Hi - I'm an English lawyer with several years of practice at two of the top London commercial firms. I am thinking about doing an LLM as a way into taking my skills in private pratice into the arena of international legal regulation and development at an institution like the UN or IMF. Both for personal reasons and for its links to such institutions Washington seems a good option and I have just been admitted to AU (waiting to hear from Georgetown). I've seen a lot of negative comments on this site about chances of emplyment in the US post LLM. I wonder if anyone out there could shed any light on the particular position I am in and whether a first class background in private practice in London plus a year of relevant legal study (and opportunities to make contacts) might give me a chance of finding employment in the US post LLM. An alternative would be to try to move direct but in order to work out what type of job I really want and meet more people in the field I am thinking a year of LLM might be good. I'd be really appreciative of any thoughts.

Recruitment in international organizations differs from the typical legal job market that everyone comments about on the internet.

If you want to work for the UN, IMF, or the World Bank you can already start sending resumes and see what happens. Check their website, they all have offers posted and the type of profiles they're looking for.
Not being a US citizen or permanent resident doesn't disqualify you at all, even for US based positions.
Uncommon language skills and underrepresented citizenship are an advantage.
Vacancies in the US and in Western Europe typically receive the most applications, that's where an LL.M from a top US university can make a difference. But it's not a guarantee either.

If your goal is to work for international organizations, a US LL.M is definitely a plus, but you won't necessarily get a US-based position.
If your goal is to work in the US, not necessarily in an international organization, the odds are better with a US LL.M than without one, and that's mostly because it gives you up to two years (counting the OPT) to make contacts there, but at $70k, it's an expensive bet.

If you do decide to do an LL.M, you have to accept the possibility of having to go back and work in the UK again almost immediately after you graduate and not be upset about it.

Hi Hedek, and apologies for not writing earlier to thank you for your response.
I see you are going to Georgetown; I have just been admitted and am planning on accepting. You have written a lot about LLMs on this site and I'm curious about your nationality, background and objectives. Totally understand if you'd rather not share this and well, maybe we'll get to meet before long. One further question, do you happen to know any/where I can find any statistics about employment in the US post LLM there? Or have any suggestions about ways to start facilitating opportunities soon?
Thanks, LL