. The mentor guides you and the team throughout the project and gives you very valuable insights when needed, and the coach helps you to develop yourself personally.

    Along with that, you have to attend 6 workshops which are really useful as it helps you to use the skills you learn immediately within the team and on the project. I am proud to have been part of the team for the Philips Project and I thoroughly enjoyed the Honours program.

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

    There are many options to choose from within the LLM. There is a greater degree of flexibility academically, so time must be spent on understanding the courses offered and which area you might have an interest in doing the thesis in. This will be of help in selecting the courses. Connecting with the alumni always helps when in doubt.

    I would strongly advise an undergraduate law student to start the process early. It is good to connect to the Alumni of any University on LinkedIn and talk to them about their experience. And be prepared for a lot of hard work. The workload can be backbreaking at times. I also took this opportunity to make friends with students from other countries all over the world and this was the most enriching experience.

    “I would strongly advise an undergraduate law student to start the process early. It is good to connect to the Alumni of any University on LinkedIn and talk to them about their experience”

  • The Amicus Interviews: David Busis, 7Sage

    The Amicus Interviews: David Busis, 7Sage

    The Amicus Interviews are meant for broader discussions on legal education, and the legal profession at the global level. One of the goals of this series of interviews is to get the views of Indian academics on legal education, both in India and abroad. Another goal would be to track the educational aspirations of the Indian Law Graduate (ILG), especially when it comes to studying outside the country.

    I first heard of 7Sage when Conrad Noronha (JD, Columbia Law School) mentioned it in his FPA interview. He had used their services while prepping for the LSATs. After a bit of research, I thought it would be a good idea to speak with David Busis, head of admissions at 7Sage who, incidentally, turned down both Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.

    This is what he had to say.

    David, let’s get this done with right at the start before the suspense kills me, you chose not to attend Harvard Law School as well as Yale Law. This beautiful essay provides a few reasons why. But do you ever regret the decision?

    Ha! Honestly, I don’t. Although I love helping other people get into law school, I knew it wasn’t the right path for me. I was supposed to be a teacher, coach, and writer.

    And keeping with that theme, do you ever find yourself telling LSAT takers that law school may or may not be everything it is made out to be?

    I haven’t gone to law school, so I can’t speak from experience, but if I get the sense that someone is applying to law school out of desperation or a failure of imagination, then I poke around and ask if they know what they’re getting into.

    The application process is a small crucible that can help a student discover his motivation—or help him discover that he doesn’t have one. It’s important to go through that before you begin your 1L year, which is a much bigger and hotter crucible!

    “The application process is a small crucible that can help a student discover his motivation—or help him discover that he doesn’t have one. “

    Now that that is done, let’s get down to business: do you think the JD programme continues to be an attractive option for today’s student? Or do you see the rush for law school applications decreasing in the US?

    Applications are slightly down compared to last year, but the volume of law school applicants has climbed for three years in a row. Anecdotally, a lot of the applicants I talk to continue to be motivated by our fractious political situation. (People talked about the “Trump bump” last year.)

    We also see a lot of applicants who came of age during the 2008 financial recession and are motivated by what they saw.

    There are a number of Indian law graduates who are considering the JD at US law schools. How early should they start LSAT prep, and any other advice you would have for them when it comes to writing the LSATs?

    In my experience, most people need to study for at least six months to maximize their potential. I would start by learning the foundational principles of logic games and logical reasoning, then titrate in some full, timed practice sections and weekly prep tests. We have a free study schedule tool here.

    When I was studying, I kept an LSAT journal in which I wrote down my mistakes and the inferences that I missed. I reviewed that journal before I took a practice test.

    One of the more common pain points when it comes to law school applications is the personal statement. Any advice on how the prospective applicant ought to structure her personal statement? 

    Locate the inflection point of your story. It may be that one event changed your life; it may be that a circumstance or encounter caused you to grow. In either case, you can follow the classic “before, turning point, after” structure.

    Before: I was/believed X.
    Turning point: Y happened.
    After: I am/believe Z.

    But this structure has a corollary: don’t invest an event with more importance than it deserves. This is one of the most common mistakes that I see. People try to spin a minor incident into a triumphal narrative, presumably because they’ve read a truly dramatic essay—about resisting a hijacker on a plane, escaping an oppressive country, surviving cancer—and believe that they must reach a similar pitch of emotion. The mistake doesn’t lie in writing about a minor incident. The mistake lies in aggrandising that incident.

    “The mistake doesn’t lie in writing about a minor incident. The mistake lies in aggrandising that incident.”

    You don’t have to make your admissions reader bang the desk and cry out, “By gad, admit him!” All you have to do is transmit something genuine and illuminate your motivation.

    “You don’t have to make your admissions reader bang the desk and cry out, “By gad, admit him!” All you have to do is transmit something genuine and illuminate your motivation.”

    Our admissions course has a lot more free advice about the essays in general and structure in particular.

    Final question, one of the more interesting aspects of 7Sage is the avowed mission to “level the playing field” when it comes to law school applications. Do you think that US law schools are also addressing this need for diversity and inclusivity?

    I really do! Admissions officers are making a huge and sustained effort not just to consider diverse applicants fairly, but to recruit more of them in the first place.

    This goal affects every aspect of the admissions process, including the trend of accepting applicants on the basis of a GRE score alone.

  • First Person Accounts: Labdhi Jhatakia on the LL.M. at the University of New South Wales (UNSW)

    First Person Accounts: Labdhi Jhatakia on the LL.M. at the University of New South Wales (UNSW)

    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 (LL.M. or otherwise) from different universities across the world.

    In this edition, Labdhi Jhatakia (Pravin Gandhi College of Law ’16, UNSW ’20) talks about her time as an LLM candidate at the University of New South Wales, how she went about the application process, studying in Australia, and a whole lot more.

    (Edited excerpts)

    After graduating in 2016, you worked for close to 3 years and then opted for the LLM. Did you ever consider enrolling for the LLM right after your undergraduate degree? Or was the plan to work for a few years and then apply?

    Well, I would like to correct you there. Post-graduation I worked for about two and a half years (a combination of litigation as well as corporate law) and then chose the path of doing my Masters.

    I always knew I wanted to achieve the highest qualification of degree as a matter of prestige as well as out of personal desire. In my opinion education is the highest asset an individual can ever own.

    “In my opinion education is the highest asset an individual can ever own.”

    The plan was to work for a few years, see how the local market functions and get a fair idea of how you fit into the working culture of your own birthplace first and then upgrade yourself to a masters degree so that you can relate what you are potentially going to study with what you have practically experienced.

    How did you go about selecting just where to apply? What were some of the schools that you applied to, and how did you go about narrowing down on UNSW?

    Well quite honestly, I always wanted to opt for a University that would offer me a scholarship as I was a candidate with decent work experience and a good legal profile back in India.

    Not everything always works in your favour (I would blame the Mumbai University’s low marking system for losing out on that one though)

    The University of New South Wales had good rankings, it was standing somewhere on the 14th rank (QS law school ranking I suppose) last I checked.  They were offering a very good combination of courses, especially subjects like Financial Technology, Regulatory Technology, Principled Negotiation (The Harvard Negotiation Project) etc – these subjects are a very relatable in today’s fast-growing so-called techie world and therefore lawyers cannot escape understanding or risk being less acquainted of developments and legal issues and challenges flagged by these know-hows. UNSW is one of the most renowned Universities in Australia and therefore I finally came down to proceeding with UNSW.

    I had also applied for the University of Melbourne and University of Sydney and QUT amongst others in Australia. Some observations on these:

    • Melbourne Law School – Apparently doesn’t accept Mumbai University Students due to their low scores in the degree as they have a minimum cut off 70 % which no Mumbai University student got ever)
    • University of Sydney – The subjects could not match the innovation level that UNSW was offering me.
    • Queensland University of Technology – I had applied specifically for IPR courses but was always more inclined towards Finance Law or Commercial Law subjects.

    Any advice on how to go about the application process, in terms of time management, written requirements etc?

    As far as the application procedure is concerned, they are usually pretty standard and typical. However, I still know some people who have been rejected too. I suppose most students come off a bit lazy in putting their heart and soul into the Statement of Purpose and the Letter of Recommendations to be submitted to the Uni’s while being considered for admission.  I recommend they be written truthfully and not a copy paste from your counsellors’ template or internet.

    Also make sure that you spend as much time on the website of each of the University and shortlist things like – what courses are they offering; compare the subject being offered by two different universities, do not only go by the title of each of the elective but go through the entire course description and choose wisely etc.

    These universities always have very detailed information on every aspect very easily spot able and systematically displayed. Just spend a lot of time on their website.

    Did you apply for/receive financial aid of any kind?

    I did try for every source like scholarships, bank loans etc., but unfortunately couldn’t succeed with any. I ultimately had to make temporary arrangements from family members internally, however I see that positively,  to an extent that my attention towards my course holds more seriousness as there is a self-built responsibility to return the favours someday coupled with a realisation that I have finally landed up with an opportunity not many get due to various circumstantial issues.

    How has the LLM experience been thus far? How have you used your practical work experience in your LLM classes? 

    The study experience has been out of the world, I feel wonderful about having to apply a lot of energy and mind behind choosing assignment topics, taking care of the stringent university plagiarism policies and finally working towards some original piece of research topics that you can rightfully own and declare as original unlike the Indian educational system (against mugging up study material).

    The University also had an option of taking up an internship as a part of credits towards my course which made it possible for me to gain practical exposure of how not for profits/community legal services function internationally.

    The subjects taught here demand a lot of opinion, personal perspective and observation, class discussion, group participations and class engagement which mandates wider application of mind and enables you to express your opinion about the happenings in the world. I am also interning at a prestigious Community Legal Center as a practical legal trainee to add more value to my profile and make the most of my time here in Australia.

    “The subjects taught here demand a lot of opinion, personal perspective and observation, class discussion, group participations and class engagement which mandates wider application of mind and enables you to express your opinion about the happenings in the world.”

    What do you think are the greatest benefits of studying at UNSW?

    I don’t think it would be right for me to say that one university benefits more than the other except of course that the rankings are better, reviews are better and that the subjects offered are more relatable to recent trends. Without having studied at another university, there is no basis on which I can openly compare two universities.

    They all maintain excellency in their delivery of program. It basically depends on what university suits your needs the best. For me, UNSW worked the best due to the combination of subjects I was looking at like I already mentioned above.

    Lastly, any advice for the Indian law graduate who is considering an LLM, or any other master’s, abroad?

    My advice to potential LLM candidates would be stay back after your law course, gain some work experience understand how the market works and then go for your masters. Don’t rush into it immediately after graduating from law.

    I find myself in a better position to understand the excellency and superiority with which the law courses are designed as I can relate it to the post qualification experience I have gained back in India. Basically, it helps you find the link and interconnectedness between practical implementation and development in academics in the legal profession.

    On the flip side, ensure you lower your expectations with respect to stay back options abroad, as most abroad LLM courses are just one year, which does not automatically give you a post graduate work visa and that may be seen as a challenge in terms of recovery of money invested in the Masters program. Research with respect to the processes of your law degree getting recognized overseas in extremely essential. These are not things you can leave to your agent/counsellor. You need to research this yourself.

    “Research with respect to the processes of your law degree getting recognized overseas in extremely essential. These are not things you can leave to your agent/counsellor. You need to research this yourself.”

    As far as the curriculum is concerned be rest assured it is a complete new world of study methods and time you start using your brains, deep thinking methods and evaluations, looking at things from larger perspective and above all a very high quality elevated educational experience.