Hi all,
I wonder if anyone would have some time to give me a realistic advice/opinion for my LL.M.-Chances.

Here the facts:
Academic background
Studies in Switzerland, 2007, degree: cum laude
Bar exam, 2011
PhD, Switzerland, 2013, magna cum lauda
Practical experience of almost 5 years in the financial sector (i.e. leading law firms, banks, etc).
Toefl: 96 IBT

Does an application to the top 20 schools worth it in this case?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Regards,
Dave

Absolutely, it is. Admission requirements for LL.M. programs are not as competitive as those for JD programs. I got my LL.M. at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and while my grades were good, I came from a lower ranked J.D. program. I think your qualifications look good for a top 20 program.

Can I make some other observations?

I am a full time professor in the U.S., but I also teach part time in Korea. Most Korean students taking a U.S. law LL.M are interested in preparing to deal with U.S. regulatory compliance issues. Their companies send them to these programs to learn how to deal with U.S. government regulators. For that reason, most are looking at taking the Washington D.C. bar exam. Some are looking to take the California bar.

The goal, for them, is not to become general U.S. lawyers handling a broad swath of American law, but instead to guide the company in dealing with U.S. federal regulators. I don't think I am violating any confidences in saying that Kia, LG, Doosan, Hyundai, and Samsung are among the companies that believe that this education is valuable to their companies. The same may be true for Swiss companies.

Nevertheless, in order to pass the D.C. bar, these students need to take a number of courses they are unlikely to ever use. Property and Constitutional Law are two examples. However, they also take many courses that are essential to their needs such as Administrative Law, Payment Systems, and Torts (products liability in particular).

Are there other options? Yes. My school offers a U.S. LLM program on line which prepares students to take the bar. You could take your general bar studies on-line, and then go to a top 20 school to get those courses which are tailored to your educational needs.

We also offer an LLM program in Logistics and Transportation that deals primarily with three areas-regulatory compliance/administrative law; international business transactions (international sales, maritime, and aviation), and military logistics. This might not be helpful to you, if you want to stay in the financial industry, but I mention it for your consideration.

We are in the process of putting together a Masters Program in government contracting and acquisitions, but this will be targeted toward U.S. military contractors, and isn't expected on-line until January 2015.

So I don't know if that "guided" you one way or the other. But I hope it better informed you in any event.

Contact me directly if you have other questions. My email is rsullivan@fcsl.edu.

Hi all,
I wonder if anyone would have some time to give me a realistic advice/opinion for my LL.M.-Chances.

Here the facts:
Academic background
Studies in Switzerland, 2007, degree: cum laude
Bar exam, 2011
PhD, Switzerland, 2013, magna cum lauda
Practical experience of almost 5 years in the financial sector (i.e. leading law firms, banks, etc).
Toefl: 96 IBT

Does an application to the top 20 schools worth it in this case?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Regards,
Dave

Hi all,
I wonder if anyone would have some time to give me a realistic advice/opinion for my LL.M.-Chances.

Here the facts:
Academic background
Studies in Switzerland, 2007, degree: cum laude
Bar exam, 2011
PhD, Switzerland, 2013, magna cum lauda
Practical experience of almost 5 years in the financial sector (i.e. leading law firms, banks, etc).
Toefl: 96 IBT

Does an application to the top 20 schools worth it in this case?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Regards,
Dave

Thank you guys. I that case, I think I will send my application to some of the top 20 schools.

Regards,
Dave

Hi!

Can someone please clarify whether 2 LORs for HLS should be okay (that's the minimum) - or will it be disadvantageous, given that HLS recognises, and is infact correct, that almost all applicants submit 3!

Anyone particularly with personal experience on this one?

Thanks.