Q:  What job search services exist for Georgetown Law LL.M. students?
Q:  When should I start working on my post-LL.M. job search?
Q:  Will the Professional Development Team review and edit the writing sample that I wish to may submit to a potential employer?
Q:  Do LL.M. students participate in Georgetown Law ’s on-campus interview programs?
Q:  How do Georgetown Law LL.M. students typically get jobs?
Q:  Where do most Georgetown Law LL.M.s work upon completion of the program?
Q:  How is an LL.M. viewed by potential employers?
Q:  What are the placement statistics for the International, Health Law, Tax, Securities certificate programs?
Q:  If I am an international student, can I take a bar exam after I earn my LL.M.?

A:  Ultimate responsibility for securing post-program employment lies with the student.  To assist students in this task, Georgetown’s Office of Graduate Programs’ Professional Development Team offers a myriad of resources, such as: 

Enrolled students will receive more detailed information concerning resources in August, when Georgetown Law offers tailored orientation presentations for each graduate program (e.g., International, Taxation, Securities and Financial Regulation, Individualized/General Studies, Global Health Law and our Certificate Programs in Employee Benefits, International Human Rights Law, National Security Law, and World Trade Organization Studies) focusing on professional development services.

A:  The timing of students' job search efforts will vary significantly depending on the type of position the student is seeking.  At orientation, the Professional Development Team will provide a calendar of important dates and begin offering programs.  Even before students arrive, they can begin laying the groundwork for their job search by compiling the names and details of professional and personal contacts who may be able to suggest other contact names in their professional sphere of influence. Networking is of critical importance to the graduate student’s job search.  While academics are a student’s first priority, we encourage graduate law students to build time into their weekly calendars for networking and other job hunting tasks.

Q:  Will the Professional Development Team review and edit the writing sample that I may wish to submit to a potential employer?

A:  Although we are happy to review students' resumes and cover letters, the Writing Center on campus exists specifically to provide feedback and comments on students' writing samples. 

A:  LL.M. candidates are eligible to participate in many of Georgetown’s on-campus interview programs.  On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) managed by the Office of Career Services (OCS) takes place during August-October, but is primarily designed to place 2L summer associate candidates.  Certain employers do express an interest in interviewing graduate law students in this venue, and we encourage all interested LL.M. candidates to participate.  Students will be apprised of such opportunities directly from the Office of Graduate Programs.

In addition, Georgetown hosts or participates in several job fairs targeted primarily to employers interested in recruiting graduate law students.  These include the annual International Student Interview Program (ISIP) each January in New York, and the Taxation Interview Program each February in D.C.  Finally, a significant portion of graduate student hiring is done via resume collections, which take place throughout the year.  Students will be alerted to resume collection opportunities directly in the weekly Professional Development Newsletter.

A:  LL.M. hiring is very different from J.D. hiring, which relies heavily on the autumn on-campus interview process.  LL.M. hiring is much more akin to lateral recruiting, with employers posting available positions as they arise and candidates learning about additional opportunities via word of mouth.  Networking plays a significant role in most successful post-LL.M. job hunts.  Further, many traditional legal employers expect LL.M. students to approach them about opportunities.  As a result, Georgetown Law’s Office of Graduate Programs heavily emphasizes training in this area, and does everything it can to post job openings for LL.M. candidates and facilitate students’ interaction with the legal community.

A:  Georgetown’s LL.M. graduates find legal and law-related positions across the entire spectrum of the legal industry.  Students work in government agencies, on Capitol Hill, in large and small private law firms, in accounting and consulting firms, for trade associations, for multinational, non-for-profit organizations and corporations in the U.S. and abroad, and on and on in every conceivable area of practice – including in non-practicing roles. 

A:  The LL.M. is an advanced academic credential, but it is only one piece of the “complete package” that employers seek.  An LL.M. certainly increases a student’s knowledge in his/her chosen area of study.  It further conveys a student’s commitment to an area of practice.  Significantly, it allows students the opportunity to network with accomplished faculty, academic professionals, colleagues and other members of the Washington area legal community.  In fact, access to the Georgetown Law network can be one of the degree’s most useful attributes. 

However, the LL.M. is but one of the many factors employers consider when evaluating candidates.  Employers consider most favorably those students with as many elements of the “complete package” as possible.  Most importantly, employers seek excellent work experience, high LL.M. and J.D. grades, and strong English language skills (both written and oral), if they operate in an English-speaking environment.  Therefore, success in the LL.M. program will add to a student’s marketability, but the degree alone it is not a panacea. Many employers remain focused on one’s prior professional experience, J.D. school, written and oral English language skills, and traditional means of recruiting via summer associate programs.

A:  Currently, like most LL.M. programs around the country, Georgetown Law does not maintain official placement statistics.  Most of our information regarding placement is anecdotal at this point.

Q:  If I am an international student, can I take a bar exam after I earn my LL.M.?

A: Many of our LL.M. students who received their first degree in law in a foreign country choose to take a U.S. bar exam, usually the New York bar exam, upon completion of their LL.M. at Georgetown Law.  Your academic advisor will work with you to help you select the courses needed to qualify for the bar exam, as part of designing your overall course of study.

Please note that while bar membership can be a useful credential for many international lawyers, Georgetown encourages its LL.M. students to view their year of study at Georgetown, not merely as preparation for the bar exam, but as an opportunity to choose from an array of courses which will contribute to the student's long-term professional growth.  As is evident from the extensive list of courses which have in the past satisfied the eligibility requirement for the New York bar (http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/documents/NYBarList.pdf), accomplishing both these goals is generally easy to achieve.

Additionally, some students may wonder whether completion of the LL.M. program and admission to the New York bar will qualify them to practice law in the U.S.  For students whose primary goal is to become a U.S. lawyer, Georgetown Law advises them to consider a J.D., as that is the basic credential most sought after by U.S. law firms and other legal employers.

 

Revised August 23, 2007 (spb)