How to Prepare for Law School in the US

Law school is a great career choice for many international students. While a job in law is both rewarding and lucrative, actually getting into law school can be a bit of a challenge. Law schools in America have been bumping up their admissions requirements in recent years and are seeking the best international and domestic students in the nation.

Getting Into Law School

Many students are unsure of how to prepare for law school. Getting into law school is not an easy task for many international students, and there is certainly some preparation that is required in order to be successful in their endeavors. Law schools are becoming more and more competitive each year, as they have begun to see a rise in applications. In order to be successful in the pursuit of entering law school, there are a few things that students can do to make sure they are ready.

• Good Grades. First off, one of the major factors in getting into law school is the student’s GPA. Students should prepare early for law school by trying to get the best grades they can in every course. This starts from the day they enter college until the day they leave. The closer a student’s GPA is to 4.0, the more likely they are to be accepted into law school. Students should take time to study for every exam, complete every assignment, and get as much as they can out of every course. All of this will pay off as international students get into good law schools in America.
• LSAT Exam. Another way that students should prepare for law schools by studying very hard for theLSAT exam. The LSAT is the entrance exam to law school, just like the ACT or SAT is the entrance exam for undergraduate students. By studying for the LSAT, taking practice tests and practice courses, students will increase their chances of a high score, making them much more marketable to law schools in America.

By following these two preparation tips, students can enter into a top law school and be on their way to becoming lawyers.

Getting out of Law School

After actually getting into law school, there many other things to do in order to prepare before your first day. While getting into law school is a challenge, getting out is a whole new obstacle. Law school is very difficult and requires constant study. While there may not be as many assignments as you had during your undergraduate studies, each exam or assignment carries a lot of weight. When asked, most law school students talk about the importance of reading in law school. The amount of reading students need to do for each class is astounding, and may require students to read cases, briefs, and articles almost every night. Unlike your undergraduate program, missing a reading or assignment can set you back quite a bit and may lead to you failing a course. The cases and court briefs required can be complicated and may often take several readings to understand. Exams in law school are often tough, but fortunately students have a lot of materials to prepare with. Most law libraries store a collection of previous exams for each course, which can be used as study materials for law students. Law school classes are also renowned for their discussion format. Most law school teachers use the Socratic Method, meaning they will call on you to answer many question rather than just lecturing. If you are afraid of public speaking, do not worry; you will get used to talking in class and discussing legal matters with your classmates.

Preparing For the Bar

Your law school education does not end at graduation. While you may have a law degree, students will need to pass the bar in the state they want to practice in. The bar exam is the culmination of all the things you have learned in law school, and is seen by most students as one of the hardest things you will ever do in academia. Most schools teach bar preparation courses as part of their curriculum, but that usually is not enough to be successful. After graduation, students should expect to study for weeks in order to be fully prepared for the bar exam. Most universities offer a bar preparatory workshop following graduation in order to ensure that their students will soon be lawyers. These preparation materials should be proficient in answering the questions of how to prepare for law school.

International Lawyers getting an LLM in the USA

What is an LLM?

An LLM is a Master of Law Degree. The full name, Legum Magister, is, like so many other aspects of the legal profession in the US, derived from Latin and literally means Master of Law. Typically a one year program, the LLM serves as an introduction to the US Legal System and is most often requested of applicants to the bar who were educated in or practiced outside the US.

Do I need one?

Because all US lawyers are required to be admitted to the bar and each US state (and the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.) sets its own rules for bar admission, not all foreign-educated lawyers need an LLM. Some 23 states require all bar applicants, regardless of their origin, to earn a law degree from a school accredited by the American Bar Association. In these states, an LLM is not a useful option – although the system of reciprocity LINK set up by the various US jurisdictions might be. Nevertheless, because many foreign lawyers enroll in LLM programs because they plan to take the bar exam for New York or California*, the LLM continues to be a viable option.

But not all foreign-educated lawyers need an LLM to sit for the exam. As noted above, New York State, one of the largest and most attractive jurisdictions in the US, is among the most open to admitting foreign lawyers to practice. In fact, in New York, foreign-educated lawyers can qualify for the bar examination without an LLM if they successfully completed a three-year law program in a country where the legal system is based on the English common law system. In fact, such applicants would be eligible to sit for the bar without having to obtain any further American law school study. In this case, however, foreign-educated lawyers must begin the process by getting their law degree reviewed and analyzed by the American Bar Association (ABA) and not all who apply are allowed to proceed without the LLM.

For those not educated in civil law or otherwise ineligible for a waiver from the ABA, an LLM is a necessary next step. The LLM is important because, at its heart, it provides an overview of US law for foreign lawyers in one year in place of the a more traditional three year law program required of first time law students.

Indeed, most LLM programs in the US are offered by established law schools and most US LLM programs allow foreign attorneys to take law courses together with their normal domestic students. There are also online degree programs for the LLM program that allows attorneys to work collaboratively in an international virtual classroom. The University of Liverpool offers an online LLM program in International Business Law, International Finance and Banking, and in Technology and Intellectual Property Law. These LLM programs are designed to prepare students for a high-level career in an international law firm, multinational company or governmental organization.

In practice, therefore, a US LLM program provides foreign-educated lawyers exposure to a US law school for one year. In the course of their LLM program, students learn how traditional US law is practiced. Courses emphasize the aspects of the legal profession that form the heart of the American Law School culture in order to teach LLM students how US lawyers think about the law.

In addition to this broad overview, LLM students are also required to take courses that reflects the aspect of law they are interested in pursuing. Examples include Criminal Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Torts, and more. Regardless of their emphasis, however, once foreign-educated lawyers complete the LLM program they, like their domestic classmates, will have the opportunity to sit for the bar exam as well.