LL.M. Degree
convenient setting to meet fellow law students and make friends.
These and many other facets of student life are uniquely shaped by each law school’s student body and thus create a distinctive atmosphere. LL.M. applicants, most of whom typically do not have a chance to visit the law school before they enroll, can find out about many of these aspects on each law school’s website, where the student body is usually described, and student organiza- tions, journals and other schools and departments of the university are listed. Last, but not least, alumni websites also offer addi- tional insight about the school’s community and about the range and quality of its networks. All of these aspects combined can help you gain a better sense of which kind of environment would be most supportive and beneficial for your talents and goals.
Upon completing the LL.M. pro- gram, students will have the op- tion to extend their visas under the “optional training program” (OPT)2
job placement opportunities. It is important to ex- amine the assistance offered by the law schools’ career service offices to their LL.M. students – many schools help set up interviews with big in- ternational law firms, regardless of whether the law firms are in Boston, New York, San Francisco, or Chicago, etc. There is also an annual job fair for LL.M. students in New York which many law schools outside the state participate in as well. In addition, many career services offices are contact- ed by law firms in the U.S. and abroad which wish to recruit from among their LL.M. students.
LL.M. Information Websites:
Law School Admission Council
www.lsac.org/LLM/
LL.M.
Study.com www.llmstudy.com The National Jurist
www.nationaljurist.com , which allows them to work in the United
States in the field of their studies for up to one year. It is not a bad idea to keep this option in mind, as it can also influence the choice of where to at- tend law school. For example, one could decide to spend the LL.M. year in a part of the United States where one does not plan to work during the OPT, to make the most of the opportunity to experience different regions of the country. Most OPTs typi- cally take place in the big cities on the East Coast or West Coast of the United States. Thus choosing a law school in a smaller city would offer a com- plementary perspective. Naturally, staying in the same city for the LL.M. year and the OPT also has its advantages.
Students should, however, carefully weigh the value of the location of the law school in terms of
How much one can experience culturally depends in some part on the environment: there are very large LL.M. programs, and smaller ones, but irrespective of size, the degree of diversity among the student population can significantly distinguish one program from another. Further- more, some LL.M. programs are completely separate from the J.D. programs, others overlap to varying degrees. Thus, it may
be more or less difficult for LL.M.s to integrate into the total student population and get to know J.D. students and faculty. It may even be difficult to get to know LL.M.s from countries other than one’s own – the natural draw of people with similar backgrounds typically requires conscious efforts to step out of one’s comfort zone to connect with others. However, most will agree that an LL.M. ex- perience is most beneficial when the law student also becomes a student of global connections and understanding.
When fully immersed in the American academic environment, one sees a plethora of perspectives not only on academic and legal issues, but also regarding communication in general, stereotypes (which are ubiquitous but vary from culture to culture), customs and lifestyles. In such settings, everyone can learn that what one always thought
ILSA Quarterly » volume 20 » issue 3 » February 2012
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