Having worked and taught at three law schools in the United States for more than 12 years, I always enjoy meeting so many wonderful LL.M. students.
Given that my own LEALS students study at different law schools, I learn a lot about the various cultures and philosophies at the schools in the U.S. and globally. In August I was back in New York an was able to meet former LEALS studying at Columbia, Fordham and NYU. They were excited about the start of their years and highlighted the positive experiences they were having at their respective schools.
I have also met a lot of amazing and passionate people who work in the LL.M. space. We come from a variety of backgrounds. Something that I have found unites us is a commitment to ensuring LL.M.s feel welcome and can thrive in U.S. law schools.
We don’t want you to feel like “just” a Non-J.D. in a system that is designed around J.D. students and the J.D. experience.
That can be challenging at times because the LL.M. office is one part of a broader law school operation. And for almost every U.S. law school, revenue-generation is honestly a part of the Non-J.D. operation.
How we balance competing goals is important. Foreign-educated LL.M.s are the most similar to our J.D. students. Many want to take bar exams and secure attorney jobs, sometimes in the U.S. For F-1s, the stakes can be higher, especially in 2026. For this reason, I wanted to speak with Kara Galvin and Hannah Logan at University of Minnesota Law School for the LL.M. 3.0 series.
Kara Galvin is a director at Minnesota law and oversees the LL.M., Pre-LL.M., S.J.D., Visiting Scholar and J.D. Exchange programs, as well as all faculty exchanges and partnerships with institutions overseas.
Hannah Logan is an assistant director at Minnesota Law. She has worked in various positions at the university since 2015. Her current role involves administering the LL.M., Pre-LL.M., S.J.D., Visiting Scholar and J.D. Exchange programs, as well as all faculty exchanges and partnerships with institutions overseas.
I was familiar with Minnesota Law’s program from my time in China for St. John’s (we overlapped at a couple partner schools). When I moved to Florida, learning more about Minnesota Law helped as I shifted from a private school to a state flagship. And when I moved to Illinois, I learned even more about Minnesota Law’s LL.M. program.
I’ve been impressed with Minnesota Law’s visibility on social media for its LL.M. program. You can check the school’s LL.M. Instagram for a look into the lives and successes of students and the programming for foreign-educated students.
For the fifth piece in the LL.M. 3.0 series, the three of us discussed the Minnesota Law LL.M. program’s philosophy, what the school is seeing for the 2026-27 academic year, partner schools, alumni and more.
In the LL.M. 3.0 era, the people behind the program matter more than ever. More successful students with amazing experiences makes the competition to enroll the next class less challenging. It means students are viewing themselves as part of the larger law school community as opposed to as “Non-J.D.s.” And it means that the bar continues to be raised nationally for support, resources and visibility for LL.M. students.
How would you describe your overall philosophy when it comes to working in and supporting the Minnesota Law LL.M. program? What makes you most excited about the work that you get to do within that framework at Minnesota?
The primary goal at Minnesota Law is to create a sense of community and belonging. Our LL.M. students are fully integrated into J.D. classes and student organizations, and we make a genuine effort to know each and every LL.M. student well. When students decide to join us, they become a member of the Minnesota Law family, which extends not only to their own LL.M. class, but to our entire alumni network of hundreds of LL.M., J.D. and S.J.D. graduates that came before them. We are excited to grow that network of well-supported students and lawyers every year.
We are asked if the U.S. is still a destination of choice for prospective LL.M. students. I regularly highlight why I believe the answer is yes within my circles. But I wanted to hear from you, from the U.S. law school perspective and from your experiences on the road in 2025-26?
We receive feedback that indicates the U.S. is still a top choice for LL.M. students. Knowledge of the U.S. legal system and the American style of legal English is relevant for attorneys in many countries and situations around the world. Given the strength and influence of the U.S. economy and culture, that will continue to be true for our lifetime. We hope to continue welcoming international lawyers into our law schools because they make the environment better and more meaningful for everyone in the classroom.
How has Minnesota Law embraced a new era in LL.M. programs for foreign-educated law students? What are you doing to continue maximizing the experiences for students, evolve as students seek more for their money and stand out as the options continue to grow?
We choose to maintain a smaller LL.M. cohort to ensure our students have the individual support and access to opportunities they want and need. Our Minneapolis location includes major law firms, state and federal courts, 17 Fortune 500 companies and a wealth of nonprofits; these provide each unique student a chance to get involved in a way that fits their needs best. Minnesota Law is committed to offering practical experiences and well-taught doctrinal classes for a rich, balanced educational setting. This incredible university experience along with a relatively low cost of living is a winning combination for someone hoping to maximize their time in the U.S. during an LL.M. program.
I often say that LL.M. programs are not a game of Pokemon. The goal should not be to “catch them all!” Minnesota’s LL.M. program is designed to be smaller. What can you tell us about how that benefits the LL.M. students in your program?
LL.M. students in our Minnesota Law family benefit greatly from being fully, truly integrated into our law school community. This includes taking classes alongside their J.D. peers, having full access to our wonderful Career Center and encouragement to join any of our 30+ student-run organizations. A smaller program also allows us to provide tailored, personalized advising to each student to help them reach their goals. We know every student’s name, where they are from, what classes they are taking and how they are doing. We are proud of this and feel it makes our program stand out among many other excellent LL.M. programs in the U.S.
How does Minnesota Law work with your LL.M. and international alumni to engage with prospective students? How do your alumni help your students, including those seeking to return home to enhanced career options and those who hope to remain in the United States?
Our alumni are simply incredible! Their first-hand experience gives them an ability to guide prospective students and put all they have learned into perspective — whether that is about navigating the U.S. law school environment, the exhilaration of passing a bar exam after months of hard work or the joy of mentoring younger colleagues as they consider their options. Our alumni are open and honest about why they chose the path they did, and they impart a deep wisdom on prospective students that no one else can.
How does Minnesota Law work with your partner schools abroad and schools your faculty/administration/alumni have connections with? How do those connections help with more than just student recruitment/mobility in ways that provide benefits to the Minnesota Law community more broadly?
Our partner schools help us provide a more internationalized educational experience to our Minnesota Law community. Incoming students and visiting faculty provide distinct viewpoints inside our classrooms to help contextualize what our students are learning each day. The Minnesota Law family benefits from thinking about U.S. law in a new way, and learning from people who see the world from a different paradigm. This cultivates better lawyers who are more thoughtful, curious and well-informed.
Here’s the closing thought from Kara and Logan:
Minnesota Law is an integral part of the vibrant, thriving legal community in Minneapolis. The international lawyers in our LL.M. program are — and always will be — an important facet of that.
