First Person Accounts (FPA’s) are meant to provide a first-hand account of lawyer’s who have pursued a post-graduate course from different schools across the world.
Not necessarily restricted to an LLM, the FPAs should serve as some guide as to which is the ideal law school for you.
Soumya Shekhar, a graduate of NLU Delhi (Class of ’13), completed her LLM from the National University of Singapore (Class of ’16). In this FPA with Amicus Partners, she talks about the things that worked, and those that did not, and a whole lot more.
Amicus Partners: At what point in your undergrad did you start thinking about a masters? Or was this something you chose, after you started working?
Soumya Shekhar: I always had a passion for academics. Since my fifth year, I had a plan in my mind that I would pursue a Masters degree after obtaining some work experience. Hence, a Masters degree was always the plan.
AP: What made you join Luthra & Luthra? Looking back, would you have done things differently?
SS:I had interned at Luthra when I was in my fourth year of law school. The work environment and the learning opportunities there were unparalleled. Hence, when I received an offer, I did not think twice before accepting. No, I would not have done anything differently.
AP: Two years at Luthra, you enrolled for an LLM. How did you choose the course and university? Apart from NUS, were there any other schools that you were looking at?
SS: Since law school, I have been extremely interested in corporate and financial services laws. A number of my publications and paper presentations were also on various aspects of corporate law. Hence, the subject in which I wanted to pursue a Masters was always to be corporate law.
NUS has a very good faculty in corporate law plus I had interacted with a few of its alumni before deciding. I did get through University College London but I chose NUS over that, primarily because I got offered a full scholarship from NUS.
AP: How was your LLM experience at NUS? Anything you particularly liked and/or disliked? If you could give any advice to law students who are looking to do a masters, what would it be?
SS: My experience at NUS was brilliant. The academic culture there and the quality of lectures are very different from the way we are taught in India. The stress on analytical thinking over rote learning was something which impressed me the most.
Students looking to pursue a Masters should do so for the right reasons. Do a Masters if you are genuinely interested in academics and have a passion for learning.
AP: Did you opt for any scholarship/aid for your LLM?
SS: I received the Faculty Graduate Scholarship from NUS.
AP: How were the recruitment prospects of your LLM cohort? Did you consider working in Singapore, or was there little scope of this once you graduated?
SS: At the time of passing out I had three offers from various top law firms in India. My cohorts too had secured good offers. I, personally was not inclined to work in Singapore, however, those who wished to work there did land jobs.
AP: You mentioned that you are now working as an independent consultant. How has that journey been?
SS: The journey has been amazing so far. Being a legal research consultant requires me to provide my clients with impeccable research and legal writing. The wide variety of legal research and the writing style picked up by me during my time at NUS immensely helps me in my current work profile and also adds to my credibility.
The fact of the matter is that LLM programs can be prohibitively expensive, especially when you look at the offerings of the top US law schools. Of course, this is a well-documented feature, and by now, most LLM applicants have a rough idea of how much the master’s in law is going to cost them, and what they should budget for.
Having said that, there are still a few “hidden” costs that can often lead to a ballooning of the final cost of the degree. The three mentioned below are some of the more commonly overlooked ones.
Application feesMost, if not all, law schools will charge you an application fee; the quantum of this is usually around the hundred dollar mark. Now if you are only going to apply to one or two law schools, than this may not be a significant expenditure.
However, if you are looking at multiple options spread over different continents, than the application fees can often touch the thousand dollar level. Which, if you think about it, is a cost that you can largely avoid by simply spending some more time deciding just where to apply.
Living costs Very often, the only figure that will catch your eye is that related to tuition fees. Which can be misleading. Because, even if you have shortlisted courses on the basis of fees charged, you may end up paying a lot more for living costs.The general rule is that big cities are far more expensive than rural or university towns.But then, cities very often come with cheaper public transport, something that smaller towns may not offer. Hence, while drawing up the initial budget, do keep such factors in mind.
Lastly, include the costs of social events (formal dinners, travel excursions etc) under this heading.
Healthcare and insurance At times, health insurance will have to be sourced through the law school and the costs for the same will be spelt out in the “Tuition and costs” page. If not, then you should do some research on the insurance options available to you, and their costs.Once again, this may by itself seem like a minor cost, but put together with the above two, it can add up to a significant amount.
First Person Accounts (FPA’s) are meant to provide a first-hand account of lawyer’s who have pursued a post-graduate course from different schools across the world.
Not necessarily restricted to an LLM, the FPAs should serve as some guide as to which is the ideal law school for you.
In this FPA with Amicus Partners, the Panjab University graduate (Class of ’16) talks about choosing the ideal LLM, internships at law school, and a whole lot more.
Amicus Partners: At what point in time did you decide to pursue a master’s degree? What did you want to get out of the LLM program?
Bhavya Mahajan: I wanted to pursue a master’s degree from the very beginning of my law school. Initially, there were no expectations, and I just wanted a master’s just for the sake of it. It was during the 4th and 5th year of my law school when I started giving it a serious thought.
I then wanted to get a specialization in an area of my interest which, I was clear by that time, was not litigation or corporate law. I also hoped to getting more exposure and experience in a different and better academic setting.
AP: How did you go about university selection?
BM:My application process was very haphazard. I was not looking to apply to the States or any other country rather I was preparing for my CLAT entrance. One thing that I was clear about was that I wanted to specialize in a field that had other prospects than litigation.
It was a complete coincidence that I found out about Pepperdine University and their ADR programs, and it interested me a lot. So, I went ahead and applied.
However, I still was not sure about going abroad, and did not apply to any other university. Besides, I was a little late with my applications and some universities had stopped accepting applications by then.
AP: Also, was it your internship at the State LSA that prompted your decision to study dispute resolution?
BM: Partially, yes. I briefly interned at the State LSA and had some exposure to mediation. When I was considering various specializations, dispute resolution was on my mind. There were other factors at play too.
AP: Did you apply for any sort of financial aid/scholarships?
BM: Yes, I did. So, all the applications submitted to Pepperdine University are, by default, considered for partial scholarships. The amount awarded by the university generally varies but can go up to 50% waiver in the tuition fee.
I also applied for the JAMS scholarship which sponsors the education of one student. Unfortunately, I could not get the JAMS scholarship but I received a 50% waiver as the Straus Merit Award.
AP: What were some of the biggest learnings during the LLM? How demanding was the course?
BM: The course itself was very fulfilling and challenging. The biggest difference there was the focus on research and analytical learning which, sadly, I missed out on during my LLB. I had never realized my strengths at legal and academic research before this. Simultaneously, I had a chance to get hands on experience in mediation as well as arbitration.
The course load can be very demanding as we are required to balance our academic requirements whilst doing our mandatory internship(s). But the best thing about the course structure is that it is flexible. As an international student, you also have an option to complete your degree in more than one year or two semesters.
AP: You also managed to secure a few internships, as well as a Research Assistant (RA) position. Any advice for how one can go about this process?
BM: The procedure for hiring an RA varies from university to university. I had applied for the position in the very beginning of the program but got appointed after one semester. Pepperdine’s School of Law generally tries to evaluate the new students before offering them research positions.
The best approach here would be to stay in contact with your professors, and before applying for research positions figure out what would be the area of your interest. Also, RA positions can be demanding too. So, to start working as an RA and then be unable to focus on academics is a bad idea.
As far as the internships were concerned, the key was networking. Most of the universities in the States have a culture for promoting communication. Pepperdine especially, was very proactive in organizing meet-ups with professionals from the field, host guest lectures or interactive sessions and seminars.
The first internship that I secured during my masters was with a guest lecturer who was a family law attorney and mediator. I liked her lecture and ended up talking to her after the class. I expressed my interest in interning with her and she was kind enough to offer me a position.
AP: How did the United Nations Funds and Programmes internship happen? What is the kind of work that you did there?
BM:I stumbled upon the opening a few days after my graduation and decided to apply. The position requirements were specific and they wanted someone with an academic background in mediation. I thought I was a good match for the position. Their selection procedure included a review of academic writing samples and course transcripts. The final decision was then based on a Skype interview.
The work, initially, focused on office’s outreach and mediation advocacy. The Office catered to five different UN agencies and conducted various training programs and conflict management seminars on a regular basis. I was actively involved with this and simultaneously assisted the Ombudsman with the cases.
This included communicating with the visitors, follow-ups, participating in intake and mediation sessions. Most importantly, I was given the responsibility to research and draft articles for the Office’s annual report. I was also actively involved in the editing of the report, which came out during the last week of my internship.
AP: Looking back, anything that you would have done differently with respect to your LLM applications?
BM: Yes, definitely. I would have planned things more thoroughly and researched more about different universities and the programs that they offer. Also, I would have researched the scholarship programs better. I did not know about the Fulbright program until after I started my LLM. Had I known about it earlier, I would have definitely given it a shot.
AP: Any advice for law students considering a master’s course?
BM: I would say that plan ahead of time. Keep exploring different options. Choose a field based on your interest or experience, and not because it will pay well in future or someone else said it was good.
AP: Last question, what do you think a good legal education should provide?
BM: I strongly believe that a good legal education should focus on analytical learning. The legal education system in India is designed to ask the students ‘What the law is’ rather than ‘How to apply this law’. Experiential learning is important too and requires equal emphasis but the former can help the students prepare better for the latter.
In the first interview under The Admission Interviews, Amicus Partners speaks with Elizabeth H. Woyczynski from the Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law. At CWRU, Elizabeth is the Administrative Director of Admissions and Student Services, Foreign Graduate Legal Services.
In this interview, Elizabeth discusses crucial aspects of the LLM application process such as the personal statements, letters of recommendation, as well as what are the things to keep in mind while applying for an LLM.
Amicus Partners: What do law schools look for in personal statements?
Elizabeth H. Woyczynski: What’s most important is that your personal statement is well written.
We want to see that you know how to structure a paragraph, and an essay – with introductions, arguments, and conclusions. LLM students need these skills to succeed in law school. Of course, we want to see good grammar too.
Secondly, we want to get to know you. An LLM is a demanding program of study, and we want to know your motivation to study law in your country, and your motivation to pursue an LLM in the USA.
Thirdly, we like to see that you have investigated LLM programs, and you have a sense about how our LLM program meets your personal interests.
AP: How are letter of recommendations evaluated by the Admissions Office?
EHW: We require two letters of recommendation. We like to see a least one letter of recommendation from a law school professor.
If you can’t get both letters from law professors, get the other letter from someone who has supervised you in the work place, who can speak to your work ethic and your career ambitions.
AP: When should one start the application process?
EHW: It’s best to start the application process as soon as possible. Look for application deadlines on the LLM websites.
Make sure that all your admissions documents have arrived before the deadline. Students who apply too close to the deadline, or worse, after the deadline, don’t have as good a chance of getting admitted or, especially, getting merit scholarships.
CWRU LLM has rolling admission. So, whenever you complete your application for admission, one month before the deadline or six months before the deadline, we let applicants know about admission and merit based scholarship within one week of the day they complete their applications for admission.
AP: What are the chances of securing financial aid?
EHW: CWRU LLM awards all merit scholarships on the basis of the application for admission. I think this is common for LLM programs at many universities.
Just to be sure, you should email each LLM Admission Office to ask if they have any separate applications or deadlines for merit scholarships. The CWRU LLM does not award need-based financial aid. We award our scholarships on the basis of academics and geographic diversity.
Tara Ollapally talks about her own experiences as a law student, first at ULC Bangalore and then at Columbia Law School. She also discusses the urgent need to push mediation, especially in commercial disputes. And lastly, she talks about how lawyers can make good mediators, and whether our legal education equips today’s lawyers with the skills required for effective mediation.
You can also read edited excerpts from the podcast here and here.
Amicus Partners 