I'm a Canadian JD thinking of doing the Harvard LLM but was wondering whether it is a good idea for getting a US big law job either in New York or Boston. Would the Harvard LLM help with getting a US big law job? Does US big law recruit Harvard LLM grads? Is there on campus recruitment?

I know some Canadians who went directly to NY big law from Canadian JDs without ever doing an LLM. I will write the Massachusetts bar exam to start and later if needed can get the NY one too.

I graduated with the Canadian JD a few years ago and worked since in government but have not practiced because in Canada you have to article for a year and there are very few government positions. I have no interest in practicing in Canada due to the low salaries and lack of opportunities.

I think I could probably get into the Harvard LLM because already taking a few law courses at Harvard Extension, with As in the program and finishing up a general Masters so have the GPA and references plus a lot of public service experience. I just don't know how helpful the LLM would be for securing a big law position versus the cost.

Just to clarify, I don't need the LLM to write the bar exam as will be doing that regardless for Massachusetts.

When it comes to LLM and Big Law, having a LLM from Harvard will not have a significant impact compared to the other T6 law schools (Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia and NYU). All LLM graduates tend to struggle getting a BL position because they cannot actually compete with JD graduates (3 years of education means a lot in academic terms).


The dealbreaker here is generally the experience. As long as you are able to demonstrate a longstanding track in a foreing country or particular knowledge in a specific area your odds will increase. Otherwise you will need some contacts from your previous employer in your native place (i.e. a law firm or a big company, mostly a client).

[Edited by LLM20242 on May 27, 2024]

When it comes to LLM and Big Law, having a LLM from Harvard will not have a significant impact compared to the other T6 law schools (Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia and NYU). All LLM graduates tend to struggle getting a BL position because they cannot actually compete with JD graduates (3 years of education means a lot in academic terms).
The dealbreaker here is generally the experience. As long as you are able to demonstrate a longstanding track in a foreing country or particular knowledge in a specific area your odds will increase. Otherwise you will need some contacts from your previous employer in your native place (i.e. a law firm or a big company, mostly a client).

[Edited by HarvardStudent on May 28, 2024]