The personal statement you attach to your LL.M. applications is an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself from the hundreds or even thousands of other highly-qualified LL.M. applicants.

LL.M. program admission committees want to get to know you—your personality—who you really are, what drives you, what makes you tick.

Your diplomas, course certificates, grade point average (GPA), recommendations, TOEFL or IELTS scores, CV or resume do not present a full picture. Committees see many similar objective documents from most applicants.

Try to convince the LL.M. program to accept you because you are one of the best candidates for that school, and because that LL.M. program and school are the best choice for you.

Personal statements help inform U.S. law schools that you are appropriately motivated, with insights, commitment and aspirations that render you eminently suitable to join the school’s ranks. You must convince the admissions committee that it will make the right decision by admitting you to the LL.M. program, that you outshine other qualified LL.M. candidates. In your personal statement you can paint a picture of yourself that may be enough to convince the school to choose you, rather than one of the dozens or even hundreds of other applicants. Your personal statement is a very important part of your LL.M. application.

                                                     8 Tips for LL.M. Personal Statements

1.   Follow instructions.
LL.M. applications will have instructions for your personal statement. Be certain to follow those instructions, carefully! If the instructions call for 500 words in the personal statement, do not submit 501 words. If there is a page limit, stick to it. Be certain to 

The U.S. government sponsored the EducationUSA LGBT Virtual College & University Fair on 4 September 2013.

The Fair was hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, under the direction of Rosie Edmond & Jonathan Lembright (Regional Education Advising Coordinators – REACs of EducationUSA).

 Presenters in the 4-hour Fair talked about opportunities for LGBT students to come to the U.S. to study at colleges and universities. Topics included scholarships, professional associations, student programs and many other services available to LGBT students in and outside of US campuses.

The Fair’s opening remarks were made by Ambassador David Huebner, US Ambassador to New Zealand & Samoa (U.S. Embassy, Wellington). Closing  remarks were made by Consul General Patrick J. Linehan, who is U.S. Consul General at Osaka-Kobe (Japan).

LL.M. Roadmap author (George Edwards) presented on this topic:  Rights of LGBT International Students Enrolled in U.S. Colleges & Universities: International Human Rights Law, U.S. Federal Law, and State & Local Law Protections. (A handout of his presentation is attached below in this blog entry.) Many faculty and staff at other U.S. schools presented on a range of topics.

Discussion was lively throughout the Fair, with professors, staff, students, government officials from Portland to Perth to Penang, and many cities and countries in between. 

The fair was scheduled based on Tokyo time 8:00 a.m. to noon 4 September 2013. However, given the many time zones of

Why do U.S. law  schools require LL.M. recommendation letters?

LL.M. admission committees want to know who you are as an applicant. Your test scores, marks in your earlier degrees, and other objective criteria are not enough. The committees usually cannot meet LL.M. applicants, so they need another way to get to know you. Your personal statements are helpful, but they are written by you!

Thus LL.M. programs typically require you to submit at least 2 recommendation letters written by “referees”. These letters help cement an image for the school about who you are.  Admission committees rely heavily on these letters.

Who should write your recommendation letters? Why?
The best recommendation letters are written by people (referees) who personally know you, and who are familiar with your intellectual abilities, your work and other accomplishments, and your actual personality.
 
Your referees should have enough knowledge about you, and confidence in you, to be able to inform the LL.M. admission committee, with relative specificity, that you will likely succeed in the LL.M. program. The best letters will be able to state that you will do very well in the LL.M. program, and after you graduate.

Good recommendation letters can be written by current or former professors, employers, work colleagues, or even clients. All of these people should be in good positions to know you and your work well. They can easily attest to your professional and academic merits. 

Is there such a thing as a “bad” recommendation letter?
Be careful about who you ask to write a recommendation
letter!

Law faculty deans, judges, prominent lawyers, legislators or other public figures are great people to write letters only
if they have sufficient personal knowledge of you and your work or accomplishments, and personal knowledge of characteristics that would make you an excellent LL.M. candidate. Letters from these people will not help much if they do not speak with specificity and with personal knowledge.
 
Choose referees based on what they personally know about your merits. Do not choose referees based solely on their professional or societal “status”.

It's LL.M. application time!  Deadlines are approaching fast!

There is no reason to panic. Stop. Take a deep breath. And consider the following dozen pre-application tips.

Before you submit your LL.M. applications, ask yourself these 12 important questions:

1.   Setting goals.   Did I decide what my career, professional, personal, academic goals are? Did I remember that to reach my goals successfully, I need to know what my goals are? How can I achieve my career goals if I have not identified my career goals in advance?

2.   Honest self-inventory.   Did I take a thorough, honest inventory of my own academic background and accomplishments, test scores, and experience to determine which schools might be “best” for me, and apply to those schools? To look forward, I need to look back first.

3.   Realism.   Was I you realistic about my goals, experience, attributes and finances? I will be disappointed if I set unrealistic goals.

4.    Promote Self.   In my applications did I clearly state who I am and advocate on my own behalf? I have to take put my best foot forward!

5.    Convey my LL.M. goals? Did I inform the schools about my career and personal goals and about other traits of mine that cannot be discerned from my grades, test scores, or class rank? I have to figure out how to make sure that the schools sees everything about me and my background so that the school will be convinced that I’m a great candidate to join their LL.M. program.

6.    Paint convincing picture.   Did I demonstrate to the schools that I am mature, professional, collegial and hardworking? I have to do a great job of advocating on my own behalf.

7.    OK to ask for help!   Did I ask a classmate, professor, or academic advisor to assist by reviewing my documents, while at the same time making certain that I prepared my own application, and that I wrote my own personal statement or essay? I have to

For many years  the U.S. has recognized protections for overseas LGBT students enrolled in the U.S., including in LL.M. programs. In the past, the protections generally fell under U.S.  obligations to protect the human rights of all persons in the U.S., without discrimination. These obligations derived from international human rights law and U.S. federal, state and local law.
 
Recently, the  U.S. has recognized more specific obligations to protect human rights irrespective of the person’s sex,  sexual orientation, or sexual identity. International LGBT LL.M. students can now point to more specific protections under U.S.  law.

General  Human Rights of International LGBT Students Protected by International &  U.S. Law

First,  all  LGBT international LL.M. students in the U.S. are entitled to protections under  general international   human rights law.

Second,  all LGBT international students in the U.S. are entitled to certain protections under US  Constitution,  Federal Statutes, State Constitutions, State Statutes, and Local Ordinances.
 
The  primary categories of rights protections under this law  follow:
 
1.   Non-discrimination  based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
2.   Equal  protection  under the law and general equality rights.
3.   Freedom  of expression  & association. 
4.   Right  to privacy.
5.   Protection  from hate  crimes, harassment,  bullying.
6.   Right  to marry  or form civil  unions or domestic  partnerships
7.   Right  to have dependents  recognized (same-sex partners, dependents)
8.   All  rights that  international non-LGBT students are entitled  to.
9.   All  rights that  non-international students are entitled to (with some  distinctions).

Some International Instruments That Protect or Incorporate Protections for International LGBT Students in the  U.S.
  o   Charter  of the United Nations
  o   Universal  Declaration  of Human Rights 
  o   United  Nations  International  Covenant on Civil & Political Rights 
  o   Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (2006)
 
President  Barack Obama  has recognized international human rights law in his steps to protect LGBT persons, including repealing Don’t  Ask, Don’t Tell (gays to serve openly in the military), promoting marriage  equality, appointing LGBT persons to high level positions, and providing tax  and visa benefits to same sex couples at the same level as for opposite sex  couples.

 Secretary  of State Hillary Clinton  invoked international human rights law protections for LGBT persons in declaring  that “human rights are gay rights, and gay rights are human rights, once and for all.” This has been reaffirmed by U.S.  Secretary of State John Kerry.
 
Some  Domestic U.S. Laws that Protect International LGBT LL.M.  Students
  o   U.S. Constitution
  o   U.S. Federal Statutes
  o   State Constitutions
  o   State Statutes
  o   Local Ordinances

U.S. Constitution - General.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees all people, including LGBT people, “equal protection of the laws”.  LGBT students are protected in areas of freedom of speech and religion, privacy rights, and due process rights. The U.S. Constitution protects consensual same-sex private sexual conduct.

U.S. Constitution & Freedom of Expression &  Association.
The Constitution’s 1st Amendment protects free expression. The government (and public schools) may not improperly interfere with your 1st Amendment right to express yourself or to receive communications from others.  State constitutions have similar speech protections.

Your expression is protected on or off campus. You may speak about “LGBT issues”, and you have the right to receive information from other sources. You have the right to remain silent regarding sexual orientation or gender, or the right to speak if you wish. 

A  school (or the government) can restrict your speech only if your speech:  (a) is verbally abusive (like harassment); (b) promotes illegal drug use or that is lewd or profane; (c) could substantially disrupt the school’s operation; or (d) interferes with the rights of others.

Under law, freedom of association & expression go hand in hand. Students have the right to speak, communicate with, or associate with each other, or with whomever else they wish.

 U.S.  Constitution & Equality - General  U.S. visa rules for LGBT LL.M. students.
As  of 2013, under President Obama, U.S. embassies and consulates adjudicate same-sex visa applications the same as opposite-sex applications, including for international students, their same-sex spouses, and their children. 

U.S. Constitution & the Right to Marry (including international students)
In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. v. Windsor recognized same-sex marriage for federal law purposes. This has many implications for international students in the U.S.

U.S. Federal Statutes
Federal statutes banning harassment, bullying, and other violence include:

 ·   Federal  Equal Access Act (EAA). (when public schools provide resources or access to non-LGBT groups, they must provide the same to LGBT groups)

 ·   1964 Civil Rights Act, Title VII. (bans discrimination based on sex, broadly construed).

 ·   Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX. (bans sex discrimination in federally supported education programs, including no sexual harassment, discrimination for failing to conform to gender stereotypes, or discrimination against inter-sexed,  transsexual, transgender or androgynous individuals.)

·    Matthew Shepard & James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. (when bodily harm inflicted due to a
  person’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, or gender  identity).
 
Freedom to Work – Federal Law
U.S. law limits the ability of international students to work in the U.S. while they are enrolled in school and after they graduate. Once an LGBT international student begins work, they are protected by federal anti-discrimination laws. Some states have similar laws.

State Constitutions
All state constitutions ban discrimination, though each state provides a different level of protection, but that protection must be consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

State & local law banning harassment, bullying, and other violence (selected).
Many states & DC have laws addressing violence based on sexual orientation and sexual identity.

State law re same-sex relationships. 
Marriage rights are currently determined by each state.  Some permit same-sex marriage, and some permit same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships. International LGBT students are entitled to the same rights at the same levels.

Public schools versus private schools. Rights and protections at schools funded by the federal government may be different
than those at privately funded ones. Private schools that do not receive government funding may not afford as wide a range of protections as public schools. When choosing an LL.M. program in the U.S., LGBT international applicants might consider the
distinction between protections afforded by public versus private U.S. law schools.
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