After reading the Introduction to Degree Programs at U.S. Law Schools, you’ll note that foreign-educated lawyers have multiple options for studying law in the United States.

The first question I go over with my LEALS students is whether a J.D. or LL.M. makes more sense for their goals. I think that is a question that every foreign-educated student should ask themselves in advance of the application process. You will know your own goals the best and I encourage you to think intentionally about which one will likely be the best for your specific situation.

Most people I speak to care about post-study career options and overall costs. A recent LinkedIn poll I launched reinforced something I’ve known for a very long time: employment outcomes are the determinative factor for many foreign-educated lawyers and law school graduates. You can get some great information from law schools about their J.D. and LL.M. programs. But the key is to ask them questions about how their programs align with YOUR goals. A school and degree might be the perfect fit for Student X, but would lead Student Y to question why they made that same choice.

And as a reminder, this is a general strategy. Exceptions happen in positive and negative ways, and a lot of the decision is about risk tolerance, cost-benefit analysis, and belief in networking abilities and other factors. And each case is unique and you may want to speak with lawyers in your network, law schools, or consultants about your specific situation.

When I Think the General LL.M. is the Best Option

• Immediate plans to return to home jurisdiction (after LL.M. or Bar Exam) and interested in a broad overview of U.S. law.
• Entire focus on taking coursework to pass a bar exam, usually with a job already lined up for post-LL.M. work.
• A need to be in a specific city and that is the only option for LL.M. study that meets in-person requirements (e.g., for a bar exam).
• An elite school with a very strong reputation for the General LL.M. and hiring from it, either in the U.S. or in your home jurisdiction.

When I Think the Specialized LL.M. is the Best Option

• Already have 3+ years experience in that area and seeking to secure a full-time long term legal position in the U.S. in that field (this can make more sense than a J.D., for example, in cases like Tax Law).
• Expected to bring knowledge of a specific subject-matter back to home jurisdiction practice.

When I Think the J.D. is the Best Option

• People straight out of LL.B. programs seeking to work full-time, long-term in legal positions in the U.S.
• People who are good at standardized testing (in English) and can secure the type of LSAT score that would lead to a J.D. being cheaper (tuition-wise) than an LL.M. degree.

There are obviously other categories, and plenty of closer calls. Some other key considerations for the many looking to work in the U.S.:

• Will you study on a student visa or are you a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or have plans to soon become one? You’ll notice that many jobs in the U.S. make note of need for employment authorization. LL.M. programs are popular for multiple groups of those who do not need work authorization and you may not have the same opportunities for as broad a job search. Note that work authorization is also an issue for J.D. students, but large law firm hiring at On-Campus Interviews (OCI) can mitigate that at certain schools.
• Costs & Reputation: In both J.D. and LL.M. admissions worlds, scholarships are available in many cases. In the J.D. world, the path is relatively straightforward for my LEALS students: LSAT score and then choosing schools based on LSAT medians. In the LL.M. world, it can be a little bit more opaque for how scholarships are awarded. Financial situations often dictate the “ceiling” for my students on which schools to apply to, especially if they have the ability to get into “reach” schools if they don’t need scholarship money and to focus on “safety” schools if scholarship money is the best important factor.
• Honest Assessment: How will your credentials be viewed in the U.S. from your pre-U.S. study? How about your experience and length of practice? Is the expat community in the U.S. from your home jurisdiction tight-knit and able to assist you with getting in front of the right people for hiring. Do you already have a network that is going to make the job search in the U.S. easier? How well do you interview and come across to recruiters, junior associates, and partners? All these factors, and so many more, go into the overall success in the job search, separate and apart from the quality of the U.S. law school educational experience.
• “Luck”: The portion that people attribute to luck is better described (at least by me) as putting yourself in the right situations at the right times. You can have better success from a lower-ranked school’s LL.M. program than a higher-ranked school’s J.D. program. Are you getting involved in the alumni network and building a team of advocates on your behalf? Are you getting involved in the school’s development activities as a law student and meeting the alumni and other leaders? Are you joining a city or state committee as a student member and having members of the local bar see what a great asset you’d be? Are you able to make a quick elevator pitch to get someone to want to have your resume? It’s important to use information to make the best decision, but this is harder to quantify and may make one choice better than the other.