Case Study: Success in the USA
Daniel Tan

Course title: LLM, Harvard.

University previously  attended: National University of Singapore (NUS) (1995–1999), Oxford (2000–2001)

Degrees obtained: LLB and Bachelor of Civil Law (respectively)

Country of origin: Singapore

Age: 30

“I have always been interested in the academic aspects of the law and I was keen to follow up my interest in the areas of international litigation and conflict of laws. Doing an LLM course in the U.S. would give me the opportunity to explore these areas from an American perspective.

“On a more practical level, my time in a city firm had impressed upon me the advantages of a good knowledge of foreign law. I had observed firsthand the interaction between national insolvency regimes struggling to cope with international insolvencies for which they were not designed. Problems in these areas often required novel techniques, which can only be thought up by lawyers familiar with all relevant national insolvency laws.

“So at the end of 2002, as I was completing my training contract, I began looking for an LLM program. I wanted a course with the greatest flexibility. Most U.S. law schools allow LLM students to choose courses from the Juris Doctor (U.S. undergraduate law course) curriculum. This presents a choice of more than 100 different courses from different subject areas. The biggest attraction of Harvard Law School is that it is part of a greater community of schools in the Cambridge area. Practically every day there are speakers from all over the world speaking at the Law School, the Divinity School, the Business School or the Kennedy School. Harvard law students can cross-register for almost any course in these schools and are also given access to library facilities and activities and events organized by these schools.

“Once at Harvard I found that the course was divided into three trimesters—fall (September to December), winter (January), and spring (February to May). Students on the LLM program are required to take between 18 and 26 credits. Each course carries between two and four credits. Students typically take three courses in the fall and spring terms and one course during the winter term.

“Students attend about nine to 11 classroom hours a week. As with most courses, the preparation time can be disproportionately long for some, but aside from the fortnight just before the exams, people usually have time to catch up on football (watching and playing), socialize, and explore Boston during term time.

“There is also time for independent thought and reflection. Indeed the course requires every student to submit a paper of at least 25 pages in length on a legal topic of their choice. “Courses are a combination of large lecture-type courses and intimate seminars. Most of the main subjects are taught in large lectures. Most professors like the Socratic method of teaching. By this method professors use questions to force students to think critically about assigned readings and to develop insights that may not be apparent from a cursory reading of the assigned material. Lecture-type courses are usually assessed by eight-hour 'open book' take home exams and seminars by written 25 or 50 page papers.

“My class had 163 students from about 60 different countries. I can honestly say that I have gotten to know many people, many with whom I will continue to keep in touch. Some have become very good friends. Harvard has constantly impressed on us that our classmates are our greatest resource. The university organizes many social events and provides you with many opportunities to get to know your classmates, both in and out of the classroom. The students in my year were very proactive in organizing get-togethers: from birthday parties to pub crawls to international movie nights. I think this network will serve me well in my future professional and social life. I now know who to call if I want to look up a point on Uzbek law or if I need a place to spend the night in Rome, Paris, or Rio.