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LLM (Master of Laws) in Legal Practice
An LLM in Legal Practice focuses on legal research and presenting legal research in an intelligible and coherent form. Studying this particular LLM will allow students to develop their skills and increase their existing knowledge and also to gain expertise in a new area of legal study. This course will also help you to enhance your skills in legal analysis and research and increase your understanding of the context in which the law operates. Often seen as a 'top-up' to a Legal Practice Certificate (LPC) course, an LLM in Legal Practice will help to hone and refine many aspects of a legal professionals skill-set.
Legal Practice Courses
As an LLM in Legal Practice is often undertaken as a ‘top up’ to an LPC course, the modes of study can vary from normal LLM programs. For example, at the University of Hertfordshire the LLM in Legal Practice the course is solely for students who have successfully completed the LPC, and the top-up to a full masters degree is achieved by undertaking an internship based on work experience in a legal environment and is for a minimum of 1-2 days per week over a 3-5 month period.
Find LLM programs in Legal PracticeLLM in Legal Practice – who’s it for?
This postgrad law program is for those who want a more in-depth knowledge of the legal system and the intricacies of the legal system, and it is also perfect for legal professionals who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of ethics and related fields such as legal research, planning and management. Many universities offering an LLM require participants to have already completed their Legal Practice Certificate course but it is not necessarily a requirement for all universities.
Where can you study an LLM in Legal Practice and Legal Administration?
This LLM is offered by many universities across Britain, including the University of London and the University of Hertfordshire. If you are planning to study an LLM in Legal Administration, an LLM which focuses more on the management aspects of legal practice, you should be aware that there is only one institution offering this course at the moment, HBS Heilbronn Business School in Germany. If you wish to study online, the LLM in Legal Practice is offered by The University of Law and costs £8,500.
What qualifications do you need?
Some universities require a degree in law but others, such as the University of Hertfordshire, accept degrees in a related discipline such as business, political science or international relations or an overseas qualification, which is equivalent to a UK honours degree.
For non-native speakers of English wishing to study in a U.K. university you will need a recognised qualification such as IELTS or TOEFL. For example the University of Hertfordshire requires you to have an IELTS Score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band. Each university may have slightly different entry requirements so it is best to check before applying.
Student case study
Yen Ni Wang studied an LLM in International Commercial Law and Practice by online distance learning at Edinburgh Law School. After spending 14 years in private practice and as a legal counsel she wanted to advance her legal education by choosing to pursue a masters in law. She says that studying online was very useful for her and allowed her to continue to work while completing her masters program. This masters will help her to climb the corporate ladder and advance her legal career.
An LLM in Legal Practice and Legal Administration advances careers for...
…Almost anyone working in the legal profession. An LLM in Legal Practice will help to sharpen your research skills and help to refine your ability to present research in a coherent manner. This LLM could be the foot in the door that starts a young graduate on their career path and separates them from other hopefuls in the eyes of firms that are hiring. Professionals from many areas of the legal field count their LLM in Legal Practice as an invaluable asset as well as those in related fields such as insurance underwriters and tax consultants.
Interesting alumnus of LLM in Legal Practice
Philippa Greer was a member of the class of 2011 in Edinburgh Law School and has done volunteer work in Sri Lanka and worked in Georgia and Alabama in the United States working on death penalty defence issues. Philippa was awarded a Kennedy Memorial Trust Award and is now pursuing advanced LLM studies at Harvard Law School. She is an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights Civil Liberties Law Review and also of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. She is a remarkable example of a successful LLM in Legal Practice graduate and proof that the right LLM can open doors in the highest echelons of the legal profession.
Recommended reading
Drafting Contracts: How And Why Lawyers Do What They Do, 2nd Ed., Tina L Stark, 2013, Aspen
Administrative Law Regulatory Policy: Problem, Text, and Cases, 7th Ed., Breyer, Stewart, Sunstein, Vermeule, and Herz, Aspen
Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, 2nd Ed., Shell, 2006, Penguin.
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