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

Non-US students joining an American LL.M. program can gain an edge as you transition to a new legal environment at a U.S. law school.  A special 6-day LL.M. Preview course in New York will help prepare you for the rigors of your U.S. LL.M. program.

LL.M. Preview offers you an overview of the U.S. Constitution and legal system, coaching in American law teaching methodology, and training in legal analysis and writing skills.  

Gain insight into what American law firms look for in foreign candidates, how to present your credentials, and how to build a professional network that can help you achieve your career goals. Learn post-LL.M. career strategies whether you want to work for a U.S. law firm, a multi-national corporation, a governmental ministry, a law faculty, an inter-governmental organization such as the United Nations, or other entity in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Classroom simulations allow you to learn-by-doing in a safe, supportive environment. Learn effective LL.M. student survival and success strategies for you to use inside and outside your LL.M. classrooms, and receive many tips on LL.M. student empowerment.

Learn from speakers associated with some of the most prestigious institutions and firms in the country including:

• Catholic University, Columbus School of Law
  
• Columbia University Law School
  
• Fordham University Law School
  
• LinkedIn
  
• LL.M. Roadmap*
  
• Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
  

The 6-day LL.M. Preview course is offered by BARBRI, the leading Bar Exam preparation company in the U.S.  BARBRI as prepared over 1 million students to sit for the bar exam across the U.S.

Dates for 2013 LL.M. Preview are 5 - 10 August in New York. 

For more information and to enroll in LL.M. Preview, please visit the LL.M. Preview website here.

Or send an e-mail here: LLM@BarBri.com

A program for the LL.M. Preview appears below.

*Professor George Edwards, author of LL.M. Roadmap, will present on “LL.M. Student Survival & Empowerment”.  This session will focus on, inter alia, ensuring that your law school meets your reasonable expectations regarding your academic, personal and career expectations.  Professor Edwards has long advocated for rights of international LL.M. students in U.S. schools, and is exploring a proposed United Nations Declaration on the Rights of International Students. See, for example, the following:

• The Need for a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of international Students

                    Below is a copy of the program of LL.M. Preview (5 - 10 August 2013, in New York)!

Each year the German- American Lawyers' Association (DAJV - Deutsch-Amerikanischen Juristen-Vereinigung) hosts a fair for U.S. law schools to send representatives to Cologne, Germany where they can meet students who want to apply to U.S. LL.M. programs. This is a great opportunity for prospective students to get first hand information about applying and getting accepted to a range of different LL.M. programs. The 2013 Fair will be held on 3 - 4 May.

There will be many U.S. LL.M. programs at the DAJV LL.M. Fair this year.

U.S. law schools scheduled to participate in the 2013 LL.M. Fair in Cologne, Germany include the following:

1. American University LL.M Program
2. Boston University School of Law LL.M Program
3. Brooklyn Law School LL.M Program
4. Cardozo School of Law LL.M Program
5. Duke Law School LL.M Program
6. Fordham Law School LL.M Program
7. Pepperdine School of Law LL.M Program
8. St. Marys University Law School LL.M Program
9. Suffolk University Law School LL.M Program
10. Syracuse University College of Law LL.M Program
11. Texas Tech LL.M Program
12. Tulane LL.M Program
13. University of California, Davis, School of Law LL.M Program
14. University of Connecticut School of Law LL.M Program
15. University of Houston Law Center LL.M Program
16. University of Maryland School of Law LL.M Program
17. University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law LL.M Program
18. Vanderbilt LL.M Program

LL.M. Roadmap will be on display at the Annual Meeting of the ASIL -- The American Society of International Law, to be held in Washington, DC from 3 - 6 March 2013.  The book's publisher Wolters Kluwer will participate in the Exhibition, which will be held at the The Marriott Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC, 999 Ninth Street NW · Washington, D.C. 20001.