The LL.M. is an internationally recognized professional and academic postgraduate law degree, which is usually obtained through a one-year study program. For lawyers it is the equivalent of what an MBA is for business people. Many law firms prefer candidates holding an LL.M. degree as it indicates that a lawyer has advanced legal training and is able to cope with a multinational legal environment.
LL.M. is Latin for Legum Magister, signifying Master of Laws. In Latin abbreviati##被过滤##, the plural form of a word is indicated by doubling the letter - hence "LL." is short for Laws. The word legum is the possessive plural form of the Latin word lex, which means "specific laws". When used in the plural, it signifies a specific body of laws, as opposed to the general collective concept embodied in the word jus, from which the word juris and our modern English word "justice" derive. In the feminine; i.e., for a female student, the expression is Legum Magistra.