Selecting Beyond Non-JD as the blog title was a nod to the ABA’s J.D./Post J.D. & Non-J.D. distinction. Because I think it’s such an important message to understand before the LL.M. application cycle. Or at least before beginning an LL.M. degree.

And I encourage LL.M. prospects to read it! Why?

First off, because I think it’s important. The ABA is sharing important information about the programs you’re going to embark on. So you may as well learn more about the degrees.

And second, when you understand the role and purpose of Post-J.D. & Non-J.D. programs generally, you get to build a specific strategy for your LL.M. degree.

And it is why it is so important to understand that there can be far more variation in Non-J.D. operations (including the LL.M. program) across similarly situated U.S. law schools than in their J.D. operations. Two schools can have a similar rank, similar BigLaw percentage for J.D. graduates, and similar J.D. bar passage rates. But their LL.M. programs may be completely different.

Accreditation & Acquiescence (April 2021)

And it was one of the first topics I covered, way back in April 2021! Because I think understanding the distinction can help create better decision-making by prospective students. If the purpose of this blog was to help LL.M. students, I needed to actually address the Non-J.D. elephant.

Even from inside higher education. While I had the words Non-J.D. in my title!

With a lot of new Beyond Non-JD readers since the last time I shared the link, and after speaking with a LEALSer headed to the U.S. for their post-LL.B. studies, I think it’s a good time to highlight once again.

When I went back and read that post, I thought back to just how much has changed in the last 4 years! What are your biggest takeaways from that early blog post?

And as more people pay attention to the business of LL.M. programs and more voices are emerging from former LL.M. students asking great questions, I was curious whether more LL.M. students are reviewing this before they begin their programs.

Because on the La ñoña del Derecho podcast, we spoke about strategies when an LL.M. student is in their program and feels disillusioned. But by then, it may be too late!

What’s Next?

The ABA has been in the news lately. The future of legal education and higher education in the U.S. has been in the news lately. International students and visas have been in the news lately. The business of LL.M. programs has been in the news lately.

So what’s next? With so much more information available to LL.M. students now, I have been predicting for a while that LL.M. programs are in for some changes.

Would changes to the ABA change LL.M. programs? For better or worse?

What are we going to learn about U.S. law school LL.M. operations when the 2025-26 international LL.M. classes begin in August?

I’ll have more to share over the coming months on this topic. But I want new readers to understand this starting point first. Especially as we all prepare for a lot of uncertainty.