Hi everyone,

We have a large group for Indian lawyers abroad on lawyrs.net. There are some prospective and some current LLM students as well as some alumni, so you can get a lot of useful information by interacting with each other. Prashant who has a blog for Indian students on the LLM-Guide is also a member.

The group is called "Indian Lawyers". You can join with this link: www.lawyrs.net/groupinvite/76

hey.. was admitted to GULC, UCLA (with scholarship) and LSE. Have sent acceptance to UCLA .. anyone else joining UCLA this Fall?

Hey guys,
Good to see you all here.
have been admitted to GULC and UCLA so far and have been wait listed at UPenn.
Hope to see you around.
All the best to you all.

hey, i've pretty much decided to go to Oxford, over NYU and LSE (still awaiting Cambridge though)... anyone else decided on going to the UK?

Hello Friends,
I am not trying to discourage anybody here but thought to paste some suggestions that I received recently from students (current class) so that you too can have some perspective and familarise yourself. Be your own Judge and decide, as we all know the current situation and but may not have heard the insiders views. So here it is:

Message 1 from Columbia:
Message 1 from Columbia:
The LLM can be a helpful tool in finding a job. However, none of the Indians have yet received a job offer. Thats true with many nationalities including the local JD students. I know of very few other students who managed to get a job offer but for Europe. I am not sure if the situation will change dramatically next year as many of the JDs have been deferred to start their jobs next year so they have to be allocated first before the HR moves on to hiring the LLMs or the next batch of JDs.

Message 2 from Columbia:
In terms of job market, usually it is not so hard to find a placement but of course things have changed. Even last year, i.e. when I was hired, things were pretty bad and they have just become worse in the US. I believe none of the Indians have managed to find a job this year so far though most of them are taking the Bar and hoping for a miracle. My sense is that even if the market improves, there are too many people (laid off and all) chasing the jobs. So, it is hard to say what the market will be next year.

Message 3 from Columbia:
I don't think any Indian bagged a job this year at Columbia not just in the U.S but outside the U.S either. The Current Economic "Meltdown" is purely responsible for the same. I hope(?) things clear out by the time you graduate, if not, then I would not give you false hope - the chances are one in a million. However, if you intend to find a job in the U.S. without having done a Masters I would say the chances are one in a trillion.

Message 1 from UC Berkeley:
Job market is really bad right now and I only know of one person who has a firm job offer with 2-3 more with internship offers for limited period of time. Don't come here just for the sole reason of launching your career in the US cos you may be disappointed. Many well qualified classmates of mine are heading back home after the bar exams because of the current job market. These numbers are from a class of almost 100 students - pretty despairing. But an American degree from UCB may well be helpful in opening doors but has not worked for me as yet. The problem is that the legal market is pretty ignorant about the LLM degree and will always favor JD.

If you're interested in one year of intellectual stimulation and dipping your feet into the American lifestyle, definitely do the LLM. But if its solely for launching yourself into the American legal workforce, think again since the economy is not going to help you out. That said, if you have a special qualification and niche interests etc perhaps you may fare better than the 2009 class but just be warned that even though there is the one year Optional Practical Training available for graduates of LLM, not very many firms are interested in hiring us.

Message 2 from UC Berkeley:
The job market is pretty bad as you know and it is no doubt tougher for LLM candidates who want to settle in US. Even an internship is very hard to come by. However, some people in my class have got some internships. I believe there is some hope once you clear your Bar exam, but still it is very difficult to get a job in US Law Firm. In my class of 100 only 3-4 people have got some kind of internships (3 months or so). I do not want to discourage you but these are real facts. Even for the on campus job fairs LL.Ms are given chance only if some JD cancels the interview and that Law firm is accepting LL.M applicant. The statistics for law firm interviewing LL.Ms is 4-5 out of 360. But I do think we have a chance. We have to hope for the best, though it comes with the caveat that jobs for LL.Ms, that too from India, are hard to come by. Europeans stand a fair chance of getting offers because many US law firms have their offices in most European countries.

Message 3 from UC Berekeley:
The job market honestly speaking is at its worst, I dont think that any one really got a year offer, few got only internship for two months thats it. But situation will hope fully get better by next year but nothing is granted as things getting worse each day here. The campus life at Berkeley is amazing, but in current crisis you can not take every thing for granted, you need to be bold enough to take chances but weigh your options too and seek a year off if possible.

Message 1 from UCLA:
The LLM Program at UCLA is increasing in size each year and i think this year they should have around 75 people...we had between 55-60.
The job opportunities in the present scenario, it would not be wrong to say that the chances of getting a job are next to none...Most of the current graduates of the LLM class have gone back or are going back to their home countries. Also, u mostly dont get a job of an Attorney here without passing the Bar. I would not have given you such an awful picture if the market had been better but the situation is pretty bad here and deteriorating almost on daily basis.

Message 2 from UCLA:
This year we were 4 Indians, last year there were 6. The job scene is bad particularly this year. I guess by next year things may be better not sure though. Dont go by overall LLM batch recruitment, its misleading. European students get jobs because U.S. firms recruit them for offices situated back in their home countries. Finding job in the US is difficult. High GPA in School and brand name are crucial for getting a job. Bar exam clearance is secondary for getting a job. I dont have a job as of now and mostly the other 3 are also on the same page. Try to take deferment if you can and come next year when things hopefully will be better.

Message 3 from UCLA:
Job situation is very bad at the moment. I graduated in 2008. I hung around for almost 8-9 months looking for a job, but could not manage one. I passed the NY bar, but yet it didnt pay off. While a couple of Indians from my LL.M did manage to get jobs, they were not with any very good firms. I returned to India a couple of months ago and things aren't very very conducive for corporate lawyers here either. Plus, to make things worse, I know of LL.Ms from Harvard, Columbia etc. who were working with big law firms also laid off now. However, I would not like to stereotype. Maybe it could work differently for you and maybe luck will favor you. Typically most Indians are looking for corporate jobs, which are hardly any to come by these days, including in Singapore, London, HK, Dubai etc offices of intl law firms. I would strongly recommend that you weigh your options and most importantly be comfortable with the idea of having to come back and resume what you're doing, in case nothing works out, before you embark on this. I have been as candid and open, based on my personal experiences. Hope this helps. Write back if you need to know anything more.

Goodluck to you all in your upcoming endeavours and hope that you decide best for yourself.

Good point taken forward.

I may be in different ship but in the same ocean :).

I am going for JD next year, taking LSAT in Dec 09. I am an engineer by profession and currently working on working visa in US. Its almost 2 years here. Can someone please let me know the future of JD student in US market as far as Indian student is concerned. I am interested in Intellectual property law.

Thanks in advance !

overdue congratulations to all who secured admission!

I am planning to apply next year and I have a few questions concerning the Resume...what info to include/exclude etc. Would admitted students be kind enough to forward me their resumes at tanay0903@gmail.com?

thanks!!

hey guys, need some advice on sop's for LLM...any samples..any websites anything to help me get a basic idea of what do they expect in sops?
thanks.

Great to see a forum specifically for Indian students. I'm going to apply this year and am wondering how do you figure out, based on your marks etc, which colleges you have a chance in be it a 50% chance or even higher. All and any input would be much appreciated.

Hey...i got through SLS. Anybody else going to SLS this year?

hey guys im from chennai. I ve been admitted to the Boston univ, Univ of illinois Urbana Champaign and UC Davis. Im really confused selecting one of the three. Which one is better of the three. Kindly help me.

Hey guys I have got through UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Warwick and SOAS. I will be joining Northwestern as I have got scholarship from them! I am going to study international law and human rights...is anyone else joining NU