hey...this is for all the recent LL.M grads in US. Now that we graduated , what next??Pls post all the issues we are facing with the bar exam, job offers, visa status, etc...any questions or information, suggestions will be of great help...it will be nice if we could read about how each LL.M grad is handling all these challenges.
thanks..

how many ppl here have passed the bar exam so far?

At Cornell's LLM class, it was about 50% last year.

wow..sounds good. This must be the NY Bar? I'm currently preparing for the california bar. ..so i was just wondering what are our chances...neway what r u doing peggy?

Hi Nandita,

Your name tells me that you're from India. If yes, could you please answer a few questions:
1) Which law school did you go to and which course did you take up?
2) How has your experience of a US LLM been?
3) What sort of job are you hoping to find?
4) Are you expecting any sort of trouble on the visa issue?
5) What do you think are the prospects of Indian LLB students with a US LLM in US?

I myself am contemplating applying for a US LLM and your advice shall be extremely helpful. If you wish to e-mail me, my id is anurag_14@hotmail.com.Thanks a lot.

Hello Nandita and Anurag,

I am also from India and hold a LL.B degree from University of delhi. Nandita I have the same questions as Anurag and am particularly interested in knowing the job prospects in USA for us after puring an LL.M.

Thanks a lot and I look forward to hearing back from you. Also my email id is ritumalhotra@hotmail.com, if you prefer to reply there.

Hi guys...now i see ur in the same boat i was in 2 yrs back....i will try to answer ur qsns ..
1) I graduated from UC Hastings..LL.M in US Law..concentrated on corporate law
2) Experience..well it was definitey a great experience tobe in law school here...the teaching is veryyyyyy different from india. I dunno about the rest but my law school life for one yr was totally stressful. U cant be doing much apart from ur daily reading and if ur invlolved in other stuff going on in campus...basically there was not much life outside law school for me. Now looking back, I really liked my classes and my professors and i feel i learnt a lot in a short period.
3) job prospects...sucks...i havent found any so far...I graduated just 2 weeks back. I'm currently preparing for the california bar exam. Havent got any offers so far.
4) visa is the main issue for not getting job offers...nobody wants the headache to sponser visa for foreign attorneys when there are already enough US attorneys here. It can happen in very rare cases..and i'm still hoping that some miracle would happen...if i do get lucky will let u know
5) To conclude, the job scene is really bad..specially with the visa issue. If ur interested in doing ur LL.M and do ur trainiing here for 1 yr...i recommend u to pls work in India for a yr ot two and then pursue ur LL.M . U may have better chances with ur job...hope this helps..:)

Hi everyone.
Its really nice to hear from fellow Indians on this thread.
Nandita, wish you good luck for your job search.
Cheers,
Namrata

Hi Nandita,

Thanks a lot for your very frank opinion on various issues. Good luck with your job hunt! I had couple of more questions for you based on your reply:


1) Were there any foreign attorneys in your class who did not have a visa issue? Like they already had Green Card or something, is the statistics for getting a job for those people better than the rest who have a visa issue?

2) Did you have any work experience in India before you came here for your LL.M or you came directly after your LL.B?


Thanks!
Ritu

Ritu:
I dont see so much problem with you pursuing LL.M Yes, there were ppl with no visa issues in my class. Some of them on greencard and some spouses of H1-B. If u have work experience in any field so far..it will be of great value to u. I would recommend u to go ahead and apply for the program.

P.S I didnt have work experience except for my internships

Hi Nandita,

Thanks a ton for your long reply. Are you expecting things to change after cracking the Cal Bar or would it not make much of a differnce as far as the job search goes?

Cheers!

it does make a difference

Hello!
Nandita & others,
This is Jai from India. Firstly Good Luck for the job.
one of my friend at boston university has a similar response.
great about law school but so-so regarding job. He has got an interview call from a law firm.
Nandita would you like to tell me what type of experience is helpful in getting job? At present i am in a publishing house(law), would you like to suggest some changes like joining a law firm etc? My plan is for next session

with best wishes

jai

Hi all,

Great to come across this discussion. Had a couple of queries regarding qualifying in the US and more importantly working in the US on qualification.

First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Shiladitya from India. I have just completed my LLB from the UK (awaiting final results). My queries -
1. How difficult is it to get a job in the US AFTER qualifying in a state (either NYC or California)?
2. Having done my LLB in the UK, I can directly appear for the NYC Bar without doing an LLM in the US. Should I still do the LLM to increase my employability or is an LLM regarded as purely an academic degree?
3. If I were to clear the NYC Bar without a US LLM, how would I go about in looking for a job? (Bear in mind without a student visa, I will be able to stay in the US as a tourist and would such a visa make it more difficult for me to apply to firms?

Look forward to hearing from you.
Regards.

hey nandita,
hows the job hunt goin? i just graduated from ILS, pune (ranked No. 1 in this weeks india today!!!! awesome research they ve done man!!!lol) and have been admitted to geroge washington university and LSE. on the wait-list of cornell but im not too hopeful about getting admission there. dont have any experience either except the usual internships. im quite disturbed to hear that you re having a tough time finding a job. is it really all that difficult? did u intern in some firm there during your holidays? how re you preparing for the bar exam? is the LLM enough prep or are you going for one of those prep programs? why did you choose to sit for the cal bar instead of the NY bar? arent the job opps on the east coast better?
cheers
Parveet

hey..thats great news..i'm surprised actually..I'm an ILS Grdauate too...good for us. Congratulations on getting admiited to Washington University and LSE. ..LSE is definitely a better choice unless u want to be in US. Well the job hunt is going on....but I'm currently focussing on the bar exam as it is very intensive and super hectic..LLM is not enough for u to take the bar...i'm taking the barbri..the bar prep course. The bar exam is really difficult to pass specially for foreigh attorneys..

hey nandita,
hows it going? i ve already sent you a msg seperately asking for your opinion on taking up admission at the George Washington uni in the states or LSE in the UK. ppl i ve spoken to seem to be of the opinion that the scope for foreign lawyers in the US is definately more than the UK. i dont want to finish the LLM and come straight back! just thought i should get the opinion of all who read this. what say ppl? LLM in the US vs. an LLM in the UK? where do you see more opportunity, more scope, more money, more prestige...? Pl let me know. i need to decide within a week. my areas of interest are Coporate law, all kinds of civil litigations and international commercial arbitration.
cheers
Parveet

Hi dudely,

From whatever information I have been able to gather UK isn't a great option for you as you intend to work for sometime before you come back. I have also heard about some racism issues in the UK. But then, I am no expert. I may be wrong. As for your interest in civil litigation, I would seriously request you to check with someone in the US. Maybe, Nandita can provide some info. From what I have heard it is rather impossible to make a mark in litigation in the US. You can expect to find work as as a solicitor but to work as a attorney is really difficult. As I said earlier this is just hearsy and needs to be checked up. Nandita, are you listening?

hi guys.. . It depends what ur goal is. As i said its not easy to start with ur career in the US with a law degree unlike the techies. Now i dont mean to discourage ppl here. O yea , it is very challenging to get into litigation here..but its not impossible. U'll blend into the law system here after some years. So it might seem hard in the beginning but u'll get used to the way things are expected from u here. If u get lucky with get getting job offers, i think US is good and u could grow more...u need to do a lot of networking with the ppl here and be good at marketing urself....the starting point is the problem.
Jai: I'm sorry i'm missed ur qsn earlier..any kind of prior legal experience before LL.M will be useful . It will be nice if u focussed on the practice area that interests u.
good luck everyone..
bar exam prepartion sucks!..cant wait to be done with this!!

Hi Nandita,

Thanks for replying. We're sure you'll crack the bar. Just keep going. Do you have any idea as to which are the hot practice areas in litigation? The reason I'm asking this question is it might act as a pointer for me in choosing my LLM subjects. Also, do you think it makes a lot of difference if I don't go to one of the top 10 law schools (as regards job oppurtunities)?

Cheers,
Anurag.