My former client, CLS2012, who recently graduated from Columbia, describes himself as follows: “I read law as an undergraduate and worked as a law firm associate for 5 years prior to undertaking the LL.M. program at Columbia University. After graduation, I returned to work as a senior associate at an international law firm.“
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Adam: Looking back on your Columbia LL.M. experience, what do you think you have gained?
CLS2012:
I have gained so much from my Columbia LL.M. experience, including the
chance to study under some outstanding professors, to meet and network
with other people from all over the world and from all walks of life,
and to experience living in New York for a year. I particularly enjoyed
the different approach taken by the professors at Columbia as compared
to the more conservative approach I had previously been exposed to while
studying law as an undergraduate. The professors at Columbia focused
not only on what the law is, but what it should be and brought in
political, social and economic analysis to inform their legal
discussions. This has taught me to approach the law in a more creative
and thoughtful way and to think more effectively about problem solving
and finding solutions when confronted with legal issues. The experience
and knowledge gained has been very valuable and will influence the way I
approach and think about the law in my future work and career.
Adam: What parts of the program have you liked the most? The least?
CLS2012:
The part of the program I enjoyed the most was the flexibility and the
ability to tailor the LL.M. program to what one was interested in. There
were so many interesting courses that it was really a struggle to fit
all that I wanted to do within the number of courses I was allowed.
Further, besides the traditional law courses, there were a lot of very
practical courses like a course on investment banking where students
were taught how to do investment banking work, as well as a large number
of other courses on subjects like mergers and acquisitions and deals,
which were taught by practitioners from some of the top New York law
firms. LL.M. students can also choose to take a number of courses at
other schools in Columbia such as Columbia Business School and have the
courses taken at the other schools count towards the LL.M. degree. It
should be noted that the workload can be heavy, especially if one
chooses to do near the maximum number of courses one is allowed to do.
Further, the school requires all LL.M. candidates to complete an LL.M.
paper, which is a major writing project involving original research, in
order to graduate.
The
part of the program I liked the least was the fact that a number of the
most popular courses were scheduled at the same time, meaning that one
had to prioritize the courses one really wanted to do over other
courses. This appeared to have been done to ensure that most students
had the chance to get into some of the more popular courses, but given
that the LL.M. program is only a year long, and that some courses are
only conducted once either during the Fall or Spring term, it meant that
in some cases, a number of LL.M. students did not get all the courses
they wanted. That being said, the large number of courses offered by the
law school did mitigate this somewhat and most LL.M. students were
relatively happy with the courses they got in the end as it was normally
possible for one to get most of the courses one wanted.
Adam:: What most surprised you about Columbia Law School?
CLS2012:
The school really went out of its way to try and ensure that all LL.M.
students enjoyed themselves during their year there. This was done
mainly by the law school and to some extent the university organizing a
large number of events, such as frequent drink sessions on Friday
evening, a cruise down the Hudson river which went past the Statute of
Liberty and many other similar type events to ensure that LL.M. students
got to explore and enjoy New York.
Adam:: How would you describe the atmosphere of the school?
CLS2012:
In general, the school had a very friendly and welcoming feel to it.
LL.M. students take classes with J.D. students and so you get a chance
to interact with both the LL.M. and the J.D. students in a number of
settings. Most of the people I met in law school were friendly and
genuinely interested in meeting and interacting with the other students.
One thing to note though is that one tends to get to know and interact
more with the J.D. and LL.M. student who happen to be interested in the
same subjects and courses. While I knew most of the corporate law
focused LL.M. and J.D. students quite well, I had less opportunity to
interact with the LL.M. and J.D. students who focused on other subjects
such as international law.
The
quality of the faculty was amazing. The professors were mostly very
nice and made time to speak to and interact with students even though
some of them were very eminent names in their chosen fields. A few of
the professors were outstanding, in that they were genuinely interested
in the progress of their students during the course of the term and
frequently revised the structure of their courses in light of student
feedback received over the course of the term. Special mention must also
go to the staff of the graduate legal studies department who were in
charge of LL.M. students. They were lovely and always very helpful even
though they were constantly bombarded with questions and issues by the
LL.M. students.
Adam:: What are hot topics, activities, classes, etc. at Columbia right now?
CLS2012:
There were frequent talks and lectures on a wide range of topics
organized by the law school(there were several lectures and workshops
held by guest speakers almost every day) including lectures given by two
sitting US Supreme Court justices during the time I was there. The
University also organized a lot of lectures and conferences and invited a
lot of world-renowned speakers to come and speak at the university on a
myriad range of topics. It was an amazing experience to be able to
attend some of those lectures.
Adam:: How did you feel about living in New York City?
CLS2012:
I loved it. New York City is amazing in terms of the number of things
to do. In the time I was there, I visited most of the museums including
the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim
Museum, visited a number of tourist spots such as the Statue of Liberty,
watched a number of sporting events including the US Open and the New
York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and tried out all kinds of cuisine
at eating places all over New York. The energy and dynamism of New York
City just cannot be described, you have to be there to feel it.
Adam:: Do you have any specific advice for those considering application to Columbia’s LL.M. program?
CLS2012:
While good academics are a prerequisite, previous work experience is
very important for any potential applicants who wish to apply to
Columbia’s LL.M. program. Most of the LL.M. students had at least two to
three years of work experience. LL.M. students also came from both the
public and the private sector, the admissions committee appears to like
diversity in life experiences and the resulting mix of ideas and
perspectives it brings to the classroom. The personal statement is very
important as it is the main way in which the admissions committee can
get a feel as to what your motivations are and whether you are a good
fit for the program, not only in terms of what you might gain from it,
but also what you can contribute to it. Finally the large number of
courses and the flexibility in structuring your program of study means
that Columbia is a good fit for both people who already know what they
want to focus on and for people who may want to try out and take a range
of different subjects that they have not previously studied.
Adam:: Anything else you would like to tell us?
CLS2012:
Columbia Law School is situated at the main Columbia University campus
in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in Manhattan. Morningside
Heights tends to be albeit more quiet and feels more like a student town
and an oasis of calm when compared to the hustle and bustle of places
like midtown Manhattan and Greenwich Village. I would encourage people
considering applying to the Columbia LL.M. program to visit the campus
and the law school to get a feel as to whether they would like living in
Morningside Heights as well as the atmosphere at the law school and/or
Columbia University in general. The good news is that if you like hustle
and bustle, the more lively parts of Manhattan are just a short subway
ride away from Morningside Heights.
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I want to thank for taking the time to answer my questions.
-Adam Markus
I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.
