In just a few short months (pending ABA acquiescence) you will have the opportunity to take advantage of a joint JD and LLM degree the Center for Advocacy is rolling out in the new LLM in Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. Whether you plan to pursue a position with a firm or strike out on your own, your success depends on the skills you bring to the courtroom. But if you are worried about the cost and time of more education, you can put those concerns aside when you become a dual-enrolled student. By enrolling in both the JD and LLM programs, you are allowed to complete 10 credits pulled from the required 24 for an LLM that count towards satisfying the JD credit requirements. After graduating with the JD, you then only need to complete 14 credits to earn the LLM. That means you may earn both the JD and LLM in as little as 3 1/2 years!
The draw to the LLM in Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution is the development of courtroom skills that typically come from being in actual practice. Instead of waiting to get your feet wet in the courtroom, the LLM curriculum immerses you in skills training that aren’t usually acquired in the routine classroom setting. Each course in the LLM program has been created to make you more courtroom savvy through hands on exercises and simulations, while focusing on multiple aspects of trial advocacy and dispute resolution. Less theory and more practice. A dual enrollment is designed to get you courtroom-ready now: a characteristic employers search for in the best applicants, and the edge that will make you stand out.
If you are not sure if dual enrollment is the best option for you now, you still have the opportunity to get a taste of what the LLM program has to offer you through the option to take up to 6 credits from the LLM curriculum as electives towards your JD (with approval from the Director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution).
Watch for announcements about registration opportunities later this summer once the ABA has given approval for this exciting new program. Your career will never look brighter.