A Master of Law – the prestigious LLM – is a highly regarded degree, popular amongst those who have their heart set on a legal career. But how many of those with a masters degree in Law ended up as practicing lawyers?
Our team conducted a global survey of some 7.5 million professionals who completed their degrees at one of the world’s top 100 universities. This scale of our study is unmatched – the professionals we surveyed work for some 100,000 different companies, in a huge variety of sectors, in locations right across the world. Such a large dataset provides a unique insight into the most popular career options for graduates in each subject available at graduate school.
Leading the pack is the Legal sector, with 31.8% of those surveyed using their master’s degree in Law to further specialise in this sector. The logic is simple; the LLM and other legal master’s support students in achieving legal excellence when they return to their legal career.
Surprisingly, though, some 12.7% of graduates with a legal masters decided to leave the world of professional legal practice behind, and become entrepreneurs. There is a logic to this too, however; there are a great many legal complexities surrounding the creation and support of a new company – so legal expertise is highly sought-after in this space.
As with almost every other discipline we surveyed, many law graduates – 12.5% in fact - chose to take on Business Development roles. Lawyers need to be able to think analytically, argue convincingly, and speak in front of large groups of people – all skills that are helpful in ensuring a business continues to grow.
Like Banking and Medicine, the legal sector creates a continuous demand for high-quality legal education – meaning that 8.7% of Law graduates with a masters are able to find employment as legal scholars or lecturers.
Given the complexity of Commercial Law, and modern financial contracts and instruments, it is unsurprising that the financial sector is a popular destination for legal graduates – with 5.0% finding employment with banks, hedge funds, and other financial institutions.
Certain areas of the Law – such as criminal or family law – relate very strongly to the provision of social care, perhaps encouraging 4.2% of law students to choose to enter Community and Social Services.
Legal expertise is highly relevant to the work of consultants, who are responsible for advising businesses – a role that frequently requires legal understanding. 3.4% of Law students choose to enter the this field.
You might think that an LLM is only going to lead you in one direction – into working for a law firm. But the reality is more complex; there are a wide range of options for those who choose to study for a Master of Law, including highly exciting and lucrative fields like Finance and Entrepreneurship. Ultimately, the skills a legal education provides opens doors – it’s up to you which one you choose to walk through!
If you’d like to find out about the legal master’s we have available, why not check out the rest of our website?
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