The LL.M. degree does not guarantee a job as a lawyer in the United States. This is one of the many important points I make to my Legal English for American Law Schools (LEALS) students and foreign-educated lawyers who seek my advice.
This is not meant to knock LL.M. degrees! Even a J.D. degree does not guarantee a job in the United States. What can students do to boost their chances of scoring a job after an LL.M. program?
Networking may be more important than GPA
I am not saying you shouldn’t do well in your program, but I don’t think the difference between a 3.5 and a 3.7 is going to make as much of a difference as having a clear, targeted, and consistent networking plan from before you arrive and executing on it throughout the first semester of your LL.M. program.
My advice is to do what is needed to do well in your classes and put significant attention into networking.
It’s easier in August, September, and October to have conversations with people, months before the job search, and come across as genuinely curious and interested in their work. In April and May, your need to secure employment immediately may come across more, and add stress to these conversations.
Working with your school career office is particularly important in this regard, especially if U.S. style networking is different from your jurisdiction or if you think you need additional guidance and support on informational interviews, e-mail communication, and cultural intelligence. As you narrow down your school options, ask what differentiates the schools for their LL.M. networking. How a school responds to that question may prove enlightening as you face a difficult decision about where to attend.
Find alumni mentors or champions
Successful students I worked with utilized their alumni networks throughout their educational experience, which is an important reason that asking about alumni connections is an important factor in choosing an LL.M. program.
If your focus is on the post-LL.M. job search and a school option has a very defined track record of alumni hiring international LL.M. students, that should be an important consideration in choosing a school. Certainly more than whether their J.D. program rank is 35, 55, or 75.
Finding your alumni mentors and champions can be challenging. When you arrive at your school, find someone in the career or alumni office to have coffee with. Chat about your background/interests/goals and see if they know any alumni who would be a good fit to reach out.
Ideally, that person would make the connection and can share with the alum that they spoke with you and the impressions they had — and it saves you a cold e-mail. Alumni mentors and champions can make the difference between securing a job in the U.S. and returning home after the LL.M. or after the OPT clock expires.
You have to do what’s best for you but don’t burn bridges
Securing a job is important. And sometimes, a “better” position will open up after you have accepted a job offer. This can get challenging, especially given the added stress for LL.M. students and those on F-1 visas.
Perhaps another firm has offered more security in sponsorship opportunities? Or a firm in a city that is better for your personal situation has offered you a position? Or a firm has offered significantly more money that will make it far easier to achieve financial stability after the money you spend on your LL.M. year?
It helps when you are applying to jobs around the same time so that the timelines for receiving updates align better but it also helps to have open communication with the firms you are speaking with. Asking for a little more time to make your decision may avoid an issue as you receive additional updates. Clearly articulating your concerns about visas and salary can also help.
It is easy when a “dream” offer arrives and you can close down your job search but for many LL.M. students, you are balancing trying to find any job with finding the best job.
This is also a situation that puts your interests (maximizing your job security/financial situation/career progression) against your school’s interests (reputation among employers, alumni feelings). If you secure a job as a direct result of the school (e.g., alum hired you specifically because your school helped) that may change the calculus even more. We all have personal reasons for making and changing decisions but one of the important keys is to avoid burning bridges.
Legal careers are long and I have seen many of my J.D. classmates rise quickly from their first positions to where they are a decade later. Before accepting an offer or e-mailing a firm to say you are making a change, I hope you have someone like me at your school that you feel comfortable speaking with. Those conversations can make a big difference!
Be an Alumni Champion and benefit from the payoff
You graduated and are working. You’re busy and focused on your practice, looking at H1-B sponsorship opportunities, and navigating working life in a new country (hello U.S. taxes!). But you should stay active in your law school, volunteering on alumni career panels, attending alumni events, and more. Why?
In addition to many other benefits, you’ll connect with more senior alumni from your school. These activities, especially where you’re both giving back, are great opportunities to get to know other alumni from your school. You may be invited to join a committee for the local bar, asked to grab a cup of coffee to chat about your experience, or even told to share a resume. Developing a reputation at your school as one who gives back can pay off for you more than the students you’re helping as you become a valued member of the alumni community.
