Any international students currently pursuing a US JD here?

jiziahnd

Hey guys, just wondering if there are any international students here on 7sage who are currently in law school and working towards practicing law in the US after graduation. I'm Asian, first generation college student and have a low socioeconomic background. I recently got accepted into UCLA, Notre Dame, BC, Duke and UC Berkeley. I'm still waiting for scholarship offers but right now, I'm seriously second-guessing my decision to go to law school in the US given the bleak uncertain future surrounding immigration post graduation. I don't want to work my butt off for 3 years, invest a whole lot of money and time into law school only to be kicked out of the country in the end.

I'd really appreciate any insights/advice you guys have on the matter!! Thank you in advance.

dansykes94

Hello!

I'm British and going to the US for law school.

I have the same concerns.

I love the US but am always astounded by how broken the US immigration system is.

my plan A is to get a H1b from a law firm. It's no problem for the big firms to do this and the current administration has made it much easier for Post grad degree holders from US universities to get accepted in the US H1B lottery. its around a 75 percent chance of winning and you can often get two rolls if you secure an offer before graduation. I believe there are other ways to get a employer to sponsor you too. By the time you graduate there could be further improvements to the system. I believe the US is increasingly aware of the problems with the current system.

On a student visa, you have 4 years legally in the US. 3 for studies and 1 for OTE or whatever it is called.

You also have the option of marrying an American. It sounds profound but if you're starting Law school around age 26, you'll be around 30 when your student visa expires and that's a very common age for people to get married anyway. And as a lawyer, you'll be a good catch! but obviously, don't make that your primary goal.

Also, US firms can be international. There'll be some who will hire you and ship you to one of their international offices, perhaps in your home country. I know there are many firms in London that require American JDs.

another option is not going into law at all, if you go to a good law school and get top marks some grads get offers for investment banking and other things.

My final backup plan is moving to Canada. I have legal status there so I would just need to do a conversion course and then practice there.

but stepping back a bit, if you chase excellence and perform well in law school and do the networking, I'm confident you'll find some way to stay in the US.

jiziahnd

@dansykes94 Thank you so much for sharing! Could you say more about other ways that an employer might be able to sponsor an international law student? I've applied to a few Canadian law schools as a back-up plan although I am deeply in love with the US as well. But the heart wants what it wants lol.

dansykes94

Life can throw all kinds of random opportunities, you can have a goal to do something but in three years time you could be doing something totally different.

I cannot predict who could sponsor a H1b, but fundamentally if you are a top candidate for a job and it requires a JD or equivalent, to my knowledge an employer can submit a H1b request. The employer has to prove they have advertised the job to US citizens and that you were the one who could fill the role to the standard required. This may sound constrictive but if an employer wants you, they will word the application in the best possible way to get you in.

It could be public interest, it could be government work, it could be industry. I think if you get into middle-big law, the firms will be happy to submit the H1b as its just done through the inhouse legal team they have for such things. For smaller firms, it may be resource intensive and less likely.

I would not recommend law school for internationals if you're not in a school that places well into mid/big law. But even then, my neighbour here in the UK has a son who went to some lower tier law school in Georgia, somehow got a H1b, worked a few years there then came back to the UK to work for an American company using his JD.

As I'm sure you know, there is no shortage of law graduates in the US. So graduating from a mediocre school will add some difficulty to getting a employer to sponsor a H1b as you wont be too exception. But go to good school, get good grades and market yourself well and there will be plenty of reasons you'll be desirable to employers. Top students get MULTIPLE biglaw offers usually because they are the ones in high demand. Big law wants you if you're exceptional, and if you're exceptional it will not be too hard for an employer to convince the labour department or whatever its called that you are worth sponsoring for the h1b, even if its not biglaw.

The current administration seems to want to implement a point based immigration system and that seems to be the direction things are going, the current lottery system will be scrapped soon I imagine.

I would suggest speaking to the law schools you've applied for. They usually have a career services dept and many even fund roles for new graduates. Perhaps one of those roles could lead to a H1b?

Wish I could give you a concrete answer but fundamentally, present yourself well and you'll find a way to stay in the US.