Over the last month, I’ve focused on the connection between LL.M. programs and securing post-LL.M. employment in the United States. As I’ve said multiple times, the LL.M. degree is not a guarantee of a job in the United States. Advice in this series helps with maximizing opportunities and putting yourself in the strongest position to be successful. Ultimately, you are the one interviewing for positions. And while some students may feel a bit nervous about that, others are emboldened in that they have a lot of control over their job outcomes regardless of other factors.

Where to Attend Law School

Foreign-educated lawyers and law school graduates focused on U.S. employment look to a lot of factors when deciding on programs. U.S. News Rank, although problematic for LL.M. students, is one that I often hear about. But for many F-1 students who need to demonstrate funding for their visa, cost is either the most or second most important factor. The most realistic or feasible LL.M. program for your financial situation may be at a school you did not hear about until an LL.M. fair or webinar. I wouldn’t worry as much about the rank of a school. Instead, speak with the school about two things: (1) what general support they have for foreign-educated LL.M. students looking to work in the U.S. and (2) based on your goals and your willingness to work hard, what support can they provide you with. The first will talk more about the way their LL.M. program is structured and the types of students they recruit. But it feels like there is an exception to every rule and the second highlights this. Even if most students are not planning to stay in the U.S. or it is not the type of program where students traditionally get hired in the U.S. from, is the school willing to work with you to break through some walls if you’re willing to work hard to find a job. Yes, attending a certain subset of schools provides an easier path to post-LL.M. employment in the U.S., but I see enough LL.M. graduates secure jobs in the U.S. each year to know that the school you attend does not tell the whole story.

Doing Well in Classes

Grades matter in many ways. For 1Ls at most U.S. law schools interested in working in large firms, that reality sets in after Fall grades and then again after Spring grades. And grades are important, just like where you attend law school is important. But just like the paragraph above, grades may make it easier or clear one hurdle. But grades do not get you an LL.M. job in the United States on their own. If you have strong grades, view that as a complement to your networking and interviewing. But if you don’t have great grades, you haven’t written off any chance for a job in the United States. Instead, your connections and networking will play a more important role and you will need to shift to an even more proactive approach. My advice: can you get an attorney to want to hire you before they find out your GPA? That can change the framing of the grades from disqualification to an inconvenience. I prefer taking a more manageable load in the first semester to ensure adequate time for classes and not stretching oneself too thin. I also suggest working with your academic advisor or someone on the LL.M. team to get a sense about professors and LL.M. students in their classes. But even if you had a disappointing first semester, work with a trusted advisor on how to discuss grades and class performance as you look into the job search.

Fate/Luck/Preparation

You may notice that some students in your program are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have more options for job postings. You may notice that some students in your program already have a network of people helping them as they look to secure jobs. You may feel that the odds are stacked against you. And as you search for a job in the U.S. and read the news about OPT/H1-B and other issues, it is easy to feel a little down. The reason for these blogs over the last month is to ensure you’re doing what you can to position yourself well despite all these challenges.

But in addition to doing everything right, sometimes you need a little fate or luck, as I like to think of it, preparation. The more encounters you have, the more opportunities you have for someone to notice your work ethic, potential, or “hustle.” Being visible in your law school, within your alumni network, and more broadly is important. You may secure a job through LinkedIn rather than your law school. Visibility is an important consideration for LL.M. students, especially given how invisible LL.M. students may sometimes feel in the larger law school operation. Social media and websites like LinkedIn are important equalizers in this regard. You do not need to wait for LL.M. jobs to appear in your Symplicity. You are in control of the image you present to the U.S. legal community and the content you create and share.

So good luck! I hope the advice from this series is helpful to all those seeking to work in the U.S. on an F-1 visa after an LL.M. program!