Non-J.D. Programs is a broad term to refer to the umbrella of “other programs” a U.S. law school has other than its J.D. program, including LL.M. degrees for foreign-educated & domestic lawyers & law school graduates (my focus is primarily on the former, though I’ve added some work with the latter at my current job). This category grows each year! In addition to S.J.D./J.S.D. programs, more recent additions at some schools include degrees for non-lawyers (MSLs), online LL.M. programs, short courses and certificates, and other programs that increase revenue, raise brand awareness, create pipelines to degree programs, and more. A professor once asked me if I worked at a law school or a Fortune 500 company when hearing one of my prior titles.
What should you do when your students are defined by what they are not? I covered the importance of the J.D./Non-J.D. distinction by the ABA in a prior post. Over the last decade, I’ve tried to build a “culture of caring,” specifically for my work with foreign-educated lawyers and law school graduates in residential LL.M. programs. Given that most of my work experience has been with residential foreign-educated LL.M. students, I’m writing about that group below. I’m definitely curious about how those who focus on other programs achieve similar results as residential LL.M. programs for foreign-educated lawyers become a smaller piece of the Non-J.D. Programs pie.
- What Happens Outside the LL.M./Non-J.D. Office Matters
No matter how supportive LL.M./Non-J.D. teams are (and so many of the people I’ve met over the last decade at U.S. law schools are amazing!), students easily pick up on things happening outside our bubbles. Are important announcements, website information, and social media inclusive of Non-J.D. programming? Or do Non-J.D. programs & students come up only when it relates to recruitment and application season? Are achievements of the Non-J.D. students highlighted at Orientation and Graduation, on website profiles, and in alumni magazines? Are Non-J.D. alumni invited back to speak on panels? To best support Non-J.D. students and show them that they matter, we need to secure buy-in from deans and leadership teams, faculty, alumni and other units at our law schools. Concrete step: ask your dean or dean of admissions to have a paragraph in the orientation welcome speech noting the accomplishments and achievements of the entering LL.M. class.
2. Think Creatively for J.D. Student Buy-In
One of my focus areas for the last decade (and the way I actually got hired after law school) has been figuring out ways to connect J.D. and LL.M. students. As a 3L, I was a teaching assistant to the first group of foreign-educated students in a new LL.M. program. I’ve spent the last decade asking LL.M. students and LL.M. graduates from a number of schools about ways that they’ve interacted with J.D. students and the answers have varied considerably (some wonderful, some not so great). How do J.D. students generally think about LL.M./Non-J.D. students at your school? One student I met in China shared a negative experience at the school they went to and being made to feel like they were just there for tuition. So how can you promote to J.D. students ways to embrace Non-J.D. students in their classes? Some ways I’ve found helpful to connect J.D. and LL.M. students include areas where J.D. students wanted to study or work in a specific country, an LL.M. with practice experience in an area where a J.D. student wanted to break into, and more. Activities unrelated to law school or the legal profession include food, language, art, sports, and music. Concrete step: host an event for J.D. and Non-J.D. students this Fall to get to know one another.
3. Encourage Non-J.D. Students to Pay it Forward
I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had to charge for my Pre-LL.M. Program as both law schools I’ve worked at have found that it is a great investment in the success of incoming students. It helps students prepare for classes, understand expectations in a U.S. law school, addresses early questions, and allows students to come to me before small problems turn into big problems. I only ask that incoming LL.M. students “pay it forward” and help one another out. I always enjoy seeing LL.M. students give back by participating in events in their first law degree jurisdictions. Whether that’s advice based on their practice in that jurisdiction, advice about what it’s like to study in the U.S., advice to help those who are considering applying to U.S. law schools (not just ours!), or advice as alumni about working in the U.S., there are so many ways they can assist. I’ve also found that LL.M. students have created their own culture of caring between returning and incoming students. I think this is a great benefit of August and January intakes and three-semester programs: there is a returning source of institutional knowledge, friendly faces to assist with questions students would prefer to ask fellow students, and so much more. I’ve found that students I’ve worked with have taken my blueprint and expanded on it in amazing ways. Concrete step: Invite returning Non-J.D. students at your school to speak with the incoming class. Bonus points if you also have them speak with the J.D. students!
Beyond Non-JD 