So I am an English student who is currently completing a 3 law LLB law degree here in England at a top 20 university. I want to go on to complete a masters degree at Harvard or NYU (LLM) so that I can go on to pass the California bar or the NY bar. MY question is, how difficult would it be for an English law graduate with a masters from either Harvard or NYU to become a practicing lawyer in the US?

I contacted some universities yesterday, Harvard say that they hold job fairs for LLM's to get jobs, where as Yale said that their students all return home after completion of the LLM, Berkley said the same.


Thanks

Passing a bar exam will help, but still it's going to be very hard. Even domestic attorneys are having trouble landing jobs, and since foreign attorneys need visas, they are often perceived as being a high-risk investment.

Law firms do appreciate LLMs - especially from top schools - but these are only rarely gateways to international relocation.

Primarily, employers appreciate specialized LLM programs to help them grow out specific practice areas. Programs in tax tend to give job-seekers a lot of leverage because tax is a complicated field and there's a lot of need for skilled tax attorneys.

The other main reason why a law firm would pick up a foreign attorney would be if that attorney has connections in their home country (and if that home country is a place the law firm wants to build their practice.) Use that to your advantage, if possible.

Passing a bar exam will help, but still it's going to be very hard. Even domestic attorneys are having trouble landing jobs, and since foreign attorneys need visas, they are often perceived as being a high-risk investment.

Law firms do appreciate LLMs - especially from top schools - but these are only rarely gateways to international relocation.

Primarily, employers appreciate specialized LLM programs to help them grow out specific practice areas. Programs in tax tend to give job-seekers a lot of leverage because tax is a complicated field and there's a lot of need for skilled tax attorneys.

The other main reason why a law firm would pick up a foreign attorney would be if that attorney has connections in their home country (and if that home country is a place the law firm wants to build their practice.) Use that to your advantage, if possible.

Since you are coming from a very similar culture (England) to the US, and you speak English as a 1st language, the chances of you getting hired are likely better than someone from a different background. That said, it will still be difficult and you will have to put in some legwork. Don't rely on the law school to help you because LLM students don't affect their US News ranking, so their placement focus is on the JD students. And, law firms may have a bias towards JD students simply because US lawyers feel like everyone should have to endure the same 7yrs of school they did. That said, if you network network network, I firmly believe that anything is possible. Don't give up hope.

Since you are coming from a very similar culture (England) to the US, and you speak English as a 1st language, the chances of you getting hired are likely better than someone from a different background. That said, it will still be difficult and you will have to put in some legwork. Don't rely on the law school to help you because LLM students don't affect their US News ranking, so their placement focus is on the JD students. And, law firms may have a bias towards JD students simply because US lawyers feel like everyone should have to endure the same 7yrs of school they did. That said, if you network network network, I firmly believe that anything is possible. Don't give up hope.

Your biggest challenge will be dealing with employers' assumptions about your immigration status. Even if you have great credentials, most firms just don't want to deal with that hassle. Foreign LLMs can normally only work for one year before requiring sponsorship for a work visa so the firms get virtually no return on the investment in their training. If you have permanent residency or dual citizenship, you should place that information prominently on your CV and cover letter

Your biggest challenge will be dealing with employers' assumptions about your immigration status. Even if you have great credentials, most firms just don't want to deal with that hassle. Foreign LLMs can normally only work for one year before requiring sponsorship for a work visa so the firms get virtually no return on the investment in their training. If you have permanent residency or dual citizenship, you should place that information prominently on your CV and cover letter

Yes, I do think it will be hard. Most employers can find an equally qualified local candidate and don't want the hassle of dealing with immigration issues.

I am an engineer and current 2L student.

What are the job prospects in academia after a LLM or JD in USA? especially without any work ex?

I am an engineer and current 2L student.

What are the job prospects in academia after a LLM or JD in USA? especially without any work ex?

I am an engineer and current 2L student.

What are the job prospects in academia after a LLM or JD in USA? especially without any work ex?

It depends on a lot of things...LLM and JD from where? A job teaching in a law school or a job teaching in an engineering school? Or somewhere else? There's no way to answer your question but, as a general rule, jobs in academia are MUCH harder to get than jobs in law firms

Your biggest challenge will be dealing with employers' assumptions about your immigration status. Even if you have great credentials, most firms just don't want to deal with that hassle. Foreign LLMs can normally only work for one year before requiring sponsorship for a work visa so the firms get virtually no return on the investment in their training. If you have permanent residency or dual citizenship, you should place that information prominently on your CV and cover letter

I meant jobs for teaching in US law schools after pursuing LLM or JD from USA.
My parents are planning to move to East Coast so I have to keep my options open.