Lawyers Learning More: The Potential Benefits of Pursuing an LLM

On a recent cool afternoon on Coronado, John L. Pittman III was proudly sporting his Pepperdine Law sweatshirt when he struck up a conversation with a stranger about his legal education.

Pittman informed the woman that he is pursuing an online Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law and holds a JD and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

While the woman was impressed with his credentials, she still wanted to know, “Is all that education really worth it?”

Pittman, who in law school was on the Alternative Dispute Resolution competition team and had the opportunity to help to conduct mediations at the San Diego Small Claims Court, hopes the Master of Law degree from Pepperdine will lead to an opportunity on a court-appointed mediation panel.

He says he asked himself, “What certification do I need to be a mediator, without being a lawyer for fifteen years?”

Pittman says the number one mediation training program in the country is at Pepperdine, so that’s where he wanted to be.

“The people who started JAMS, the world’s largest private ADR provider,” Pittman says, “are my teachers at Pepperdine.”

Attorneys and JD holders can earn a Master of Laws degree, commonly referred to as an LLM, as a graduate qualification in the field of law. If a lawyer earned a law degree outside the U.S., the LLM can help them gain international qualifications.

While Pepperdine is on the map for its Dispute Resolution program, the University of San Diego School of Law is well known for its LLM in Taxation, ranking #8 on U.S. News & World Report’s Tax Rankings for 2023.

Touted as intensive study to help students develop a deep understanding of the policies forming the basis of the tax laws and Internal Revenue Service pronouncements, Assistant Director of Graduate and International Programs Robynn L. Allveri, Esq. explains USD’s LLM in Taxation can be a bargain.

“USD has the option where if students take tax courses in our JD program they can carry forward up to 12 of those credits into the LLM in Taxation program,” she says, “And then potentially complete the LLM degree in just one semester.”

USD also offers the carry-over credit option for its students pursuing a General LLM with a concentration in Intellectual Property.

Allveri says aside from international attorneys who pursue an LLM as a means to take the California bar exam, students usually pursue an LLM as part of a career shift or to take a deeper dive into a practice area they are dedicated to.

Associate General Counsel of Viasat, Inc. Kristopher Harmon, is in his third semester of USD’s Business and Corporate Law LLM program as a part-time student taking one class a semester so far. He has focused his studies on business since an undergrad at San Diego State University and says his participation in the LLM program is already proving relevant to his job.

“I deal with Viasat’s patent attorneys quite often and I’m currently taking a class in patent law. The class has taught me a little bit more of what to look out for and now I can better understand what our patent attorneys are talking about,” he says. “Overall, it just makes me a more valuable attorney for Viasat.”

Harmon says the communications company was supportive of him when he decided to go to law school part time in 2010, graduating from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2015 with the help of Viasat’s tuition reimbursement program, and he says they have been equally supportive of his pursuits at USD.

And while he admits he was a little worried about being an “old man” on campus, he quickly got over that. “I’m in this academic environment that just feels really good.”

Allveri says LLM students like Harmon who have already passed the bar exam tend to be happier law students. She says she also often receives feedback from USD professors telling her that they love having practicing attorneys and foreign students in the classroom as it makes for a richer and more diverse educational experience.

Harmon says he likes the program’s structure as it adds more value to him than just doing random minimum continuing legal education classes here and there. So far in his degree, Harmon has taken one class each semester and, according to the Rules of the State Bar of California, since he’s a licensed attorney he can claim MCLE credit for attending his LLM classes.*

Unlike MCLE classes, Allveri says an LLM offers all the traditional fringe benefits of a JD degree including career services, library access, and alumni services. “From that point forward, it doesn’t matter if this is their first and only degree at USD or not, or what their underlying school was or where it was,’ Allveri says, “They’re part of the USD family and alumni community… If people maybe have gone to a smaller or lesser well-known law school and then they get an LLM from a place like USD on top of that, I think that can help open doors, boost a resumé, or even the confidence of the student feeling like, yeah, I can definitely compete for any job out there.”

Unlike the JD degree, the American Bar Association does not require law schools to keep employment statistics for LLM programs.

“As far as employment,” Allveri says, “The one we have the best handle on is probably our LLM in Taxation. It’s the one with the most students and they generally do not have a problem with employability.”

Although Harmon isn’t using his LLM to leverage a job offer as he has been employed at Viasat for 14 years and hopes to continue at the Carlsbad company for the long run, he says he would absolutely recommend lawyers pursue an LLM degree.

“I think there’s a lot of value to it, both tangible and intangible, and I don’t see a downside to getting one. Add it to your toolbox.”

*Rules 2.80 and 2.51(D)