Hello everybody!
I am a LLB student in Italy and am planning to pursue my LLM in the US. Why US though? Main reason is to get license either in CA or NY, and want to practice law there. I've read 2020s discussions here (which were not that hopeful), and was hoping maybe there might have been some changes in the job market since then.
Personally I'm aiming tier 1 (UPenn, Duke, Northwestern, Georgetown) and tier 2 (Texas Law, Illinois Urbana Champaign) and some others with the hopes that I can get a job easier. While choosing the schools, affordability, fin. aid amount & tuition fee were significant factors honestly. I think you can notice them yourselves too. Plus I'm considering getting a loan from private institutions like MFinance/Prodigy Finance, don't have much savings tbh. (Also I'm married, so I'll be traveling with my wife)
Long story short, any insights/recommendations/advice would greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Job opportunities after LLM in the US
Posted Mar 27, 2024 02:45
I am a LLB student in Italy and am planning to pursue my LLM in the US. Why US though? Main reason is to get license either in CA or NY, and want to practice law there. I've read 2020s discussions here (which were not that hopeful), and was hoping maybe there might have been some changes in the job market since then.
Personally I'm aiming tier 1 (UPenn, Duke, Northwestern, Georgetown) and tier 2 (Texas Law, Illinois Urbana Champaign) and some others with the hopes that I can get a job easier. While choosing the schools, affordability, fin. aid amount & tuition fee were significant factors honestly. I think you can notice them yourselves too. Plus I'm considering getting a loan from private institutions like MFinance/Prodigy Finance, don't have much savings tbh. (Also I'm married, so I'll be traveling with my wife)
Long story short, any insights/recommendations/advice would greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Posted Mar 27, 2024 03:13
Market is tough…and will continue to be so. Employability will depend much more on your connections and ability to sell yourself to US firms
In addition, you got the tiers wrong. See below IMO:
Tier 1: HYS
Tier 2: CLS, NYU and Chicago (this maybe T1)
Tier 3: Upenn, UVA, Duke
Tier 4: Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan + strong regionals
Posted Mar 27, 2024 05:36
So you're saying ranking/reputation is not that important sometimes? Coz I'm also considering some schools (which are top 100) offer full ride, occasionally stipend for living expenses too. The main reason I'm aiming those top ones is to have some "brand" names on my CV so that I might land a job somehow easier (but high tuition fees in those top tier school really bugs me, and this is mainly because I'll might be getting private loans (even though I'm not really okay with it))
Market is tough…and will continue to be so. Employability will depend much more on your connections and ability to sell yourself to US firms
In addition, you got the tiers wrong. See below IMO:
Tier 1: HYS
Tier 2: CLS, NYU and Chicago (this maybe T1)
Tier 3: Upenn, UVA, Duke
Tier 4: Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan + strong regionals
Posted Mar 27, 2024 07:23
So you're saying ranking/reputation is not that important sometimes? Coz I'm also considering some schools (which are top 100) offer full ride, occasionally stipend for living expenses too. The main reason I'm aiming those top ones is to have some "brand" names on my CV so that I might land a job somehow easier (but high tuition fees in those top tier school really bugs me, and this is mainly because I'll might be getting private loans (even though I'm not really okay with it))Market is tough…and will continue to be so. Employability will depend much more on your connections and ability to sell yourself to US firms
In addition, you got the tiers wrong. See below IMO:
Tier 1: HYS
Tier 2: CLS, NYU and Chicago (this maybe T1)
Tier 3: Upenn, UVA, Duke
Tier 4: Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan + strong regionals
It really depends on your goals. I think you should figure that out first. The market is extremely tough no matter what for LLM grads, but coming from HYS you’re in a completely different situation than a t100. Unless you’re a US citizen, you’ll need an employer to sponsor your immigration application (for work), and there aren’t many outside biglaw who do that. For biglaw, I’d definitely be aiming t6-10. If you can’t do that or can’t afford it, I’d rethink your goals or the LLM.
Posted Jul 06, 2024 14:39
So you're saying ranking/reputation is not that important sometimes? Coz I'm also considering some schools (which are top 100) offer full ride, occasionally stipend for living expenses too. The main reason I'm aiming those top ones is to have some "brand" names on my CV so that I might land a job somehow easier (but high tuition fees in those top tier school really bugs me, and this is mainly because I'll might be getting private loans (even though I'm not really okay with it))Market is tough…and will continue to be so. Employability will depend much more on your connections and ability to sell yourself to US firms
In addition, you got the tiers wrong. See below IMO:
Tier 1: HYS
Tier 2: CLS, NYU and Chicago (this maybe T1)
Tier 3: Upenn, UVA, Duke
Tier 4: Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan + strong regionals
It really depends on your goals. I think you should figure that out first. The market is extremely tough no matter what for LLM grads, but coming from HYS you’re in a completely different situation than a t100. Unless you’re a US citizen, you’ll need an employer to sponsor your immigration application (for work), and there aren’t many outside biglaw who do that. For biglaw, I’d definitely be aiming t6-10. If you can’t do that or can’t afford it, I’d rethink your goals or the LLM.
What is t6-10?
Posted Jul 22, 2024 00:11
This comment [clap, clap, clap]:
Market is tough…and will continue to be so. Employability will depend much more on your connections and ability to sell yourself to US firms
In addition, you got the tiers wrong. See below IMO:
Tier 1: HYS
Tier 2: CLS, NYU and Chicago (this maybe T1)
Tier 3: Upenn, UVA, Duke
Tier 4: Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan + strong regionals
Nothing will guarantee a job of course, but you can improve your chances by networking, making sure to do an internship, and target large organizations/firms that are willing to employ you and esponsor you (smaller firms and other orgs generally don't do either).
[quote]Market is tough…and will continue to be so. Employability will depend much more on your connections and ability to sell yourself to US firms<br>In addition, you got the tiers wrong. See below IMO:<br><br>Tier 1: HYS<br>Tier 2: CLS, NYU and Chicago (this maybe T1)<br>Tier 3: Upenn, UVA, Duke<br>Tier 4: Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan + strong regionals<br><br> [/quote]
Nothing will guarantee a job of course, but you can improve your chances by networking, making sure to do an internship, and target large organizations/firms that are willing to employ you and esponsor you (smaller firms and other orgs generally don't do either).
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