We recently completed the Spring semester! I was able to reunite with some of the first LL.M. students I worked with in 2019-20 and finally see some 2020-21 students I had yet to meet in person. We increased the number of in-person activities during Spring 2021, and I am happy that so many of our students were able to celebrate their graduation last month to end the year and complete their programs.

As our LL.M. graduates head off to their jobs and study for state bar exams, returning students are working on their own research and writing over the summer. We’re beginning to welcome the Class of 2022 and preparing a lot of great activities for 2021-22. In addition to my work on Non-J.D. Programs & International Programs, my summer will be spent:

1. Continuing our weekly Pre-LL.M. Program for incoming foreign-educated lawyers. The response by the group has been fantastic and I’m excited to continue preparing them for their LL.M. programs. We meet every Friday at 9:00am ET, although our group is spread across time zones, from Seoul to Santiago.
2. Teaching my Legal English for American Law Schools (LEALS) course for the first time since 2018! I’ll be teaching virtually for East China University of Political Science and Law, discussing the U.S. legal system, U.S. legal writing & analysis, and applying to U.S. law schools (tentative schedule below). The course will meet Monday mornings in Shanghai (Sunday nights here). I’ll write more on this development as I expect more law schools abroad to engage their U.S. partners for online courses as part of their relationships. I’m also interested in how the dynamics of my LEALS course will translate to the online space.
3. Speaking virtually on U.S. legal education. Although I anticipate some travel in 2021-22, Zoom and other platforms make it easy to “be” anywhere in the world without travel, time away, and associated costs. There are certain things that are much harder to do virtually, and I’m certainly looking forward to alumni reunions, meeting lawyers, and other activities in-person resuming at some point. But for now, I’m excited to line up opportunities to speak on a lot of topics, including: J.D. versus LL.M. programs, creating mutually beneficial partnerships with U.S. law schools, welcoming U.S. professors for short courses, applying to U.S. law schools without agents, how to maximize ROI on U.S. study abroad, my experience teaching in China and the Dominican Republic, how to build a welcoming community for foreign-educated LL.M. students, and much more. My first invitation, this Wednesday, is as a panelist for a discussion about U.S. legal education & the U.S. legal profession.
4. Blogging more. The world of Non-J.D. Programs continues to evolve and there is so much to discuss. My plan is original content once a week this summer and I’ll check in at the end of the summer to see how well I did in keeping to that goal.