U.S. Law degree worth it?

[sunshine11]

Hello,
I am currently attending law school in the U.S. It's my first sememster. My husband got a great job in Singapore and we are planning to move there by the end of this year. My question is whether I should finish school in the U.S. or not. I know I can't practice in Singapore with U.S. law degree, but are there any job opportunities for U.S. attorney fresh out of school in Singapore? I found that SMU has J.D. program. Am I better off applying to that program instead? How competitive is it to get in to SMU? I would really appreciate any insight.

[Legally speaking]

A fresh grad from the US will be no more attractive to a law firm in Singapore than a fresh grad from SMU or NUS.  In fact you are at the bottom of the heap as you are not Singaporean.
The SMU JD program is relatively new but quite different from NUS and as a result it is getting mixed reviews.  However I have heard some very positive comments from foreign lawyers practising here.
If you are at a 2nd or 3rd tier US law school coming and doing a JD at SMU may be a better option

[Kafka]

don't want to be pessimistic, just realistic... once completed, your degree will be yours for life, however who can predict if your husband will be yours for life?

[sunshine11]

Legally Speaking: Thanks for the advice. I totally understand that I will be at the bottom of the line. I was just wondering whether I can 'ever' get a job in the legal field in Singapore as a fresh grad from the U.S. My husband thinks that my law degree from U.S. will be absolutely useless in Singapore and asking me to quit my school. Even though we plan to settle down in Singapore, if we ever decide to move to somewhere else in the next 10 years or so, I feel like I might be better off with U.S. law degree than Singaporean law degree.

Another concern is if I were lucky enough to be accepted at SMU next fall, it will take me 4 years(including one year of articling) to complete the program. On the other hand, if I stay here, it will take me 2 more years. What are your thoughts on that?


Kafka: I absolutely agree with you. That's why I want to make a decision that will benefit me the most. 

[Legally Speaking]

Unless you are going back to the States there is no reason why the SMU degree would not prevent you from getting a degree elsewhere, especially in a Commonwealth country and there are lots of those.

You have only just started your degree in the US so shifting to another university should not present any real issues. 

I would suggest that making a small sacrifice now for your career is much more worthwhile and losing your marriage.

Another point, a law degree is not just for practicing law.  I am an in-house lawyer who has enjoyed a fantastic career with a great work/life balance.  I do not have a top tier degree but my Asia experience has set me apart from many of my peers and provided and accelerated career path in a great sector.  I would suggest that you look to the long term rather than caring about spending an extra year in school. 

[Jurist]

Do not waste your time getting another law degree. When you get the JD from SMU, you will be too old to compete and what is your potential in terms of client contribution. If you have a huge one, forget about the degree. Next, Singapore law does not travel well across boundaries and is limited to Singapore,only. Finally, why bother with Singapore law as it is a market that is small and saturation is almost met. Take your money and buy a home in Singapore. U get a better return than a crummy law degree!

[sunshine11]

Legally Speaking: Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your thoughts. I very much agree with everything you said. I also want to be an in-house lawyer eventually like you. Since I want to have a baby in the next few years, it's important for me to find a job with a great work/life balance. If I need to borrow more wisdom from you in the future, should I just post here and ask for 'Legally Speaking'? hope you have a wonderful day~!

[Flemming on Torts]

We do not need another in house lawyer that is over paid and  fails to add value to anything. Go back to USA and your great lifestyle in the US (the nice american home, two cars, cheap food and great consumer products and oversized food portions). We have not need for this sort of junk here.
 

[Sandra Day Oconner]

I concur with the learned view of my esteemed friend, Mr Flemming. We do not need another half assed expat trash to be in Singapore to be digging for gold and to talk bad about the locals. Piss off!

[Anthony Scalia]

My lords, I again concur with the learned decision of my berthern. I hasten to add is that in the USA, lawyers are plentyful and in great supply.In fact, why should we pay so much to expat lawyers make me wonder if it is worth the effort to recruit them.     

[Case for the Defence]

Sunshine 11:  As ably demonstrated by my learned colleagues in the above submissions, the ability to string together a cogent argument without the necessity or resorting to the petty, churlish, defamatory or idiot, is indeed in short supply.

Further their submissions allude to the fact that US qualified lawyers are actively sought and admirably compensated in spite of an over-abundance of locally trained counterparts.

In summation: QED

[Not all trolls]

Sorry that you had some prats replying to you post, unfortunately they do seem to troll this Board. 

I wish you well in your decision, don't think too far into the future, as no-one knows what is around the corner.  Make your decision based on the information you have available to hand here and now. I am sure you will have a great time here in Singapore and remember ignore the ignorant trolls

[hp sauce]

US law degree worth every penny. Suggest you contact embassy here for advice then find out all us affiliates operating here. Banks, BCG, all might use someone handling minor legal issues relating to Singapore united states trading , buddy of mine took a British masters in British contract law and now works for a chinese company as their uk contracts specialist. Good luck. Also you might want to do the Chicago MBA here in singapore and that plus a law degree would make you highly attractive

[sunshine11]

Thanks guys.. I welcome any opinions on this board. I am just trying to gather some ideas. Since I do not know anyone from Singapore, all your opinions helped me a lot. Please continue, I am listening!

[To Sunshine]

My Sunshine,

Go back home. You AND YOUR OTHER HALF are a freeloaderS. Reading you postings only tell me you have needs, wants and desires TO THE EXCLUSION OF EVERYBODY else. Take you values back to the USA and incidentally, the GFC (and events leading up to the gfc such as 9.11) was caused by unmitigated and self absorbed greed.