Dear all,
I am a 25 yr. old law student from Germany. I finished my 1st State Exam over here in Germany this Nov. w/ an "Above Average" as my final grade.
I am currently doing research for a possible LL.M. degree in the USA. I have already lived in the US for 2 yrs.; one year in 1997/1998 as an exchange student in high school in Upstate NY and then one year in 2000/2001 at SUNY Oswego (Upstate NY) as a Public Justice undergraduate student. After the year at SUNY Oswego I went back to Germany to get my law degree. In Germany you're only a full lawyer when you pass your 1st and 2nd State Exam. You earn the 2nd State Exam after working for 2 yrs. (rotating internships) and then taking 8 written exams and an oral exam. So right now I am not a full lawyer over here yet.
Working and living in the US has been my goal and dream for a long time. I have a lot of personal and legal contacts to the US through my exchange program, college education and internships.
Right now I am very torn on what to do. Here are my options:
- Get an LL.M. in the USA, do the OPT and try to find a job after the OPT.
- Get an LL.M. in the USA, do the OPT (or not) and then go get a J.D. in the USA
- Get just a J.D. in the USA w/o a LL.M.
- Finish law school over here in Germany first (meaning do your 2nd State Exam; takes two yrs.) and then go for a 3- or 2- year J.D. in the USA.
Like I said I am very torn on what to do, esp. b/c of the money. If anyone has any ideas on what they think would make me most marketable in the US and help me best to reach my goal and dream PLEASE let me know!!!
Thank you so very much for all guidance and help in advance!!!
LL.M., J.D. or 2nd State Exam?
Posted Dec 13, 2006 19:46
0
Dear all,
I am a 25 yr. old law student from Germany. I finished my 1st State Exam over here in Germany this Nov. w/ an "Above Average" as my final grade.
I am currently doing research for a possible LL.M. degree in the USA. I have already lived in the US for 2 yrs.; one year in 1997/1998 as an exchange student in high school in Upstate NY and then one year in 2000/2001 at SUNY Oswego (Upstate NY) as a Public Justice undergraduate student. After the year at SUNY Oswego I went back to Germany to get my law degree. In Germany you're only a full lawyer when you pass your 1st and 2nd State Exam. You earn the 2nd State Exam after working for 2 yrs. (rotating internships) and then taking 8 written exams and an oral exam. So right now I am not a full lawyer over here yet.
Working and living in the US has been my goal and dream for a long time. I have a lot of personal and legal contacts to the US through my exchange program, college education and internships.
Right now I am very torn on what to do. Here are my options:
- Get an LL.M. in the USA, do the OPT and try to find a job after the OPT.
- Get an LL.M. in the USA, do the OPT (or not) and then go get a J.D. in the USA
- Get just a J.D. in the USA w/o a LL.M.
- Finish law school over here in Germany first (meaning do your 2nd State Exam; takes two yrs.) and then go for a 3- or 2- year J.D. in the USA.
Like I said I am very torn on what to do, esp. b/c of the money. If anyone has any ideas on what they think would make me most marketable in the US and help me best to reach my goal and dream PLEASE let me know!!!
Thank you so very much for all guidance and help in advance!!!
I am a 25 yr. old law student from Germany. I finished my 1st State Exam over here in Germany this Nov. w/ an "Above Average" as my final grade.
I am currently doing research for a possible LL.M. degree in the USA. I have already lived in the US for 2 yrs.; one year in 1997/1998 as an exchange student in high school in Upstate NY and then one year in 2000/2001 at SUNY Oswego (Upstate NY) as a Public Justice undergraduate student. After the year at SUNY Oswego I went back to Germany to get my law degree. In Germany you're only a full lawyer when you pass your 1st and 2nd State Exam. You earn the 2nd State Exam after working for 2 yrs. (rotating internships) and then taking 8 written exams and an oral exam. So right now I am not a full lawyer over here yet.
Working and living in the US has been my goal and dream for a long time. I have a lot of personal and legal contacts to the US through my exchange program, college education and internships.
Right now I am very torn on what to do. Here are my options:
- Get an LL.M. in the USA, do the OPT and try to find a job after the OPT.
- Get an LL.M. in the USA, do the OPT (or not) and then go get a J.D. in the USA
- Get just a J.D. in the USA w/o a LL.M.
- Finish law school over here in Germany first (meaning do your 2nd State Exam; takes two yrs.) and then go for a 3- or 2- year J.D. in the USA.
Like I said I am very torn on what to do, esp. b/c of the money. If anyone has any ideas on what they think would make me most marketable in the US and help me best to reach my goal and dream PLEASE let me know!!!
Thank you so very much for all guidance and help in advance!!!
Posted Dec 13, 2006 21:08
0
- Finish law school over here in Germany first (meaning do your 2nd State Exam; takes two yrs.) and then go for a 3- or 2- year J.D. in the USA.
To me, that seems to be the only option that makes sense.
An "average" or "befriedigend" is not a bad grade in Germany (top 30 %). You should thus not have too much difficulties to suceed in the Zweite Staatsexamen as well. Considering what you have achieved so far (more than four years legal education in Germany), you should not miss the chance to become a qualified lawyer in Germany. As you will of course know, you can only enter the German bar with the Zweite Staatsexamen. And who knows where you will be in 20 years...?
If your dream is to work in the US, you can spend 6 months of the 2-year Referndariat in a US law firm. After finishing your Zweites Staatsexamen, you can do a (two-year?) JD and then do the bar exam. You would be 30 years old when you apply for a job in the US. Many Americans are around that age when they finish law school, so that would not be much of a problem. Without a JD, getting a decent job as a foreigner will be very difficult. Try to get into one of the top schools, this will significantly improve your chances to land a great job.
Good luck!
<blockquote>
- Finish law school over here in Germany first (meaning do your 2nd State Exam; takes two yrs.) and then go for a 3- or 2- year J.D. in the USA.</blockquote>
To me, that seems to be the only option that makes sense.
An "average" or "befriedigend" is not a bad grade in Germany (top 30 %). You should thus not have too much difficulties to suceed in the Zweite Staatsexamen as well. Considering what you have achieved so far (more than four years legal education in Germany), you should not miss the chance to become a qualified lawyer in Germany. As you will of course know, you can only enter the German bar with the Zweite Staatsexamen. And who knows where you will be in 20 years...?
If your dream is to work in the US, you can spend 6 months of the 2-year Referndariat in a US law firm. After finishing your Zweites Staatsexamen, you can do a (two-year?) JD and then do the bar exam. You would be 30 years old when you apply for a job in the US. Many Americans are around that age when they finish law school, so that would not be much of a problem. Without a JD, getting a decent job as a foreigner will be very difficult. Try to get into one of the top schools, this will significantly improve your chances to land a great job.
Good luck!
- Finish law school over here in Germany first (meaning do your 2nd State Exam; takes two yrs.) and then go for a 3- or 2- year J.D. in the USA.</blockquote>
To me, that seems to be the only option that makes sense.
An "average" or "befriedigend" is not a bad grade in Germany (top 30 %). You should thus not have too much difficulties to suceed in the Zweite Staatsexamen as well. Considering what you have achieved so far (more than four years legal education in Germany), you should not miss the chance to become a qualified lawyer in Germany. As you will of course know, you can only enter the German bar with the Zweite Staatsexamen. And who knows where you will be in 20 years...?
If your dream is to work in the US, you can spend 6 months of the 2-year Referndariat in a US law firm. After finishing your Zweites Staatsexamen, you can do a (two-year?) JD and then do the bar exam. You would be 30 years old when you apply for a job in the US. Many Americans are around that age when they finish law school, so that would not be much of a problem. Without a JD, getting a decent job as a foreigner will be very difficult. Try to get into one of the top schools, this will significantly improve your chances to land a great job.
Good luck!
Posted Dec 19, 2006 16:08
0
Der Kollege hat Recht.
Der Kollege hat Recht.
Posted Jan 16, 2007 19:46
0
Und wie er recht hat;-)
I'm in the same situation you are. It's not an easy decission. It makes it even harder having four or five alternatives. PM me if you want to discuss that.
Und wie er recht hat;-)
I'm in the same situation you are. It's not an easy decission. It makes it even harder having four or five alternatives. PM me if you want to discuss that.
I'm in the same situation you are. It's not an easy decission. It makes it even harder having four or five alternatives. PM me if you want to discuss that.
Hot Discussions
-
Cambridge LL.M. Applicants 2024-2025
Oct 30, 2024 142,299 544 -
Oxford 2025-2026 BCL/MSCs/MJUR/MPHIL/MLF
Nov 15 04:43 AM 2,050 44 -
Harvard LLM 2025-2026
23 hours ago 1,674 7 -
Indian Tribes as US Jurisdictions of law attorney admission?
Nov 08, 2024 765 6 -
Warwick or Birmingham
Nov 10, 2024 1,162 5 -
Scholarship Negotiation Strategy (BCL v. NYU LLM Dean's Graduate Scholarship)
Nov 09, 2024 1,038 4 -
NUS vs Peking
Nov 09, 2024 183 4 -
LLM in ADR
Oct 23, 2024 390 4
