The LL.M. Degree: Opening a Door to Many Options

The Office of International & Foreign Graduate Programs strives to help each student evaluate the many options available to them, with the hope that each student will reach the best decision based on his or her personal and professional goals.

Graduates of the LL.M. Programs have many different career options available to them, including:

• Sit for the Bar Examination in a Jurisdiction that Accepts Foreign Law Graduates with an LL.M. Degree. New York is the most popular jurisdiction for foreign law graduates, but it is certainly not the only one. Eighteen states in the United States, and Puerto Rico, allow foreign law graduates with additional education at an ABA-approved law school to take the Bar Examination. For a complete listing of these jurisdictions and a detailed analysis of restrictions that may apply, click here to see the ABA chart.

• Obtain Employment in your Home Country. The University of Miami currently has alumni practicing in over 70 countries around the world. A representative list of the firms and companies that have employed our graduates is available from the program director. The Law School participates in the annual International Student Interview Program held in New York, during which more than 80 law firms and corporations from around the world and the United States interview foreign attorneys enrolled in graduate law programs in the United States.
  Alumni Website Directory.

• Obtain Employment in the United States. A growing number of our LL.M. alumni remain in South Florida or other parts of the United States after graduation. Students on F-1 visa status are entitled to a year of Optional Practical Training, during which time employment is authorized in the United States. The office of International & Foreign Graduate Programs presents a large number of networking events during the course of the year to educate current students on the range of possibilities for employment. The School of Law also tries to facilitate internships with the legal departments of multinational corporations based in South Florida. Area law firms host receptions each spring for the law students in the graduate programs. Alumni will regularly join the students for lunch meetings to discuss their experiences in the local job market. Although we cannot guarantee a job to every graduate, we do our very best to prepare all of our students for the employment market and to support each person in planning for a career of interest.

• Transfer to the J.D. Program. Some students will transfer to the J.D. Program, as described below, so that they may sit for the Florida Bar Exam and be eligible for a wider range of employment within law firms.

Transfer to the J.D. Program

Some foreign lawyers choose to pursue the three-year J.D. Program, which is the primary law degree for American law students. The J.D. is required for anyone wishing to sit for the Florida Bar Exam.

Students who have completed all requirements for an LL.M. degree at the University of Miami and who are admitted to the J.D. program may be awarded up to 29 advanced standing credits for law courses taken in the degree-granting foreign law school. In addition, if they compile a strong record in their LL.M. coursework and meet the requirements set forth in detail in the Law School Bulletin, they may forego receiving the LL.M. degree and transfer most of the credits earned during the LL.M. Program toward the J.D. degree, thereby earning the J.D. in two years or two years plus one summer.

If you are interested in this option, please consult the program director for more information.

Career Planning Center