By Gwyneth K. Shaw
The executive track of Berkeley Law’s Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program is the school’s most flexible option, enabling experienced lawyers who can’t take a whole year off from their jobs to get a world-renowned degree by spending time in residence, then completing the program online.
Now, alumni of that track are fueling another kind of flexibility, pitching in to evaluate one segment of program applications.
LL.M. executive track graduates are reviewing video answers applicants submit through an online portal after their main application is in. These alums then score the responses for their overall quality as well as an applicant’s verbal skills and professional demeanor.
The videos provide information ordinarily only available through in-person interviews and are highly valuable, says Advanced Degree Programs Senior Director of Admissions Anya Grossmann. Having been through the program, they know what skills fuel success at Berkeley. In addition, because they’re often experienced attorneys, they can recognize applicants who are strong in their current roles.
The alumni reports also help Grossmann and her team understand elements of a candidate that might not come through in the main application and required standardized testing, including whether an applicant’s English skills are strong enough to successfully complete the program.
“This is a really great way to work with people who might not have a lot of time to go to recruiting events but are engaged and want to give back,” Grossmann says. “It does genuinely help to have their expertise and feedback.”
These evaluations are one of two new additions to the LL.M. program this academic year. Some current traditional track students — who spend their full nine-month stint in Berkeley — also participated in a pilot coaching program to build their networking skills.
Expanding the toolbox
The program has long had a robust career development arm, with multiple counselors available to help students navigate the job market in the United States and abroad. That advice has encompassed networking, but Associate Director of LL.M. Professional Development Tammy Dawson wanted to create something that would not just build students’ skills, but also spur them forward.
Dawson, who has training and experience as a coach, crafted the pilot so students could hold one another accountable as they worked their way through the early stages of their job search — and give them a positive feedback loop to inspire them to stick with it.
Berkeley Law’s LL.M. students come from over 50 countries and are interested in a broad range of practice areas, Dawson says. Some have 20 or 30 years of experience while others finished their first degrees in law immediately before coming to Berkeley. There is no typical LL.M. student, making a more bespoke approach effective. And strong networking skills are particularly important for those looking to develop an international career.
“It’s critical to both business development and job searches, and we’re working on building those skills through multiple approaches,” Dawson says. “We’re adding to the tool kit.”
Students can do everything right and still not secure a U.S. job because of market factors beyond their control, she adds. But effective networking puts students in the best position to secure opportunities, whether that’s a job in the U.S. or abroad or other opportunities for collaborations and business development.
Dawson says she and her colleagues learned a lot from working with the pilot students, and plan to incorporate those lessons moving forward.
Chloé F. Smith ’24, who participated in the pilot program last fall, found it very helpful in understanding the North American culture to networking — the do’s, don’t’s, and different approaches to maintaining a web of connections.
“It was a great opportunity to get out of one’s comfort zone, especially for people who are introverted and/or shy,” says Smith, who is from Switzerland. “It was also a wonderful way to connect with LL.M. peers and share our own network with one another.”
Maintaining the magic
Those connections, and feelings of belonging, stick with alumni years after they get their degree. When Grossmann’s office put out the call to LL.M. executive track graduates about the admissions assistance, scores jumped at the chance to participate.
“I want Berkeley to continue the tradition of the great selection from people around the world based not only on their academic achievements, but also on their human quality generally,” wrote Nikolaos Pitsos ’20 when he signed up to help.
Brunno Luz Moreira ’21 wrote that he’s tried to keep his amazing experience at Berkeley Law alive in him as an ambassador for the program. Part of that magic was the people he met, in person and online.
“If I can help others to feel the same way I do, I know that would be beneficial to everyone,” he wrote. “And to me, it would be a special bonus.”