My Harvard LL.M. Experience: Was It Worth It?

Introduction

In this post, I’d like to share my experience of doing an LLM at Harvard. I want to emphasize that this is my experience, and as any personal experience, it was colored by my previous experiences, expectations, and reasons for pursuing an LLM in the first place. Many people will have different opinions.

Before I dive in, I’d like to address a common perception that Harvard is a place for arrogant people (e.g., the utterly inaccurate portrayal in Suits). Some people even asked me, “Oh, is it as bad as I’ve heard? Do people actually steal books so others can’t access them?” I’ve heard similar things about other universities too, though I’ve never found empirical evidence for such claims. That doesn’t mean they don’t happen—it just means that my experience of reality is different. For what it’s worth, I’ve encountered significantly more arrogant individuals outside of Harvard than within it.

I think part of Harvard’s negative representation is due to its perceived inaccessibility (and there is indeed a huge issue of financial access). So many people who would want to apply don’t because they are too scared of rejection or failure. As a result, they devalue what they think they can’t have. It’s a defense mechanism. If the thing they desire is “bad,” then it’s not so sad that they can’t have it.

Some of my classmates were unhappy with Cambridge (the city where Harvard Law School is located) and Harvard Law School itself. My observation is that this negativity often stemmed from their social choices. We had a large class—around 180 students—and HLS is just one part of a vast educational ecosystem. Finding your people couldn’t have been easier, yet those who complained often spent their time with the same people they disliked. I caught up recently with a former classmate and she still complained about the people I never had more than one conversation with. But again, it’s my outside observation and I cannot speak for anyone else’s experience.

My experience couldn’t have been more different. The truth is, if you want to be negative about something, you’ll always find a reason. I decided not to.

I had one of the most amazing years of my life.

Part of it was that I knew I only had nine months to spend there, and I was determined to be happy. It was so hard to get there that I simply could not afford to waste my time spending it with people who were not uplifting or not bringing joy. I also crowdfunded half of my tuition, with so many people actively supporting my campaign. All these people were willing to invest in me moving towards the life I wanted; they actively wanted me to be happy. I felt that if I dwelled on negativity, I would betray their trust.

The Structure of the Harvard LL.M. Program

During the Harvard LLM program, you’ll need to complete a workload between 23 and 28 credits, two of which are awarded for the LLM paper.

To enroll in courses, you select and submit a list of preferences. The system then allocates spots based on availability and how high a course ranks on your preference list. For certain courses, such as the Trial Advocacy Workshop and Negotiation Workshop, there was a separate application process.You had to apply specifically for these (I know! Not only do you have to endure a rigorous application process to get into Harvard, but you also have to go through further selection for some courses).

For the LLM paper, the baseline requirement is 25 pages, but you can opt to write 50 pages if you wish. I wrote 50 pages. I’ve seen many people struggle even with 25-page papers, but I am very lucky in that I enjoy writing—a lot(hence, two PhDs). Part of this may be because, during my first law degree, over the course of five years, I had to write five substantial papers: four course papers and one graduation thesis. The course papers were each 25 pages, while the diploma thesis was 50 pages—or 77 pages in my case. You’d typically choose the chair, professor, and topic on your own, with maximum flexibility. I don’t recall there being any restrictions. I also wrote 11 conference reports, some of which were published as peer-reviewed articles. After that, writing a 50-page LL.M. paper didn’t seem to be that big of a challenge.

I also wanted to apply for the SJD program. That wasn’t my goal when I initially came to Harvard—I didn’t even know what an SJD was. I just knew thatI wanted to prioritize an academic career. However, once I was there, I started meeting people who were doing their SJDs at HLS, including our LLM advisor and the instructor who led the writing workshop (a resource designed to support the writing of the LLM paper). The idea of pursuing an SJD was planted in my mind as one of the ways I could realize my academic aspirations. I’d say if you have academic aspirations, you’d usually opt for a 50-page paper as it can be a springboard for your SJD project.

I’ve written before about not being limited by your previous experiences when designing your LL.M. year, and the course selection was a perfect example of that principle in action.

I took multiple common law courses, including:

• Civil Procedure
• Complex Civil Litigation
• Conflict of Laws
• Torts

My reasoning behind these choices was that I enjoy comparative law, and this was a unique opportunity to dive into common law, which felt refreshing. Additionally, there were common law course requirements that I needed to fulfill in order to take the New York Bar.

In hindsight, I wish I had taken more unconventional courses, such as critical legal studies and cross-disciplinary offerings. That said, I loved the Torts class, which came as a surprise. I usually gravitate toward subjects that explore the structuring of human relationships with a view to help them flourish—like Contracts. Torts, however, wouldn’t typically be my natural area of interest.

I also took an experiential learning course called the Trial Advocacy Workshop, which was intense—seven hours a day over the course of three weeks. It was truly one of the best learning experiences of my entire educational journey.

I thought I would really enjoy Civil Procedure, Complex Civil Litigation, and Conflict of Laws because I had loved studying those subjects in Russia and Europe. I expected to discover new and fascinating perspectives. Instead, I found that I didn’t enjoy them. Not because of the courses themselves—they were well-taught—but because of the subject matter.

In Europe and Russia, private international law and civil procedure are largely depoliticized, which makes them focus on horizontal relationships between individuals and companies—the aspect that first drew me to them.

Every single paper I’ve written in my life has had a comparative or international perspective. This approach was encouraged at Lomonosov Moscow State University. I’m also generally drawn to transcending borders, exploring similarities between jurisdictions, and uncovering the common core of law. I feel that it helps me appreciate humans (and jurisdictions) for the unique beauty they offer to the world.

However, in the U.S., I was struck by how political and vulnerable to abuse and manipulation they are. I was also disappointed to find how domestically focused U.S. conflict of laws is, which removed yet another layer of interest for me.

For my master’s thesis, I wrote about the law applicable to forum selection clauses. I reached out to Professor Symeon Symeonides, who teaches at Willamette University. He’s a rare type of scholar with expertise in both European private international law and U.S. conflict of laws. I knew him from the Hague Academy (though “knew”might be too strong a word—he taught a core course there for 200 people). I asked him for advice on a topic that would lend itself well to a comparative analysis between the U.S. and the EU. I enjoyed writing about forum selection clauses. My LL.M. thesis won the Addison Brown prize in conflict of laws.‍

The Availability of Resources

It might sound like a cliché, but one of the most astonishing aspects of my experience at Harvard was the sheer wealth of resources available. With my socio-economic background, I simply couldn’t have imagined such abundance—I was never exposed to anything like that, I didn’t even have the concept for it. And so I felt I had to make the most of it while I was there.

One of the most mind-blowing aspects of Harvard for me was the possibility to cross-register for classes at other parts of the university and even MIT. I took some classes on entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management. I also enrolled in a Harvard College class called “Dance on Camera”– we made short dance-themed films. Additionally, I danced ballroom at MIT, where they had an incredible program, and even competed in a tango competition.

I conducted original research on the law applicable to choice of court agreements, for which I received an award. I also participated in the Trial Advocacy Workshop, which was truly one of the best learning experiences of my entire educational journey. Beyond academics, I volunteered at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, where I even saw Tom Hanks, and worked as an assistant director for the HLS Parody. It may sound like a lot but I just I felt compelled to “drink life” as much as I could.

Books were another revelation for me. Accessing academic books in Russia is incredibly difficult. For instance, when I competed in Jessup, we relied on two team members from the year before us who were doing their LLMs at Harvard at the time to scan literature for us as we did not have access to international law textbooks. At Harvard, I could not believe I could order any book from any library.This was in stark contrast to studying in Russia, where university libraries are rarely used. Instead, you either buy books, use pirated versions, or scan materials during trips abroad. As long as I can remember, during my study abroad trips I obsessively copied and scanned books and articles I might need for my research. I also spent large chunks of my scholarship money on them. My estimate is that the law library I left in Moscow is worth around $10k.

At Harvard, I remember needing a German monograph on a fairly obscure and narrow aspect of my research. I ordered it, and it arrived—from the University of Taipei in Taiwan. That was pretty incredible.

Another invaluable resource was our LLM advisor. During orientation, the class was divided into groups of 15-20 students, with an SJD student assigned to each group. Our advisor organized bonding activities and helped us with course selection and navigating the first weeks of the program.

The writing groups were another unexpected but welcome resource. Led by an SJD student, these workshops were dedicated to planning our LLM papers. It was the first time I had received meta-training on how to write. It’s ridiculous how much lawyers need to write and how little proper training we get on how to actually do it.

Lunch talks were a special highlight of the Harvard experience. Almost every day, there would be a variety of lunch talks on different topics, with food provided at each one. We even had a dedicated WhatsApp group where students would post updates on what food was available and where—a major factor in deciding which talks to attend! Many of these talks were student-led, and if you wanted to invite someone prominent to speak at Harvard, you could arrange it and request funding.

The Harvard LLM’s Impact on My Career

It is extremely hard to quantify the impact of an LLM degree on career development. There are so many tangible and intangible factors, and it also depends on what you personally hope to gain from it.

One of my reasons for pursuing an LLM was to take a break from legal career and reassess my options. I wanted to immerse myself in an environment that I knew nothing about but that was guaranteed to turn my world upside down. By the time I decided to pursue an LLM, I had explored several professional avenues and felt like I had run out of ideas about what to do next. I was looking for inputs that would fundamentally change how I thought about my future.

If your goal is to secure a job at a law firm, particularly in New York or London, a Harvard LLM can help. However, I’ve also seen classmates struggle to find law firm jobs in the U.S. I don’t know their exact strategies or reasons for rejection, but I assume they did everything they could and got really unlucky. Unfortunately, we live in an unequal world and even a Harvard LLM is not a panacea.

In the legal profession, demand for lawyers often depends on linguistic and cultural factors. For instance, LLM graduates with Hispanic backgrounds are typically in higher demand in the U.S. than others.

That being said, I also saw many classmates get hired and secure the jobs they wanted. My observation is that the legal industry is gradually becoming more open, accepting of diversity, and focused on hiring based on legal skills rather than background.

For LLM candidates from six U.S. law schools including Harvard, there is a job fair where you can submit your CV to firms and institutions seeking candidates with your qualifications. If selected, you’re invited to interviews in New York City. I had six interviews: four with law firms, one with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), and one with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The resources available to LLM students are not as extensive as those for JDs, but they exist. For instance, unlike JDs, employers don’t come to campus for recruitment. There is also the university’s career service, and I wish I had used it more. But I was so unaccustomed to the idea that there is support like this that I didn’t ask for much. Even so, the career service reviewed my CV and helped me improve it. If you’re interested to learn more,I’ve included Harvard-style CV recommendations in my Harvard State of Mind course.

There are multiple ways to join the PCA, including direct applications, but I believe being a Harvard graduate helped facilitate the process. The PCA only hires 15–20 people annually, and some positions are reserved for fellows from partner institutions like MIDS or Australian National University. The remaining spots depend on the PCA’s needs, including linguistic expertise.

Following my fellowship at the PCA, I did my PhD at the European University Institute (EUI). I don’t know if Harvard degree played a role, and I believe having an LLM from another reputable school wouldn’t have jeopardized my chances. That said, for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs grant I received, competition was steep (around 200 applicants for one or two spots per faculty). I think having Harvard on my CV helped me stand out.

There’s more to consider regarding the value of an LLM than formal credentials and status. During my time evaluating applications for the EUI admissions committee, I noticed that applicants with an LLM were better at writing research proposals and had higher quality applications overall.

LLM graduates often have experience identifying research questions, analyzing relevant information, structuring arguments, and producing high-quality academic writing in English. Many of them build on their master’s theses, which provides a strong foundation for PhD research proposals. While I didn’t use my thesis for this purpose, this experience was valuable for me as well.

I hope this account of my experience helps you 😊

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