In March 2023, I received my international human rights law degree from the University of London. In the United Kingdom and almost all over sovereign nations, the degree awarded to future lawyers is the LLM or Master of Laws degree. It is only in the United States that lawyers receive the JD or Juris Doctor degree.
Why did I choose to get an international law degree instead of a U.S. law degree? A few reasons…
1. JDs are extremely expensive. Law school tuition can be upwards of $50,000 per academic year. As someone who managed to complete my bachelor’s degree with almost no student loans, the prospect of taking out nearly $150,000 worth of student loans was very daunting. I also was unsure of where my career would take me-I knew I wanted to work overseas and had no clue what my salary would be. I did not feel comfortable taking out tens of thousands of dollars for a potentially modest salary as an international civil servant.
2. Going back to school full-time wasn’t the right step for my career. Prior to Peace Corps service in The Gambia, I had been in school for what had felt like an eternity. I had finished my bachelor’s degree and then began medical school. After dropping out of medical school, I took a CNA course and some other nursing courses at the behest of my parents who still pushed for me to have a healthcare career. Returning back to the United States as a 26-year-old, I still had not held a “real job” and was eager to enter the workforce. Going back to school and delaying my entry into the formal workforce for another 3 years did not feel like the right career move for me.
3. My main career goal was to work from overseas; practicing law was second. The second I landed back in the United States after that sudden, spur-of-the-moment plane ride back from Egypt, I tried to find an international job. I thought about applying to Peace Corps Response, teaching English in South Korea, and working as a United Nations Volunteer. My main drive when I would wake up in the morning was to apply for international jobs. I applied to over 200 UNV positions. Law school was second because it did not directly lead to an overseas career.
4. I am mostly interested in international human rights law, not law in general. I generally find law topics interesting, but what absolutely fascinates me is international human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ICCPR, ICESCR, the Convention against Torture, and war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide all are extremely interesting to me. Many law schools don’t offer courses in international human rights law and so I did not think it prudent to pursue an entire legal education when the subjects I was most interested in would not be covered.
Would I recommend getting a law degree from outside the United States? I would not recommend this for anyone who wants to practice law inside the United States. A J.D. is typically required if you want to practice law and take the bar exam inside the United States. If you are interested in getting a Master’s degree because it boosts your earning potential and you are interested in law, then I think it is a good idea to get your degree from overseas because it is significantly cheaper than the U.S.
I hope this information is useful to anyone pursuing an international law career or deciding on whether to gain a Master’s degree overseas!
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