(LLM: The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. It is commonly abbreviated LL.M (also LLM or LL.M.) from its Latin name, Legum Magister.)

In the UK or in US, the LLM program is designed to somebody who has the basic legal knowledge and wants to do particular research. LLM is no means of a program which could help you find a good job. Every English or American employer who wants to employ a law student knows that only an LLM degree could not prove the student has basic knowledge of law.

We Chinese student always distort the LLM degree. They think it is higher than LLB because a Master is truly respectable than a Bachelor in China. If you want to get a LLM on purpose of cheating a Chinese employer, you might be successful, and in the UK or US, they know an LLB or JD student has struggled in the law school for 4 years. In either the time-consuming or the money expending, an LLB or JD student costs more than the LLM very much.

In China, if you want to practice in the law field, the only way is to take the uniform judicial examination and get the qualification to be a lawyer.

The lawyers are similar to doctors; they help some people in problems or help them to prevent from problems. Just imagine that if you got a pain in you teeth, I introduce you a medical student who has red medical books for one year. Could you accept him to pull your teeth out? The laws are also a science requiring more practice.

My suggestion is:
1, If you are not a law student in China, doesn’t waste your time and money to go abroad particularly the UK to seek an LLM degree. It useless for your future.

2, If you have a chance of LLM to go to US, no hesitated to go but be sure that the aim is passing the lawyer's examination after you get enough credits through your LLM.

3, If you have been a Chinese lawyer, have enough money and could bear the suffering of legal study, you should choose a proper LLM program which may help you to extent you business fields.

By the way, I belongs to the third group and I am also suffering the case study, reading lists, and conceptual gaps between the different legal system.

I strongly suggest that those ready to seek LLM should make prudential discretion. The university will pay no sympathetic to you when you fail in the final examination. The only thing they care about is the money in the pockets of Chinese student. Some law schools in UK have reduced the standards of recruitment, but it doesn’t mean it is easier to learn. Be careful, before you go.

（来源：totoo 法律青年论坛  华东政法大学通讯员 孙晓琳推荐）