I need advice on 2 issues....I am a foreign-trained lawyer from Nigeria and I will be applying to several LL.M programs for the 2007 calendar. I have been living in the States since 2002. My first question is do you think that not having worked directly in the legal field since all this while will affect my chances of being admitted into top tier schools like NYU, UPENN, etc?

My second question is, should I include in my application the fact that I will be graduating from an Emory University Paralegal Certificate Course in December? Someone mentioned to me that I shouldn't because a paralegal course is inferior to a law degree and the admissions board might look unfavorably upon it.

Thanks for your response.

Well regarding ur 1st ? I don't think so. And as for the 2nd .. actually u can skip that (I don know the duration of the course/degree, if it is from an accredited university/school say a yr or longer in duration, then I don see any harm in including it in ur appli'n).
Rest u r the best judge of ur credibilities and educational credentials..
Good luck..

Thank you so much for your advice.