BARBRI's LL.M. Preview will help you prepare to enter your LL.M. program in the 2014 autumn semester. 

During the weeks and months before your LL.M. classes begin, BARBRI's special LL.M. Preview gives you tools you need for success in your LL.M. classroom. It will help as you adjust to your new degree program, and as you prepare yourself for taking a bar exam or getting a job post-LL.M.

Get a head start before classes begin!

At LL.M. Preview, you will learn basics in U.S. law school learning styles, the Socratic Method, and the U.S. legal system, and learn fundamentals in key areas of U.S. law and practice.

You will  learn tips on how best to present yourself to the employment marketplace as you prepare to apply for internships or part-time jobs while you are enrolled in your LL.M., or as you prepare for full-time legal positions in the U.S. or elsewhere post-LL.M. You will learn about U.S.-style resume and cover letter writing,  so you can arrive at your LL.M. program a step ahead in your quest for internships, part-time jobs, or post-LL.M. employment.

At LL.M. Preview you will gain insights into qualification for U.S. legal practice, including bar exams in states that permit LL.M. graduates to join their bars and practice law.

LL.M. Preview is offered live in Los Angeles and New York in August 2014. Components of LL.M. Preview will also be available online, so you can begin preparing for your LL.M. before you leave your home country! 

At LL.M. Preview, you will meet LL.M. students from many different U.S. law schools in different parts of the country. You can establish strong friendships and professional bonds with LL.M. colleagues that will serve you well as you tackle issues at your different law schools, and as you complete your degrees and return to homelands, go elsewhere, or stay in the U.S.

Jump start your LL.M. degree program. Arrive at your LL.M. program fully prepared!


Check here for additional information about and to sign up for BARBRI LL.M. Preview.


PS:  Your BARBRI LL.M. Preview instructors will be from well-known law schools and LL.M. programs from around the country. Instructors will also include individuals closely associated with national and global LL.M. undertakings, such as the author of LL.M. Roadmap.

The chart below offers a Timeline and Steps for your LL.M. degree at a U.S. law school. It details pre-application information gathering, submitting high quality LL.M. applications per the deadlines, being successful in school, graduating with your LL.M. degree, and personal and career success after.

The Timeline and Steps are general in nature. Most overseas students joining U.S. law school programs will follow most of these steps. However, your own path to success may differ slightly from the paths of other students. 

Each LL.M. student has his or her own goals, motivations, strengths, needs and expectations. No one school is ideal for all students. Students necessarily will be spread out among the 150 U.S. law schools in the U.S. that offer LL.M. programs.

The goal is for you to make important decisions about what your goals are, sort out how to achieve your goals, and then follow your path towards achieving those goals.

The Timeline and Steps below will help guide you on your path to success! Indeed, the Timeline and Steps are your Roadmap to LL.M. success!

Good luck!

There are many things to consider when preparing your LLM Application. You can find 12 LLM Application Tips here. 

Below are 23 additional ideas to help may your LLM Application great! Keep these tips and hints in mind as you prepare your LLM Applications for US law school LLM programs.

1.        The entire application process is about marketing yourself to the admission committee.

2.        Applications contain information about what you have accomplished and your potential. What have you done? What will you do?

3.        Get involved in extracurricular activities now--before you apply.

4.        Contact EducationUSA for guidance and advice.

5.        Find alumni of schools—ask about their experiences.

6.        Be realistic about your goals, attributes, and finances.

7.        What are your research interests?

8.        Clearly state who you are—advocate on your own behalf.

9.        Meet, or beat, deadlines. Begin early—months in advance.

10.     Follow directions.

You have one goal with your LL.M. application – to persuade a U.S. law school to admit you into their LL.M. program!

Preparing your LL.M. application is one the most difficult parts of your LL.M. But you can meet this challenge.

You need commitment, positive energy and determination.

And you need to complete a careful self-examination to make sure you are moving in the direction that is best for you. Are you applying to the LL.M. programs that are best for you, in the cities you desire, in the specialized areas of law that fit your fit your interests and career goals? Once convinced that you are on the right track, it's time to persuade U.S. law schools to admit you!

Chiefly, your application should portray your achievements, and provide evidence of your potential to succeed in a rigorous academic program. But this may not be as easy as it sounds.

Your application will have many components, both formal and informal.

Formal Part of Your LL.M. Application.
This is the concrete, tangible part of your LL.M. application. This includes the specific, detailed requirements that the school outlines on its website. The formal part of your LL.M. application includes:

1.      Evidence of your law training or bar membership
a.    Your non-U.S. law degree; or
b.   Your being already admitted to practice law in a non-U.S. jurisdiction; or
c.    If you do not have a non-U.S. law degree or admission to a non-U.S. law practice, then you need a law degree or law practice substitute.

2.      Recommendation letters. These letters are testimonials from your undergraduate or graduate professors, work supervisors, or others about you and your accomplishments, your past work and other attributes that make you suitable for 

The LL.M. Roadmap author gave a presentation at the BARBRI LL.M. PREVIEW on the topic of LL.M. Survival and Empowerment.

The question is how you as an international student may get the best out of your LL.M. program year? The lecture provides tips and hints on how you achieve maximum benefits from your LL.M. program. How can you achieve your academic, personal, and career goals?

Listed below are some LL.M. Survival and Empowerment lecture suggestions. For more survival & empowerment tips, check out LL.M. Roadmap.

1.         Embrace the Socratic Method [link to section on Socratic Method – in section on success in the LL.M. classroom]. This method of U.S. law school instruction may intimidate international LL.M. students, but it presents an opportunity for you to gain an edge in thinking on your feet, analyzing complex issues quickly, and arriving at sound solutions. Leap at the opportunity to practice your lawyerly abilities!

 You will learn how to think quickly and arrive at reasonable conclusions. U.S.-trained lawyers are expected to possess this skill!

You can get practice at the Socratic Method from taking courses like BARBRI’s LL.M. Preview.

2.         Take advantage of opportunities to gain legal skills. Sometimes this means engaging in non-credit activities outside the classroom. This may interfere with some of your study or leisure time, but it is a worthy investment.

Your U.S. law school should have opportunities for you to do clinical work with real clients, pro bono work research, internships, or other work outside the classroom. You can learn a great deal from hands-on exposure to the law. See # 4 below.

3.         Understand who is who at your law school. What is the difference between the following officials at your U.S. law school:

I was searching the web, looking for websites that LL.M. and J.D. students and applicants might use to gather information about U.S. law schools. LL.M. Roadmap always seeks to provide helpful information to law school applicants and law school students!

I came across a list of the "60 Essential Twitter Feeds for Law School Applicants", which appeared on the webpage of Onlinegollege.org.

Our website, www.LLMRoadMap.com, was on the list of "60 of the best Twitter feeds for aspiring law school students"! Check it out at this link!

Below is a reproduction of the list of 60 best law school Twitter feeds (in categories A - F). The seven categories are:  (A)  Top Law Schools; (B)  Best-Value Degrees; (C)  Online Law Degrees; (D)  LSAT Tips; (E)  Getting In; (F)  Legalese; (G)  A Day in the Life.

Check out the 60 essential Twitter links below!

Also, please follow @LLMRoadMap on Twitter!