Handbook for Foreign LL.M. Students, 2009-2010
INTRODUCTION
This Handbook is intended to address the job search issues encountered by foreign LL.M. students at UVA Law School who seek legal employment in the United States. American employers can be hesitant to interview or hire overseas trained LL.M. students for a variety of reasons. Among the complications foreign trained LL.M. students face are visa regulations, the fact that they do not have a J.D. from a U.S. school, and the fact that they will not be able to take the bar exam in many jurisdictions. As a foreign LL.M. student, you should keep in mind that it is these employer concerns and not you personally that often lead to rejection letters. Because foreign graduate students can expect a more difficult job search, it is to your advantage to begin your job search as early as possible.
As you plan your search for a job in the United States, you need to bear in mind the following: In the majority of states, foreign attorneys who do not have an American J.D. are not eligible to sit for the bar exam. If you are interested in taking the bar exam in a particular state, you should contact that state's Board of Bar Examiners to determine whether or not you will be allowed to take the bar exam.
There are several avenues LL.M. students can take when seeking postgraduate employment. These include networking, attendance at the Overseas-Trained LL.M. Student Interview Program (Job Fair), direct contact of employers, and participation in the Law School's Symplicity employment system (which includes on-Grounds interviewing, resume collection and information about contacting certain employers directly). In addition to the discussion of these topics in this handbook, further information on all these options will be found in the detailed LL.M Job Search Handbook which will be handed out to incoming LL.M. students during orientation activities.
The very best way for foreign-trained LL.M.s to find a position is through networking. This means using your contacts to get the attention of possible employers. Some LL.M.s get a Practical Training position through the efforts of the employer for whom they worked before coming to the U.S. Other contacts which can be helpful include other friends and business associates, former professors, professional groups, former LL.M. students from your country, organizations in this country composed of your countrymen, and people in the U.S. to whom you have been referred by others.
LL.M. JOB FAIR
Overseas Trained LL.M. Student Interview Program: Again last year, Virginia joined Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Michigan, Stanford and Yale law schools in hosting an international LL.M. interview program in New York City. Traditionally, the program is held in late January.
More information about the program will be available to you during the Fall semester. If you plan to participate in the LL.M. interview program, please keep the following dates and deadlines in mind.
- Early Fall: Employer Information Available/Register for Job Fair.
In early fall, you will be asked if you wish to register for the Job Fair. You will later be provided with a list of the employers who will participate in the program and with information on how to request interviews with employers at the job fair. - Early November: Interview Requests Due.
Your interview requests must be made in early November. Details on this process will be available in October. - Early November: Resumes Due.
Details on this process will be available in October. - Mid-December: Interview Schedules Available On-line.
The list of employers who have selected you for an interview, as well as your interview time slots, will be available on line. - Mid-January: Cancellation Deadline.
This process will be explained in the late fall.
When you begin efforts to contact employers directly, “mass mailing” hundreds of cover letters is rarely effective. Your time is better spent focusing your search on firms who have interests and/or connections in your home country. Such interests and connections could include relationships with firms and/or clients in your country, or clients in this country who have dealings in your home country. Other things to consider are whether firms have hired LL.M. students in the past and indications firms are interested in people who speak your native language.
When contacting a firm on your own, try to avoid addressing a letter to just "Hiring Attorney" or "Recruitment Coordinator". First look on the firm's website or in NALP or Martindale Hubbell to get an actual name. If you need to, call the firm and get the name of the person. Rather than sending a letter to the hiring attorney, it is better for LL.M. students to send it to the attorney in charge of the International area of the firm, or, barring that, to the head of the practice area in which you are interested. Another approach is to send the letter to a University of Virginia LL.M. graduate at the firm if you can locate one (or a J.D. in certain, relevant circumstances). After choosing the attorney to whom you wish to send the letter, send a copy also to the recruiting coordinator.
Explain briefly your foreign legal education and experience in your cover letter.
Be clear in your cover letter about whether you are seeking a temporary (e.g., Practical Training internship) or a permanent position with the employer. Be informed about your visa status and make clear your visa situation to potential employers.
Before sending out cover letters to employers, have Sarah Johnson review a draft for you.
The Symplicity employment system is the Law School's web-based computerized job search system. It is geared towards J.D. students, so LL.M.s should not depend on Symplicity to secure employment.
Symplicity provides lists of employers, including law firms, government entities, and public service organizations. Information about employers is included, and in most cases, links to the employers' own web sites. LL.M.s can therefore use Symplicity to research employers.
LL.M.s can also use Symplicity in the following ways:
Some employers listed on Symplicity ask the school to collect and forward to them student resumes -- LL.M.s can take part in these "resume collects" under the "Job Posting" tab in Symplicity.
Some employers ask the Law School to merely post a notice asking students to apply to the firm directly -- LL.M.s can do that, also under the "Job Posting" tab in Symplicity.
SPECIAL TIPS FOR FOREIGN LL.M. STUDENTS
American style legal resumes usually differ from those that are standard in your home country. Before preparing your resume to send to an American employer, review the resume section and sample resume found found in your copy of the LL.M. Job Search Handbook. In addition, make sure that you have your resume reviewed by Sarah Johnson, the administrator of the Graduate Studies Program.
Make sure that your resume completely explains the meaning of degrees and honors earned at schools outside of the U.S. Do not assume the employer will know the meaning of foreign degree classifications.
Be prepared in an interview to answer questions about how a foreign attorney could fit into the firm's practice. Be prepared for the interviewer to ask you questions in English and in your native language.
Be prepared to tell the employer why you decided to pursue an LL.M. in the United States.
Be prepared to tell the employer the practice area(s) in which you are interested, and explain how your background and training will fit into the practice area(s).
Follow all interviews with a thank you note. If you are concerned about the content of your thank you letter, have Sarah Johnson review a first draft.
Be prepared to be flexible with respect to the kind of job you will accept. You may be more successful if you are willing to consider taking an entry-level position, a non-partnership track position, or a position with a corporation rather than a law firm.
Many federal and state government employers have restrictions on hiring foreign nationals. Be sure to verify your eligibility for employment before you apply to a federal or state government agency.
Locate persons connected (for example, former employers, LL.M. alumni) to American law firms and NETWORK.
1. The Career Services Office: The Career Services Office is located in Room 231 of Slaughter Hall. The office is open from 8-5, Monday - Friday. The telephone number is 924-7349, and the office e-mail address is lawcareer@virginia.edu.
The Career Services Office staff is available to answer any general questions you might have about the job search process. For in-depth counseling, resume critiques, interview techniques or job search strategies, you should make an appointment to see Sarah Johnson at the Graduate Studies Office in Room 243 of Slaughter Hall. (The telephone number is 924-3154 and the e-mail address is gradadmitlaw@virginia.edu). Schedule appointments early in the fall so that you can get your job search off to a productive start.
2. The Public Service Center: The Public Service Center is located in Room 249 of Slaughter Hall. The telephone number is 924-3883, and the center's e-mail address is publicservicelaw@virginia.edu. The Public Service Center is open from 8-5, Monday - Friday.
The Public Service Center staff is available to answer questions you may have about locating jobs in the public sector. For counseling questions, resume critiques, or general questions about eligibility for public service jobs, you should make an appointment.
You can use Martindale-Hubbell to identify University of Virginia graduates (JDs and LL.M.'s), as well as law firms with attorneys or clients from your home country. Hard copies of the directory are available in the Career Services library and in the main library. Martindale-Hubbell is also now available on the Internet as well as through Lexis. Because LEXIS offers enhanced search capabilities, you should familiarize yourself with Lexis search techniques.
7. Symplicity: Career Services On Line System. When employers contact the law school with job openings for law students, information about the job opportunity is posted on Symplicity, the Career Services on line system. Each employment opportunity will contain information about the employer.