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Posted March 13, 2025

What careers can you pursue with an LLM degree?

What careers can you pursue with an LLM degree

An LLM degree program can open up a wide variety of career opportunities, particularly in the legal and business sectors.

What specialism should you choose?

When considering what LLM degree to study, as well as a general Master of Laws, there is also a wide range of specialisms to choose from, including human rights law, international law, family law and commercial law.  Depending on what area you choose to specialise in, there are various excellent career options available to you once you have completed the course.

What careers could you advance with an LLM degree?

In this blog we are going to look at some of the career options that could become available to you once you have studied a Master of Laws.

NGOs & charities – if you choose to specialise in human rights law, your LLM will be an excellent asset for work at a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) or charity. Work at institutions such as Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders or Oxfam will be greatly benefited if you have a solid understanding of the potential legal issues surrounding human rights.

Academia – Interested in pursuing a career in academia? Studying a Master of Laws will help you have a stronger foundation and more specialist knowledge in certain legal areas.

Compliance & regulation – studying a general LLM or ones that specialises in business or corporate law is a great way to get essential knowledge if you want a career advising businesses and companies on how to ensure they adhere to necessary rules and regulations. This is particularly important in fields such as finance, technology and healthcare.

Law firm partner – bringing it back to the more specific legal arena, the more legal knowledge, skills and experience you have, the more likely you are to make the transition from law firm associate to law firm partner, particularly if your LLM includes modules or specialisms such as corporate law or international law.

In-house counsel – large organisations often employ in-house counsel, that is legal advisors and lawyers that work for them directly rather than needing to outsource to an external law firm. The role of in-house counsel can include contact negotiation, litigation advice and other legal issues that may arise.

Mediation – studying an LLM degree specialising in family or child law is an excellent way to get relevant additional knowledge to help if you want a career in family and divorce mediation. And although lawyers make very good mediators, it is not necessary to be a lawyer to become a mediator – but having some legal knowledge in this area will enhance your relevant skillset and help your practice, and that’s where a Master of Laws comes in. Mediators can also work as neutral parties in a business setting, so if this is an area that interests you, specialising in international or commercial law could be very beneficial.

Judge – although you don’t need an LLM degree qualification to become a judge, studying a Master of Laws can be extremely beneficial for several reasons. The relevant specialist knowledge and expertise gained whilst studying can be particularly helpful if you want to work in a specialised court. Plus, the potential for practical training in a real-world setting and networking opportunities will also be very helpful to anyone whose ultimate goal is to become a judge.

This is just a selection of career options that you can consider upon completion of your Master of Laws – use our LLM course search to find your perfect LLM degree program.

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