Advice for Graduating International J.D. Student with Sub 3.0 gpa Forum

[ThatOneAfrican]

I'm an international student in my 3rd year at a T14. I'm graduating this May and I'm pretty worried.

I have an okay resume but I currently have a terrible gpa, 2.67. Even if I got all A's this semester, it'll still be sub-3.0.
I was interested in biglaw, but considering my gpa I'm assuming that's impossible now.
The thing is, I'm an international student, which means to work in the US I need a firm that can sponsor me, which is usually a biglaw firm. Or I need to work for an international org. like the World Bank for example.

I'm interested in transactional law and international business law, so I would love to work in an org. like the World Bank, but a lot of roles require firm experience either way.

Adding to the problem is the fact that I have loans, which would be a lot easier to pay off while working in the US than in my home country. Also the legal system is pretty different, so I don't even know if it'd be possible to get a job with a US J.D. alone.

So I guess my question is, with my situation in mind, how best to go about continuing my job search? Biglaw seems like a no go, but that would have been my best bet for sponsorship and paying off my loans. Working an international org. would've been my 2nd best bet to work in the US so I can pay off my loans, but a lot of roles need firm experience. Do I hit up smaller law firms that are unlikely to be able to sponsor me? Keep trying for biglaw?

(I should also add that intl. students get 1 year after graduation to work anywhere law-related, before they need to get sponsorship).

[Anonymous User]

I'm an international student in my 3rd year at a T14. I'm graduating this May and I'm pretty worried.

I have an okay resume but I currently have a terrible gpa, 2.67. Even if I got all A's this semester, it'll still be sub-3.0.
I was interested in biglaw, but considering my gpa I'm assuming that's impossible now.
The thing is, I'm an international student, which means to work in the US I need a firm that can sponsor me, which is usually a biglaw firm. Or I need to work for an international org. like the World Bank for example.

I'm interested in transactional law and international business law, so I would love to work in an org. like the World Bank, but a lot of roles require firm experience either way.

Adding to the problem is the fact that I have loans, which would be a lot easier to pay off while working in the US than in my home country. Also the legal system is pretty different, so I don't even know if it'd be possible to get a job with a US J.D. alone.

So I guess my question is, with my situation in mind, how best to go about continuing my job search? Biglaw seems like a no go, but that would have been my best bet for sponsorship and paying off my loans. Working an international org. would've been my 2nd best bet to work in the US so I can pay off my loans, but a lot of roles need firm experience. Do I hit up smaller law firms that are unlikely to be able to sponsor me? Keep trying for biglaw?

(I should also add that intl. students get 1 year after graduation to work anywhere law-related, before they need to get sponsorship).

I feel for ya. That's a tough situation to be in. I figure they won't really have international practices, but have you considered applying to midlaw firms in secondary cities? Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, etc.? With lower COL, you may still make out financially close to what you woulda received doing biglaw.

[ThatOneAfrican]

I'm an international student in my 3rd year at a T14. I'm graduating this May and I'm pretty worried.

I have an okay resume but I currently have a terrible gpa, 2.67. Even if I got all A's this semester, it'll still be sub-3.0.
I was interested in biglaw, but considering my gpa I'm assuming that's impossible now.
The thing is, I'm an international student, which means to work in the US I need a firm that can sponsor me, which is usually a biglaw firm. Or I need to work for an international org. like the World Bank for example.

I'm interested in transactional law and international business law, so I would love to work in an org. like the World Bank, but a lot of roles require firm experience either way.

Adding to the problem is the fact that I have loans, which would be a lot easier to pay off while working in the US than in my home country. Also the legal system is pretty different, so I don't even know if it'd be possible to get a job with a US J.D. alone.

So I guess my question is, with my situation in mind, how best to go about continuing my job search? Biglaw seems like a no go, but that would have been my best bet for sponsorship and paying off my loans. Working an international org. would've been my 2nd best bet to work in the US so I can pay off my loans, but a lot of roles need firm experience. Do I hit up smaller law firms that are unlikely to be able to sponsor me? Keep trying for biglaw?

(I should also add that intl. students get 1 year after graduation to work anywhere law-related, before they need to get sponsorship).

I feel for ya. That's a tough situation to be in. I figure they won't really have international practices, but have you considered applying to midlaw firms in secondary cities? Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, etc.? With lower COL, you may still make out financially close to what you woulda received doing biglaw.

I thought midlaw firms would be unlikely to sponsor internationals (not to mention my gpa), but I'll check that out, thank you. Really I'll take any option I can get.

[2013]

Go for a tax LLM? You have a T-14 on your resume, so worst case scenario, you could do international tax at an accounting firm. Those firms sponsor people.

Obviously if you hate tax, this is useless advice.

[ThatOneAfrican]

Go for a tax LLM? You have a T-14 on your resume, so worst case scenario, you could do international tax at an accounting firm. Those firms sponsor people.

Obviously if you hate tax, this is useless advice.

I've taken a few tax classes and I don't mind it. The only issue is I would have to take additional loans to pay for LLM tuition, which doesn't seem like a good idea.

[Anonymous User]

Tax LLM is an option, but keep in mind you'll have to take on additional debt. And GPA still matters in tax LLM job hunt so you'll want to figure out how to improve on that. You can actually look into small law offices. They are likely much more flexible with sponsorship than mid-law, though you may have to guide them in the entire immigration process. In the meantime, you should absolutely try to find backup options in your home country. As I understand it, even if you have a job in the US, you may not get the visa through the lottery and have to go back anyways.

[Anonymous User]

Fellow international student here! I received my JD and LLM Tax in the US and currently work at a Big4 firm in International Tax.

Network, network, network! Reach out to every alum you know, reach out to your schools career services, and apply to every entry level attorney position. Midlaw and small law firms are also able to sponsor you. You may have more luck after you graduate/ pass the bar exam but don't give up. You have 90 days after graduation to job hunt. I had several int'l classmates from JD land biglaw and midlaw offers after graduation making >$100k.

As for the LLM Tax, its a very difficult program and grades play a huge role. You may have more options if you're interested in Big4 or accounting firms but as of now out of the Big4 firms I think only EY sponsors. Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC have recently stopped sponsoring for their tax group (things change though). Also Big4 firms hire straight out of JD programs if you're interested in tax law. I have coworkers who don't have Tax LLMs and they fare well.

[Anonymous User]

I'm interested in transactional law and international business law, so I would love to work in an org. like the World Bank, but a lot of roles require firm experience either way.

Adding to the problem is the fact that I have loans, which would be a lot easier to pay off while working in the US than in my home country. Also the legal system is pretty different, so I don't even know if it'd be possible to get a job with a US J.D. alone.

I can at least tell you that non-US firms in many countries still hire US JDs as FLCs so it's possible that you could get a job in your home country.

Are there governmental positions in your home country that you can apply for? I've seen a few alums from my non-T14 US law school who were international JDs who practically went straight into governmental positions and are doing fairly well now.

Of course, there's the financial issue of whether or not you'll be paid enough to quickly pay off your loans but it's better than nothing.

So I guess my question is, with my situation in mind, how best to go about continuing my job search? Biglaw seems like a no go, but that would have been my best bet for sponsorship and paying off my loans. Working an international org. would've been my 2nd best bet to work in the US so I can pay off my loans, but a lot of roles need firm experience. Do I hit up smaller law firms that are unlikely to be able to sponsor me? Keep trying for biglaw?

(I should also add that intl. students get 1 year after graduation to work anywhere law-related, before they need to get sponsorship).

Other than time & resource allocation problems, I feel like you should keep trying both. Are there any "regional big firms" that aren't coast-to-coast or literally international, but spans a few states? I feel like they'd be more willing to provide sponsorship than single-office midlaws or boutiques.

[BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?)]

I am also an international JD student at a T14. Have you tried networking with and applying to Magic Circle or American big law firms with a presence in Africa? You can try starting in NY and then moving to an African city. I imagine you would be paid NY scale even if you start outside the US (that's how it works for the vast majority of US/MC firms in Asia). Additional language skills can are important and can be dispositive. Please feel free to DM me in case you want to talk more. Happy to help.