I'm a UK citizen with both an LLB and a JD. I recieved my JD in 2002 and have passed 2 US bar exams and the UK exams for admission as a solicitor. I have been working for a very small general practice firm in the US since 2002.

Unless I renew my work permit I will have to return to the UK in about 6 months (in any event, in 3 yrs if I do renew it).

Despite having graduated in the top 40% from a tier-1 US school and top 20% from a top 10 UK university I 'm having the hardest time finding a new job in either the UK or Europe (I speak two EU languages fluently).

My question is: should I sit an LLM at a US school and will that help me get a job at a US firm back in the UK or Europe. The criteria for admission states that if you are a foreign lawyer and don't have an LLM then you can apply - I am a foreign lawyer (albeit a US trained one too) and don't have an LLM.

People I've spoken to say that many lawyers at overseas branches of US firms have some sort of LLM and that the absence of it can be a disadvantage (even having the JD).

Later.

If you are definitely returning to Europe, why don't you get your LL.M at a Europeon university. Most LL.M prgrams in the U.S are comparative law programs in which foreign lawyers take the same classes as J.D. students. This would be a waste of your time since you have a J.D. In what state are you licensed? Is there a way for you to get permanent residency in the U.S. so you can stay in the U.S. permanently?

I don´t understand how somebody can give you that kind of advice. If you already have done a JD at an american institution how come are you going to go for an LL.M., you already have three LL.M.´s. What is an LL.M. (Master of Laws), if not just a few of the courses that JD´s take during their 3 years of study. The only LL.M. that I would consider doing in your situation is in one of the top 3 american law schools or Oxford back in the UK. Keep your hopes up man, where there´s a will there´s a way.

I think this approach will be successful if you obtain your LLM at Columbia, NYU, Harvard, or Georgetown. Otherwise it sounds risky. From what I've heard, many LLMs have trouble getting such jobs. The two things that will most help you are the JD (where's it from?) and your language fluency. A good friend of mine is currently going through the same process. With her JD from Tulane and her french fluency, she has received a few offers to work in Paris for US law firms (Cleary, Shearman, etc.).