Hi,

I am a UK Law Student and I am looking to apply for the 2009-2010 academic year at a US Law School. I graduate with a LL.B. in May 2009 and I am hoping to commence a LLM degree in the US immediately after. The longest work experience in law I have ever had is 1 year and this was part-time.

The top US law schools require a minimum of two years of legal experience. Is there any law school that does not? I noticed Berkeley does not explicitly require it.

I know of people who have been admitted to the LL.M programs of NYU, the University of Chicago, Duke, and even Harvard right out of an LL.B (friends from Ireland). I think the most unforgiving schools with regard to work experience are Columbia (it's a de facto requirement there), Yale (though they want academic teaching experience - slightly different) and Stanford (I studied there and all the LL.Ms had worked for a few years at least).

Of course, experience increases your candidacy and you'll have to compete against those who have it for admission, but if your grades and recommendations are excellent, I think you'd have a better shot than you think.

I know many students who have joined Yale, Harvard, U Penn, Cornell, NYU, Duke and UC Berkeley straight after LLB. But its better to have some experience before applying, as it will increase your chances of getting admitted,

Regards.