Doing a PhD in law – the untold

Recently, some readers emailed me asking about doing a PhD in law. Some asked me to advise on their research proposal. Some expressed their interest, but they don’t know where to start as they don’t have a background in law like others. To my surprise, even PhD students from prestigious universities confided to me their doubt about whether doing a PhD in law is right for them and the uncertainty of their job prospects.

In fact, since I started my teaching career, I have received quite a few PhD proposals. Still, I have not had the opportunity to supervise anyone for various reasons. Two years ago, I was delighted with the submission of an Indian student. However, the admission process at the university where I was working was slow; that student received a scholarship from another UK university. This year, I would have supervised a British student had I not changed my job.

As a former PhD student and now as a potential PhD supervisor, I want to pass on lessons to other prospective students. They are the lessons that I had learned during my PhD journey, which I wish someone would have told me before I started my research degree. With that in mind, I hope my article will help you make an informed decision of whether a PhD in law is something that you want to pursue.

Please note that the content of this post primarily reflects my own experience in the UK only. So please refer to the country and the university where you want to do your PhD to get a more accurate view since PhD programs vary from country to country and from industry to industry.

Loneliness

First and foremost, doing a PhD in law (and in other fields) in the UK is an independent process and, more precisely, a very lonely journey. Except for the first year, where you are required to take some compulsory modules such as legal research methods, you are by yourself most of the time. As the name suggests, supervisors are just guides. They are there to give you advice and make sure you stay on track. Nevertheless, how your research goes, how to do it, whether there are obstacles, you have to find a solution yourself.

Each PhD student has a unique research topic; no one does the same as you. You won’t have as many friends as you might have at the undergraduate or postgraduate levels. You have no deadlines to meet and exams to pass except the annual review. If you want to do research from home full-time, no one will complain. Not to mention, many PhD students have families and are likely to bring them aboard while doing their research degrees, it’s challenging for you to make friends if you are by yourself, let alone close friends.

Suppose you are lucky enough to do a PhD at a big university. In that case, your chances of meeting fellow researchers will be higher, and the university can organize many activities for you. Nevertheless, suppose you work at a smaller university. You should be prepared that the research environment is not as dynamic as expected. Except for your supervisors, you may not find anyone doing the same research area as you. In some cases, your supervisors do not even know the field very well. You are all alone in this!

A fixed-term marriage between you and your PhD supervisor

Secondly, the relationship between you and your supervisor matters a lot. If you have an enthusiastic supervisor who has the time to spend with you (like I did), this is indeed a blessing. My supervisor is so meticulous that he corrected every page of my every submission, corrected my writing, and, significantly, taught me how to think critically. If your supervisor is so busy that (s)he doesn’t have time for you, the difficulty will multiply. Worse yet, some supervisors stand in the way of student growth. It sounds strange but true.

I once knew a PhD student who wanted to go abroad for exchange, but her supervisor disagreed. The first time she was rejected, she was sad but reluctantly accepted. But for the second time, she decided to “overrule” the supervisor. She directly discussed the matter with the head of the law school and was given the green light to go abroad. I saw how she struggled to maintain the relationship with her supervisor. She was very frustrated and felt unjust. Once she completed her PhD, she was pleased to leave the university because she does not have to work with that supervisor anymore.

On the contrary, I was very fortunate when my supervisor supported my idea of going abroad for research exchange. He was the one who suggested that I should apply to the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. The time spent there has opened up many opportunities, allowing me to meet other like-minded persons. One of them was my colleague, and now she is my friend. When I received the interview for my first job, my supervisor invited me to lunch and conducted a mock interview. And I passed it! I am grateful to him forever.

PhD students often joke that the supervisory relationship is like a fixed-term marriage. Once you’re “married”, you will be more committed. You cannot ask for a “divorce” whenever you have a disagreement. If the relationship turns sour, its later consequences will be a headache for you – the early-career researchers. It is particularly worse for international students from poor countries as they lack networking experience. Their research profile has not developed to the extent that they can be independent. As a result, you will rely a lot on your supervisor.

Therefore, maintaining a healthy relationship with the supervisor is quite essential. You still need them after you graduate. For example, if you want to find a job in the UK (or another country), you will need a letter of recommendation. Your supervisor is in the best position to assess your research, a criterion that many UK universities require. Or, one day, you encounter a problem in your study, your supervisor will be the first person that comes to mind. Even though I graduated three years ago, when I needed a letter of recommendation to apply for Oxford, I still went back to my supervisor.

So choosing a PhD supervisor is crucial that potential PhD students should not take lightly. My advice is to find out on the university’s website how many students are currently mentored by your potential supervisor. If they have about three students, you might want to look for someone else. If you find a supervisor you like, after a few emails exchanged, you can ask to chat with them. The chat does not have to be long. About 15 minutes will be ideal. The purpose is to see if you can fit their style and whether this is someone you would like to stick around with for 4 or 5 years.

Having said that, I also understand very well that international students who want to do PhDs in the UK do not have the luxury to shop around. However, I hope the above sharing will be of some use to you or at least help you to know what you are into.

Your youth is gone

In the UK, on the paper, the time to do a PhD in law is 3 years. But in fact, it takes much longer than that. For law, most PhD students spend on average between 4.5 and 5.5 years to complete their degrees. It took me more than 5 years because of some changes in the research area at the end of my third year and some complications in finding the viva examiner. UK universities will not charge tuition fees after three years, but some may charge a small amount for administration; you should check with your university. Even though you would need a considerable amount of money for the visa extension afterwards.

Except for some exceptional students, most PhDs do not precisely know what they are doing when they first start their projects. In law, the originality of your PhD thesis becomes even more difficult because of what needs to be studied; most people have already done it before you.

Que sera, sera?

I would like to borrow the lyrics from the song Que sera, sera to highlight the changeability and uncertainty of doing the research degree. As a German friend of mine rightly captured, doing PhD is already hard but what happens during the PhD is much harder. I cannot agree more! Because the PhD journey is so long, many events which occur during that time, in one way or another, affect your research progress.

For example, getting pregnant during your research will slow down your PhD. I once witnessed a student who had to halt her 3 years PhD in law when she became pregnant. She took a break or 2 years, returned to her home country to give birth. When she resumed her PhD, everyone admired her will and determination. She eventually graduated. However, just imagine if you have to restart your research after a long time. You have to update your writing; you might have to rewrite some of the chapters or all of them in the worst scenario. How difficult and frustrating it is!

Quite often, challenges do not only come from you but from your supervisor. It’s not uncommon to have your supervisor changed. I know a student who had to change her supervisor twice. When she started with the third one, she had to learn how to adapt to the new supervisory’s writing and research style.

Other unfortunate events can happen. For example, you have problems with your health, your personal circumstance changes badly, and you might even exhaust your financial resources. All of these things can slow down your research process.

If you’ve read this far but still want to do a PhD in law, so welcome to the world of research! You can start your own journey by reading the following book:

Caroline Morris and Cian C Murphy, Getting a PhD in Law (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011) Link.