In Australia, the LLM is open to law graduates. However, while the majority who enroll are legal practitioners, this is not a pre-requisite for entry. The shortage of graduate program/articles places has resulted in some LLB graduates proceeding directly to an LLM course prior to seeking graduate employment.In the United Kingdom, an LLM programme is open to those holding a recognised legal qualification, generally an undergraduate degree in Laws or a CPE. They do not have to be or intend to be legal practitioners. An LLM is not always a sufficient qualification in itself to practice as a solicitor or barrister but is an opportunity to gain specialist knowledge of a particular area of law and/or an understanding of the legal systems of other nations. As with other degrees, an LLM can be studied on a part-time basis at many institutions and in some circumstances by distance learning.
In India, the thrust of legal education is on the undergraduate law degrees with most of those opting for the undergraduate law degree either going forward to enroll themselves with the Bar Council of India and start practicing as Advocates or giving legal advice without being eligible to appear in courts (a consequence of non-enrollment). Similar to the United Kingdom, a Masters degree in Law in India is basically opted by those looking forward to either join the academia and teaching profession or to specialize in particular areas of law. Traditionally the most popular areas of specialization in these Masters degrees in law in India have been constitutional law, family law and taxation law. However with the established of specialized law Universities in India since 1987, much emphasis is being given at the Masters level of legal education in India. With the establishment of these universities, focus in specialization has been shifted to newer areas such as intellectual property law, international trade law etc.
In the USA, the LL.M. is a "master's" degree for persons who are already lawyers. Historically, the J.D. ("juris doctor") has been seen, and is in most cases, the only professional degree needed for those who wish to "practice" within the law; the LL.M. is seen as an advanced degree which while being more oriented towards academia, is increasingly becoming a useful tool in the specialized legal profession.
Internationally, the LL.M. from selected law schools in the United States can have high status. However, since no U.S. state requires an LL.M. to practice law in any area, well over 98% of U.S. lawyers, including those that practice in areas of taxation and international law, do not have LL.M. degrees.