What job search services exist for Georgetown Law Master of Laws students?

Graduate Professional Development Services for Students include the following:

  • The Comprehensive Professional Development Web site to get students started.
  • Regular drop-in sessions and small-group workshops to provide assistance to LL.M. students in preparing resumes, cover letters, e-mails and business correspondence.
  • Extensive online resources and job search resource library (including online Symplicity database of job postings; individual passwords become available in late summer before the Fall semester).
  • Regular notices of networking events, seminars, conferences and resume collections for law firms and other employers.
  • Small-group interviews, development of networking skills and other professional development training.
  • Interview programs, including the two major programs in which LL.M. students participate-International Student Interview Program (ISIP) and Taxation Interview Program (TIP).
  • Speaker series and events, including presentations from distinguished alumni
  • “Meet and Greet” and other networking events.  

After the Add-Drop period each semester, you may submit your resume and cover letter for review by the Graduate Professional Development members as follows:

Foreign-trained:  resreviewintl@law.georgetown.edu
U.S.-trained: resreviewus@law.georgetown.edu

To make the most of your review, visit the Resources section of the Graduate Professional Development Web site to view templates of resumes and cover letters, as well as a checklist for resumes.           

When should a Master of Laws candidate start working on his or her post-LL.M. job search?

The timing of students' job search efforts will vary significantly depending on the type of position that the student is seeking.  At orientation, Graduate Professional Development members will provide a calendar of important dates and programs.  Even before students arrive, they can begin laying the groundwork for their job search by compiling the names of professional and personal contacts who may be able to suggest other contact names in their professional sphere of influence. Networking is of critical importance to the graduate student’s job search.  While the studies are an LL.M.’s first priority, we encourage graduate law students to build time into their weekly calendars for networking and other job hunting tasks.

Do Master of Laws students participate in Georgetown Law ’s on-campus interview programs?

Master of Laws candidates are eligible to participate in many of Georgetown Law’s on-campus interview programs.  On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) managed by the Office of Career Services (OCS) takes place during August-October, but is primarily designed to place 2L summer associate candidates.  Certain employers do express an interest in interviewing graduate law students in this venue, and we encourage all interested LL.M. candidates to participate.  Students will be apprised of such opportunities directly from the Office of Graduate Programs.

In addition, Georgetown Law hosts or participates in several job fairs targeted primarily to employers interested in recruiting graduate law students.  These include the annual International Student Interview Program (ISIP) each January in New York, New York, and the Taxation Interview Program each February in Washington, D.C.  Finally, a significant portion of graduate student hiring is done via resume collections, which take place throughout the year.  Students will be alerted to resume collection opportunities directly in the weekly Graduate Professional Development newsletter.

How do Georgetown Law Master of Laws students typically get jobs?

LL.M. hiring is very different from J.D. recruiting, which relies heavily on the autumn on-campus interview process.  LL.M. hiring is much more akin to lateral recruiting, with employers posting available positions as they arise and candidates learning about additional opportunities via word-of-mouth.  Networking plays a significant role in most successful post-LL.M. job hunts.  Further, many traditional legal employers expect LL.M. students to approach them about opportunities.  As a result, Georgetown Law’s Office of Graduate Programs heavily emphasizes job search and networking training.

Where do most Georgetown Law Master of Laws work upon completion of the program?

Georgetown Law’s LL.M. graduates find legal and law-related positions across the entire spectrum of the legal industry.  Students have found positions in government agencies, on Capitol Hill, in large and small private law firms, in accounting and consulting firms, in trade associations, in multinational, non-for-profit organizations and corporations in the U.S. and abroad, and in non-practicing roles. 

How is a Master of Laws viewed by potential employers?

The Master of Laws degree is an advanced academic credential, but it is only one piece of the “complete package” that sought be employers.  An LL.M. certainly increases a student’s knowledge in his or her chosen area of study.  It further conveys a student’s commitment to an area of practice.  In addition, it allows students the opportunity to network with accomplished faculty, academic professionals, colleagues and other members of the Washington area legal community.  In fact, access to the Georgetown Law network can be one of the degree’s most useful attributes. 

The LL.M. degree, however is but one of the many factors employers consider when evaluating candidates.  Employers consider most favorably those students with as many elements of the “complete package” as possible. They typically look for excellent work experience, high LL.M. and J.D. grades, and strong English language skills (both written and oral).  Therefore, success in the LL.M. program will add to a student’s marketability, but the degree alone it is not going to be enough to find an ideal position. Many employers remain focused on traditional means of recruiting via summer associate programs.

What are the placement statistics for the International, Tax and Securities certificate programs?

As is the practice in regard to most U.S. Master of Laws programs, Georgetown Law does not maintain official placement statistics.  Most of our information regarding placement is anecdotal.

May a foreign-trained Master Laws candidate take a bar exam after completing the LL.M. degree?

Many of our LL.M. students who received their first law degree in a foreign country choose to take a U.S. bar exam usually the New York bar exam upon completion of their LL.M. at Georgetown Law.  Your academic advisor will help you select the courses needed to qualify for the bar exam, as part of designing your overall course of study. Please note that while bar membership can be a useful credential for many international lawyers, Georgetown Law encourages its LL.M. students to view their year of study at the Law Center not merely as preparation for the bar exam, but as an opportunity to choose from an array of courses which will contribute to the student's long-term professional growth.  As is evident from the extensive list of courses which have in the past satisfied the eligibility requirement for the New York bar (http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/documents/NYBarList.pdf), accomplishing both these goals is generally easy to achieve. Additionally, some students may wonder whether completion of the LL.M. program and admission to the New York bar will qualify them to practice law in the U.S. Students whose primary goal is to become a U.S. lawyer are advised to consider pursuing a J.D., as U.S. law firms and other legal employers generally seek to hire students who have completed a graduate degree program. For more information about the bar exam, visit:

Are the Graduate Professional Development members able to review my writing sample?

The members of the Graduate Professional Development do not review writing samples. As a matter of policy, the samples must be your own work.