Fast Friends

JD/LLM Partnership Program celebrates 10 years

Coming to USC Gould, Michelle Lee ’15 was excited to get to know her fellow law students. She expected to be impressed by their ambition and accomplishments.

Laura Dumitru ’17 and Minming Gao meet at the 2014-15 JD/LLM Partnership Program launch.

What she didn’t expect was that she would be equally, if not more, amazed at the caliber of students enrolled in the Master of Laws (LL.M.) program, many of whom are experienced attorneys, judges and government officials hailing from more than 30 countries.

“The LL.M. students are very accomplished, and they are just so cool,” Lee said. “A lot of them have been practicing law for years … I really like that you get a lot of different perspectives from different kinds of people who come from all over to attend USC. They have a bit of an adventure spirit in them and it’s nice to see L.A. through their eyes and be really excited about what L.A. has to offer.”

Lee and her fellow J.D. students develop close bonds with these foreign lawyers thanks in large part to USC Gould’s J.D./LL.M. Partnership Program. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the program partners American J.D. students with foreign LL.M. students to provide a resource for support during the LL.M. students’ immersion in USC, Los Angeles and the United States, says Nicholas Kajimoto, student programs advisor for USC Gould’s Graduate and International Programs.

“It also provides both J.D. and LL.M. students another means of pursuing cultural exchange, linguistic practice, or advice about living or working in the U.S. or foreign country,” Kajimoto said.

At the recent kickoff for the 2014-15 partnership program, more than 150 participants gathered to meet their cohorts for the first time. They will get to know each other over the course of the academic year, meeting up on their own and at several events organized by Lee and five fellow Partnership Planning Committee members.

LL.M. student Anushka Chandran ’15, who sits on the planning committee, said the best part of the program is its informal nature, which allows students to develop relationships that will last beyond the duration of law school.

“It makes interaction easy and simple,” said Chandran, who was partnered with J.D. student Henna Pithia ’15. “I feel peer mentoring is a very good exercise; it is a way of mutual learning without any pressure of being judges. Peer mentoring develops not only skill sets but also helps in creating rapport. This program helps peers to move out of their comfort zones and interact and help each other whenever needed.”

Chandran, a native of India who studied in an integrated undergraduate and law program at the Gujarat National Law University, also noted that the program offers a stress-free way for J.D. and LL.M. students to network and build international professional ties.

Lee, partnered with Japanese fashion industry executive Yoshie Eenigenburg, referred to the networking aspect of the partnership and shared experience of traveling as some of the many reasons students join the program.

“Many of the JDs who participate in the program have extensive travel resumes and understand that it can be difficult settling into a new country—especially with a full plate of academics.  Other JDs recognize that many of these LL.M students are really accomplished and provide a fantastic networking opportunity.  Regardless of the purpose for joining, participating in the JD/LL.M Partnership Program is a great way to get to know some really talented people,” Lee said.