When I received a notification from the Economist about a new article, I knew it would bring me back from my blogging hibernation. The catchy headline, “Is your master’s degree useless,” was designed to start a conversation and will play well with the likely reckoning facing U.S. higher education in 2025.

I talk a lot about LL.M. degrees. Probably the most vocal from inside higher education (at least until January 13, 2025). And although my career and paychecks would largely benefit from the status quo and keeping quiet. Rather than painting an always sunny view of them, I do my fair share of questioning about the LL.M. landscape. Though I try to be as objective and fair as possible.

Which brings me back to blogging. Could LL.M. programs be better? Sure. So could J.D. programs. And MBA programs. And Ph.D. programs. And any program. But on balance, an LL.M. degree is far from a useless degree. And to many foreign-educated law school graduates, an LL.M. is one of the most attractive degrees available in the United States. And so while I’m #TeamTaxLLM for life, I am also on #TeamLLM. Why? Primarily because of what they lead to. But also because of things that happen during the LL.M. year.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel: The Value of an LL.M. Degree by What Comes After the LL.M. Degree.

1. The Path to State Bar Exams. If you come from a civil law jurisdiction with a qualifying first degree in law (or certain people from common law backgrounds) and want to take a bar exam like New York or Texas, the two-semester LL.M. is about as clear a path as possible to meeting curricular eligibility requirements through a residential LL.M. program. Otherwise, you’d either double the time (A.J.D.) or triple the time (J.D.). Would my calculus shift if LL.M. degrees didn’t qualify for these bar exams? Sure. But the reality is within 365 days of starting your LL.M. program in the U.S., you can be awaiting results that will allow you to become a licensed attorney in these jurisdictions.
2. The Path to Employment in USD. Thanks in large part to Optional Practical Training, residential LL.M. graduates have a realistic path to employment and earning USD upon graduation. Is it far easier for elite, experienced attorneys and Tax LL.M. graduates? Absolutely. But with the right networking skills and plan and a little fortune, plenty of other LL.M. candidates can and do secure jobs in the U.S. for at least one year, setting them up for post-OPT careers in the U.S., back home, or in other jurisdictions. Again, my calculus may shift if OPT did not exist. But like bar exams, I’m commenting on the reality on the ground.
3. The Value in Foreign Markets for LL.M. Graduates; The Value in the U.S. for Tax LL.M. Graduates: I have spent my entire career working with foreign-educated LL.M. students. Which means each year, I work with a large number of LL.M. graduates who embark on careers and who find value in the credential back home and abroad. From standing out in competitive marketplaces with a well-known U.S. brand for the LL.M. to being competitive for jobs in the U.S., the LL.M. is a degree that is a known commodity. In many markets, you’ll find many of the leading attorneys have LL.M. degrees from a small number of influential schools in the U.S. and a few other jurisdictions. And then for Tax LL.M. degrees, checking on the employers who specifically recruit Tax LL.M. students (including foreign-educated) because of those magical three letters (tax, not LL.M.!) has given me a front row seat into the market for Tax LL.M. graduates.

Don’t Discount What Happens During the LL.M.

While I pay a lot of attention to what happens after the LL.M. year, I do not want to discount what happens during the LL.M. year. For many LL.M. students, especially those focused on transnational careers, the courses they take in subjects M&A, International Commercial Arbitration, and Intellectual Property help them as they prepare for the next phase of their careers. The soft skills they learn in courses like Drafting Contracts and Negotiation help them as they plan to work across from U.S. attorneys in their careers. The ability to engage in U.S. style legal analysis helps them with their memos as they move ahead in their careers abroad, and having started my career teaching LL.M. legal writing, I still hear from former students who tell me about how my courses still help them. An LL.M. is a professional degree. In addition to everything else that happens during the LL.M. year, taking courses, especially with leading U.S. practitioners as adjuncts, provides very real value whether students return home or stay in the U.S. for at least some time.

Conclusion

Is the LL.M. degree perfect? Of course not. I think the ABA should revisit the J.D./Non-J.D. distinction given that many LL.M.s are focused on bar exams and jobs and critics focused on the “one year of fun in the U.S.” are oversimplifying the degree. I think LL.M. costs should come down to at least be in the ballpark of J.D. costs. I don’t think every school “needs” an LL.M. for foreign lawyers and schools should consider if their program’s resources and energies are better spent on other degree and non-degree programs.

But when I think of the very subjective question of “useful” or “useless” and Master’s programs, the LL.M. is not high on the list of “useless” degrees. At least for those who go into it with a very clear plan, are focused on maximizing what comes after the LL.M. year, and who seize the opportunities afforded to them inside and outside the classroom during the year as they think about the decades to come after the LL.M. degree.