On April 24, 2024, just as the US was authorizing support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing war of aggression, current Two-Year LL.M. students (Salome Adeishvili, Vishnupriya Bhonsle, Zhicheng Hong, Junsik Park, and Daisuke Tomita) and faculty (Prof. Julie Lake and Prof. Heather Weger) attended a panel discussion titled “The War in Ukraine: Investigating and Prosecuting War Crimes.” Facilitated by Clint Williamson (former US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues and current Lead Coordinator of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine), the informative and somber panel featured analyses and advice from three war crimes experts with a focus on conflict-related sexual violence:
From left to right (Vishnupriya Bhonsle, Salome Adeishvili, Former Ambassador Clint Williamson, Professor Julie Lake, Professor Heather Weger, Junsik Park, Zhicheng Hong, Daisuke Tomita)
Davorka Čolak: ACA Prosecutions Coordinator, Senior Croatian War Crimes Prosecutor
I’m very happy to have the opportunity to share my two-year LLM experience at Georgetown Law.
Before I started at Georgetown Law, I didn’t know much about Georgetown Law’s Two-Year LLM program. Initially, I thought the one-year program was too short, and pursuing a JD was too expensive for me. However, over these two years, I’ve gained valuable knowledge and accumulated local experience in the US.
So, I want to take this chance to share my LLM plan and experience, and offer some advice to future students considering this path. In this post, I’ll first outline my LLM plan and how I executed it. Next, I’ll share insights on finding externships. Finally, I’ll delve into my overall experience and provide some advice. My aim is to create a comprehensive two-year LLM guideline that can assist future students.
Through these two parts, I hope to convey that the two-year program isn’t just for those who aren’t proficient in English; rather, it’s an academic program where you can enhance your knowledge, skills, and accumulate practical experience in the US.
LLM plan
Before enrolling in Georgetown Law, my plan was to enhance my legal writing skills and complete 12 credits to meet the NY Bar requirements during my first year. For my second year, I intended to enroll in an Environmental and Energy Law program, with a focus on international arbitration and energy law.
National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taiwan
During the first year of Georgetown Law’s Two-Year LLM program, most classes are mandatory, eliminating the need to worry about registration. Instead, the focus should be on immersing oneself in the class material and understanding the US culture. In the Legal English I & II courses, taught by Professors Stephen Horowitz, John Dundon, and Benjamin Cheng, they not only guided us on how to read cases thoroughly but also provided a critical thinking aspect to help us better understand how to work with common law. This guidance proved invaluable, allowing me to read cases more efficiently in my second year.
One unique aspect of the two-year program that I particularly enjoyed was the emphasis on Legal Writing. What made it special was having professors with both law and linguistic degrees. It felt like having a writing coach guide us in thinking like English writers and developing skills in crafting memoranda and academic papers.
Prof. Julie Lake
For example, Prof. Julie Lake, my instructor for the Fundamentals of Legal Writing course, was able to provide invaluable suggestions and guidance as I learned the process of writing a legal memorandum and an academic paper. She not only taught me the basics of English writing, but more importantly, she taught me how to analyze my own writing problems so that I could develop a method of self-correcting my writing. This enabled me to write very effectively and with confidence in the seminar class I took in my second year of the program.
To further support my goal of enhancing my legal writing, I also applied to become an advisor for the Georgetown Journal of International Law (GJIL) and was fortunate to be selected. As an advisor, my responsibilities included checking citations and even afforded me the opportunity to write posts for the GJIL blog on topics such as how arbitration awards from Taiwan can be recognized internationally. Typically, LLM students are not afforded the opportunity to publish notes in student journals. But if you’re motivated and know about opportunities like this in advance, you can gain writing experience that can be beneficial for your career.
Externship
Additionally, for those interested in an externship, whether in the summer or the following spring, it’s advisable to start crafting a resume at the beginning of the semester.
Lin (center) with some of his classmates in Prof. Horowitz’s Legal English I class.
In general, LLM students are usually limited to one externship opportunity, and some two-year students may opt to undertake an externship during the summer. However, if you enroll in Georgetown’s Environmental and Energy Law LLM program, you have the chance to pursue a second externship, as it is a requirement for the program; otherwise, you would need to take a practicum course. Personally, I completed my first externship in the summer and my second externship in the spring. As a Two-Year LLM program student, you can utilize “Pre-completion OPT” (i.e., Optional Practical Training) after completing your first academic year. I used this option to secure an internship during my second year, accumulating three local experiences in the US., which I believe will enhance my job prospects.
For a Taiwanese lawyer without international experience, finding an externship in the US. can be challenging. However, there are ways to enhance your chances. Firstly, it’s crucial to prepare a resume, cover letter, and writing sample, as these materials play a more significant role than you might think. They not only align with the American culture of job hunting but also reflect the effectiveness of your written communication – how well you can showcase your strengths in concise terms. Regarding resume and cover letter, the staff of Georgetown Law’s Office of Graduate Careers are always ready to help. But for me I think the most helpful material was their “Career Manual” because it contains numerous templates, which are extremely helpful when writing an American-style resume and cover letter.
Secondly, adopting the right mindset is essential. Many may think, “My English is not good enough,” or “I lack relevant experience, so I won’t be able to find an externship.” However, sometimes, it’s not just about language skills and experience; it’s about having the courage to try. As Prof. Yi Song, Executive Director of the Office of Graduate & International Programs at Georgetown Law, wisely advised me, “You have nothing to lose, just try it.” With this mindset, I believe that you can successfully secure an externship during your LLM.
Conclusion
Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity. You can choose to travel around and experience different cultures, or you can opt to focus on building up your professional skills. It’s not a matter of right or wrong; it’s a matter of personal choice.
Lin (back right) at end-of-semester bbq party at Prof. Horowitz’s home.
However, when you choose to enhance your professional skills, don’t limit yourself to just studying at school. You can add vibrant colors to your study abroad experience by actively engaging with professors and seeking externships. This advice holds particularly true for those interested in a two-year program.
With more time at your disposal, you have the opportunity to explore your interests, resources and deepen your professional knowledge. So, be sure to approach this journey with passion and enjoy every moment of it.
It was an honor to work with such dedicated colleagues and students. We look forward to future collaborations of this kind. Stay tuned for a more detailed blog post in January!
This September, Professor Dundon was invited to participate as a panel discussant at a linguistics conference at the University of Bonn, Germany. The title of the conference was “Language as a Social Practice: Constructing (a)symmetries in legal discourse,” and Professor Dundon spoke on a panel (together with professors from Germany and Finland) about how asymmetries in legal discourse can lead to societal injustice.
He thoroughly enjoyed attending the conference and considers himself very fortunate to have been invited to meet with so many leaders in the field of language and law. The conference proceedings will be published (together with a contribution from Professor Dundon) in an upcoming volume with Cambridge University Press.
In other news, Professor Dundon is finishing up his final year of coursework towards his doctorate in sociolinguistics. This semester, he is researching interactional features of Supreme Court oral arguments, and specifically the “production format” of utterances made by attorneys as they negotiate having to speak on behalf of themselves, their client, and their legal team. Professor Dundon is also conducting a survey of ideologies about language use and language learning on the public-facing websites of local bilingual schools in the District of Columbia.
*Collaborated with Artem Shaipov of USAID’s Justice For All program and several other legal English professors (Alissa Hartig, Susan Dudley, Catherine Beck, Oksana Kiriiak, and Linda Pope) to provide multiple legal English trainings for Ukrainian law faculty and legal English faculty over the course of the Fall 2023 semester.
*Led one of the trainings–9 sessions of Legal English Conversation–and recruited a cohort of 15 additional law/legal English volunteers (including colleague John Dundon) to engage with Ukrainian faculty in each Legal English Conversation session.
*Currently in the process of setting up additional trainings during Spring 2024. And planning a new round of matching Ukrainian law schools with any international law school/legal English faculty interested in teaching a course, guest lecturing, providing support for academic publishing, or helping in other ways. (Email Stephen.Horowitz@georgetown.edu if interested in volunteering in some capacity.)
*Recruited Georgetown Law JD students to participate in a six-week peer-to-peer legal writing project with students from Kyiv Molhya Academy University during the fall semester that involved JD students from several other US law schools as well. Currently recruiting more Georgetown Law students for the next session to start late January.
*Created, with Daniel Edelson, a self-guided online pre-LLM legal English program (i.e., Fundamentals of the US Legal System; Reading Cases; Legal Writing) to help prepare Afghan candidates getting ready to start an LLM program at a US law school.
*Currently working with ABA program leaders to recruit additional mentors–both law faculty and law students–to provide legal English and other support for the candidates. (Email Stephen.Horowitz@georgetown.edu if interested in volunteering.)
Japan
*Guest-lectured in three classes for the legal English course at Keio University Law School on the topics of Case Reading Strategies and the Language of Analogy.
USA
*Teaching a December/January “Bar Essay Writing Skills for LLM Students” online course for USLawEssentials together with Prof. Daniel Edelson. The course is designed to be accessible to all students who need it regardless of finances, and provides specialized bar essay writing support geared to non-native English speakers.
*Received a wonderful email from a former student, reprinted with her permission:
“I found out I passed the New York bar yesterday! I wanted to thank you specifically because both torts and criminal law came up on the exam. The torts essay was asking for all elements of negligence so that was our entire final exam for Legal English 1. The criminal law essay had 4 sub issues and they were all about Miranda rights, custodial interrogation and whether the defendant waived it knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently. Thank you again for the classes. I remember writing everything I learned from classes instead of from the bar prep materials for those two essays. I’m really grateful for that!” —Sokunthyda Long (Cambodia), graduate of the 2-Year LLM Program at Georgetown Law
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Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and peace-filled holidays and New Year!
How did he rise to the top in international arbitration at BigLaw?
When Lucas came to the U.S. to pursue his LLM, he planned to work in the U.S. for a year or two before heading home. He was able to secure a position at Quinn Emanuel, the prestigious and the largest law firm in the world devoted solely to business litigation and arbitration. Eight years later, he never regretted his decision.
How did he rise to the top in international arbitration at BigLaw?
When Lucas came to the U.S. to pursue his LLM, he planned to work in the U.S. for a year or two before heading home. He was able to secure a position at Quinn Emanuel, the prestigious and the largest law firm in the world devoted solely to business litigation and arbitration. Eight years later, he never regretted his decision.
What did he do before and during his LLM to set him on the path of success? How did he land his first job? How did he use his previous connection to secure a position at BigLaw? What’s his advice on how to successfully network during law school to secure your post-graduation job offer?
How to change the world as an internationally trained lawyer?
On a regular Thursday, Allan started his day by moderating a UN General Assembly session in New York City on how to achieve inclusive governance and what we have learned from the HIV response. The day before, he won a case after 9 years in litigation, where four women living with HIV challenged their forced and coerced sterilization. The ruling marked a historic moment, as it was the first time a court had declared such an act discriminatory.
How to change the world as an internationally trained lawyer?
Allan Achesa Maleche
Human Rights Lawyer and Global Health Expert
On a regular Thursday, Allan started his day by moderating a UN General Assembly session in New York City on how to achieve inclusive governance and what we have learned from the HIV response. The day before, he won a case after 9 years in litigation, where four women living with HIV challenged their forced and coerced sterilization. The ruling marked a historic moment, as it was the first time a court had declared such an act discriminatory.
Allan is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards in social justice and human rights law, including Economic and Social Rights Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award and the Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award. What are the most important takeaway(s) from his legal education in the U.S.? What are the important lawyering skills internationally trained lawyers need to possess to excel and thrive? Who are his role models in the law?
The hiring partner tells you: what is BigLaw looking for when hiring internationally trained lawyers?
When Ruoke graduated from law school, the U.S. economy was in the midst of the subprime crisis. The job market posed unprecedented challenges. Undeterred, she persisted and eventually secured a position in the investment funds practice group.
Now, as a hiring partner at Morgan Lewis, she interviewed and hired many candidates. What lawyering skills and qualifications do BigLaw firms seek when hiring internationally trained lawyers? What advice does her have on effective networking? What was her most important takeaway about legal writing? Why does she believe that listening to English improves writing as a non-native speaker?
How did he transition from the World Bank to BigLaw?
When Nick arrived in the U.S. for his LL.M, he planned to return home after graduation. However, a few weeks into the LLM, he found his classes intriguing, and he began to reassess his plan. Soon he realized that he would need to pass the bar to keep practicing law in the U.S. He took more courses after he graduated to meet the New York Bar requirement, he successfully passed the bar exam two years after he graduated. His externship at the World Bank became a permanent position, which he stayed on for five years with a short stint at PwC. Today he is an associate attorney at the Investigation, White Collar and Fraud practice at Hogan Lovells in DC.
What activities and events he attended during law school are the most helpful to develop his career? How did he get the externship at the World Bank? How did he turn his externship into a permanent position? Why did he say that law school is a journey of self-discovery?
How to network and ace your BigLaw interview with a personal touch?
For most internationally trained lawyers, the job search in the U.S. begins on Day One of their LL.M. Program. For Monica, it started from Day Zero. She started searching for jobs in the summer before her LL.M. program began. She dedicated eight months to meticulous research, networking and interviewing with potential firms that could hire her. A Brazil-trained lawyer fluent in Portuguese, French and English, Monica had countless coffee meetings with BigLaw partners specializing in international arbitration. Some generously shared their own career journeys, while others were more blunt, “I have five minutes. What do you want?”
One day, while preparing for one of these informational interviews, Moica discovered that the senior partner who was to interview her had lived in Brazil for six months some thirty years ago. She seized this connection to add a personal touch to their conversation. Today she’s working with the partner at Steptoe & Johnson specialized in international arbitration.
How did she jumpstart on networking from Day Zero to land a prestigious externship? How did she turn the externship into a permanent position at another renowned firm? What’s her strategy to network with partners at BigLaw and effectively following up with them? How can you add a personal touch to the daunting process of networking?
How did he turn his BigLaw externship into a post-graduation job offer?
When Ignacio walked out of his first interview for a competitive externship position, he wasn’t feeling optimistic. He was thrown off his pace by the interviewer’s first question: “So, do you have any questions for me?” He managed to get hired as an extern anyway in the International Arbitration Group at McDermott Will & Emery. The externship later turned into a long-term position that allowed him to stay with the firm after he graduated with his LLM degree.
How did he turn things around during the interview, even if he felt like he started off on the wrong foot? How did he turn the externship into a long-term position? What is expected of an internationally trained lawyer like Ignacio in BigLaw? Being a licensed attorney in Spain, England & Wales, what’s Ignacio’s take on the work culture difference between BigLaw in the U.S. and in Europe?
This is a story of transformation: an IP lawyer turned BigLaw litigation counsel.
When Evelyn was pursuing her specialized LL.M. in intellectual property, she planned on becoming an IP lawyer. Fate had other plans for her. Her pivotal career moment came through a judicial internship at the Chief Judge’s chamber at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The judge was one of her professors she took classes from. She ended up being the sole judicial intern selected by the judge from the LL.M. Program. The prestigious internship served as a launching pad for her next job in antitrust litigation, even if she had not taken any antitrust courses in law school. Today she’s at Cozen O’Connor, specializing in complex litigation.
How did she stand out among other candidates and secure the prestigious judicial internship? How did the internship lead her to her first permanent position in antitrust litigation? What are the essential skills employers are looking for when hiring internationally trained lawyers? What’s the one thing internationally trained lawyers should do during law school besides studying?
