I am a student from the US and I am about to graduate from a US law school. I have a federal clerkship lined up for next year, but I was thinking ahead to a possible LLM afterward. I have noticed that most LLM programs appear to be designed for foreign students, and some schools appear to accept only foreign students. I don't plan to study tax or any type of corporate law, but that seems to be the areas most studied by students who have a JD from US schools. Is there any way for me to get a list of schools that accept US students? And is it completely out of the realm of possibilities to study something like civil rights like, public interest law, or human rights law for a student with a US JD? Any input would be helpful. Thank!

Hi,

American JD here, about to graduate with a non-tax LLM. Yes, what you suggest is possible. However, before you dive in, my advice is to ask yourself why you want to do the LLM - what it will add to your career path. You may want to get some work experience first and then do the LLM (and the federal clerkship is a great start, of course). Let me know if you have any specific questions.

It's definitely true that the vast majority of US LLM programs are geared toward foreign students. There are a few at some of the better schools (i.e., basically some in the top ten or so, plus some schools with strong specialties) that would also be good for American applicants, but you'll probably have to do most of the searching yourself. You can usually figure out pretty quickly by looking at the program's website. For instance, if the program is very general, it is geared toward foreign students. If you get the LLM in some specialized subject (not just tax, but also competition law, international law, human rights, etc.), then it might be decent for an American applicant.

That said, if you really want to do an LLM and depending on your particular circumstances, you may actually want to look at programs outside of the US. I'm going to be doing the LLM in comparative law at McGill in Canada next year, which was ideal for my specific goals. The UK schools are also pretty good, and a lot of the continental European schools have strong specialist programs (and many are in English, if that is a worry). The foreign LLM will probably also look a bit better on your resume, since most American lawyers view the LLM as a weird thing foreign students do instead of the JD.

I am a U.S. student pursuing an LL.M. at a top school next year. I am hoping to move to the S.J.D. program after, with the eventual goal of pursuing academia. This can be a viable path at the top 4 or 5 schools (or, really, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia, since I believe the Stanford LLM is a bit different) for those whose JD isn't from a high enough ranked program. At these three schools at least, you can pursue whatever interests you want. Harvard has detailed info on what they expect of American LLMs on their website. There are also general LLMs open to Americans at other top ten schools.