National Jurist - October 2008 - (Page 33) Specialized success Whether you study full-time, part-time or flex-time, an LL.M. degree may give you the specialized skills you need to set yourself apart in the eyes of employers and allow you to succeed on the job by honing your skills as an attorney By Ursula Furi-Perry, Esq. Tom Nelson Vermont Law School LL.M. Environmental Law I t’s no secret that competition for great jobs can be tough among law grads. If you want to set yourself apart in the eyes of employers, hone your skills as a lawyer, and receive specialized training and education in a particular area of the law, an LL.M. program may be the right track for you. Meet three successful LL.M. graduates who have made this advanced law degree work for them. From general private practice to working in the field, Tom Nelson now focuses on environmental issues as director of Farm Programs at the Leelanau Conservancy in Michigan. Amir Atashi Rang’s LL.M. program experience was so beneficial that he now looks for people with the masters of law degree or those currently enrolled in a program to work at his law firm in San Francisco. And for Susan Volker, her LL.M. degree in health law helped her keep up-to-date in the ever-changing field that includes medical malpractice and labor and employment-related issues. Law schools are also offering innovative LL.M. programs and ways for law graduates to get their LL.M degree due to the degree’s increased popularity. rowing up in a 150-year-old farmhouse not far from the shores of Lake Erie, Tom Nelson was always close to nature. His father raised pheasants, quail and mink, and his mother was a country girl from Portsmouth, Ohio. When his father passed away in 2001, he took a hard look at where his career was taking him. He remembered talking with his father about the way land was being developed. Though already involved in environmental law issues, he was suddenly inspired to look more deeply into the field and further his education. “My real passion was the environment,” Nelson said. After graduating from ClevelandMarshall College of Law in 1987, he went into general private practice for three years, and then began working in the field A passion for the cause G October 2008 THE NATIONAL JURIST 33 http://www.law.csuohio.edu http://www.law.csuohio.edu
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