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An LLM degree meets tomorrow’s needs
The large percentage of foreign students that make up LLM degree recipients may also be due to a growing number of European and Asian firms that want lawyers who are certified to practice law in the United States.
Each state sets its own standards for who qualifies to take its bar examination, and some states permit individuals with only an LLM degree to apply. The possibility of qualifying to take a US bar examination is a considerable incentive to attend an LLM program for many foreign lawyers.
In addition, many lawyers view obtaining an LLM degree as an excellent way of getting additional training and greater expertise in a specific area of law. Some pursue an advanced degree as a means of delving deeper into an area of particular interest. Others want to strengthen their marketability or increase the opportunities for career advancement or career change.
Minnesota program has unique strengths
LLM degree programs vary among the institutions that offer them, so foreign lawyers should carefully compare programs to find the one that is right for their career goals. Many LLM degree programs focus narrowly on a particular topic of the law, such as taxation or intellectual property. However, the LLM Program for Foreign Lawyers at the University of Minnesota Law School differs significantly by focusing on a general understanding and training in US law.
Before the first semester begins, Minnesota’s LLM program offers an intensive three-week introductory course that provides the additional training foreign lawyers need to become accustomed to the US legal system. This important course, Introduction to American Law, familiarizes students with American civil and criminal procedure, constitutional law, basic legal research and writing skills, and other necessary background information in preparation for taking Law School courses.
After they successfully complete the introductory course, students choose their classes from the same curriculum available to JD (juris doctor) students. The approach of having LLM students take courses side by side with JD students has definite advantages. Since LLM students working in American courts will be required to read the same cases, work with the same legal documents, and argue in front of the same judges as American lawyers, there is no better way to hone their English legal-language skills than putting them into classes with English-speaking students. Another advantage is the enhanced learning experience that results when LLM students from all over the world are interspersed with American JD students. All are likely to teach and learn from one another.
The Minnesota program offers two optional classes during the regular academic year that are tailored specifically to meet the needs of LLM students:
• LLM Legal Research and Writing helps foreign lawyers improve their English proficiency in these areas and devotes an entire semester to each of these two skills.
• LLM Judicial Observation pairs foreign lawyers with local judges, providing an opportunity for students to experience the American legal system firsthand.
An important advantage of Minnesota’s LLM program is that successful LLM graduates have the opportunity to apply to Minnesota’s JD program. If they are accepted, all credits earned toward their LLM degree are transferred toward a JD degree. This option open doors to Minnesota’s JD program that otherwise might not be available to foreign lawyers. To be accepted into a US law school, all students must take the rigorous, difficult LSAT (Law School Admission Test), and top schools like Minnesota demand very high scores. Admission as a transfer student after an LLM degree allows greater flexibility in admitting students with slightly lower scores on the entirely English-based LSAT.
Learning extends beyond textbooks
Minnesota’s LLM program gives foreign lawyers the extra care and attention they need but also enables them to choose the educational path that will best fit their future plans.
