Is an LLM Program Right for You?

In this special episode of the USLawEssentials Law & Language Podcast, we speak with two experts who share insights into whether an LL.M. Program is right for you. Our guests today are Professor Brian Sites and Vasudha Krishnamurthy. Professor Brian, among other things, is a nationally recognized expert on the bar examination and directs the LL.M. Program at Georgia State College of Law. Vasudha is an international attorney, admitted to practice in California, specializing in cybersecurity law, privacy, and AI. Together they share their experiences and insights into who is most likely to benefit from an LL.M. Program.

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers as Stephen Horowitz interviews Seongryeol ‘Ryan’ Park. This interview was recorded much earlier in 2023 and Ryan, who already has a fascinating story, just embarked on a new career as South Korea’s Assistant Secretary to the President for International Public Relations. At the time of this interview, he worked for the South Korean government as a Director in the Ministry of Unification.   Ryan, who earned an LL.M. at Georgetown Law, shares invaluable insights on South Korean politics, the Korean language, and relations with North Korea. And also – suggestions for his favorite programming on Netflix! This is a great interview for anyone interested in language acquisition and learning more about South Korea. Below are links referenced in the podcast: Steel Rain on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/80226234  Crash Landing On You on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81159258  Library of Congress  https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/law-library-of-congress/collections/digital-collections/foreign-law/  Language Log blog post about North Korea and hard consonants https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=57431 “Mind Your Ps and Qs!”      

Episode 59 The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers as Stephen Horowitz interviews Tanya Primiani. Tanya is Co-Director for the WJP Rule of Law Index at the World Justice Project and manages planning and implementation of the Index team’s global, thematic, and country-specific research projects. She is fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian and earned her law degree from the University of Montreal holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Tanya’s multilingual and multicultural perspectives provide her with particularly helpful insights on the World Justice Organization’s Rule of Law index. And if you were wondering about how to translate “rule of law” in different languages you’ll definitely want to pay attention to this episode. This fascinating interview hits a number of topics and demonstrates the value that multilingual lawyers add to the practice of law around the world.

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers as Stephen Horowitz interviews Iaroslav Gregirchak. Mr. Gregirchak serves as the Deputy Business Ombudsman on the Business Ombudsmen Council. The Council is a specialized alternative dispute resolution (ADR) platform enabling businesses to challenge various instances of business malpractice in Ukraine. This is a fascinating interview as Mr. Gregirchak explains not only his work with the Business Ombudsmen Council but also his insights on ADR and learning legal English. Show notes info LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iaroslav-gregirchak-fciarb-7349372/  German Marshall Fund https://www.gmfus.org/marshall-memorial-fellowship  Business Ombudsman Council https://boi.org.ua/en/ Recommendations: Iaroslav Recommendations: Dealing in Virtue https://www.amazon.com/Dealing-Virtue-International-Construction-Transnational/dp/0226144232 Dealing in Virtue: International Commercial Arbitration and the Construction of a Transnational Legal Order  By Yves Dezalay and Bryant G. Garth Stephen recommendations BBC’s Ukrainecast https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bqztzm BBC’s Putin https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0015nfd  

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers as Stephen Horowitz interviews Professors Jonah Perlin and Eun Hee Han. This is a fascinating discussion among three professors at Georgetown University Law Centre. Jonah and Eun Hee are Legal Practice professors, meaning they teach legal writing, but they also both have significant experience working with international students in Georgetown’s JD program. Whether you are a student or instructor you will find this to be an inspiring interview. Jonah and Eun Hee have fascinating backgrounds and their dedication to their students and love for teaching make this an enlightening chat. Among other things, Eun Hee has previously been co-chair of the Legal Research & Writing Diversity Committee for the Association of American Law Schools. She is currently on the Editorial Board for the Asian Journal of Legal Education and a member of the Asian Pacific American Legal Writing Professors Collective.  Jonah is also a graduate of Georgetown Law and did his undergraduate degree at Princeton University where he majored in religious studies. He has worked as a litigator at the law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington DC and also clerked for federal appeals court Judge Robert A. Katzman of the 2nd Circuit and for Judge EllenSegal Huvelle of the US District Court for Washington, DC. And Jonah is the founder of the very successful and influential HowILawyer Podcast in which he interviews different lawyers about how they practice law.

Episode 56 The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its Legal English vocabulary series as Stephen Horowitz and Daniel Edelson discuss the legal and non-legal meanings of the word produce. Fun fact: produce is a heteronym! Change its pronunciation and the meaning changes.

 Episode 55 The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast welcomes you to 2023 with a very special interview with multilingual lawyer Vitaliia Yurchak. Vitaliia is earned her first law degree in her home country of Ukraine. In addition, Vitaliia holds a Ph.D. Political Science and published 15 articles addressing political problems of international systems and global development. After coming to the United States, Vitaliia earned her LL.M. from St. John’s University School of law where she also studied Legal English. This interview reunites Vitaliia with her former professor and the former Director of Legal English Programs at St. John’s, Stephen Horowitz. Vitaliia shares her poignant memories of studying Legal English at St. John’s with Professor Horowitz and how she launched her law career in New York City after successfully passing the bar following her graduation from St. John’s.  Vitaliia discusses her practice in New York City, the Law Offices of Vitaliia Yurchak, which focuses on Traffic Law, Immigration Law and Family Law and which serves many clients in the Ukrainian and Russian-speaking communities. But this is a bitter-sweet episode as Vitaliia also discusses her volunteer work with Razom for Ukraine. Razom helps Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons who have come to the United States after fleeing the war in Ukraine. We hope you are as inspired as we are by Vitaliia’s story of earning a second law degree, creating a successful practice in the United States, and volunteering to help Ukrainian refugees. And just as she has formed deep connections with her former classmates and professors from St. John’s, as well as with members of her community, we hope that you also feel a sense of community and belonging as we enter the new year. Best of success to everyone and we are hopeful that we can all look forward to a peaceful and productive 2023.   

Episode 54 The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast presents the latest episode in the What’s New in the Legal News series. In today’s episode, Stephen Horowitz discusses with Daniel Edelson a recent article detailing a proposed class action lawsuit by a woman who claims she was deceived by the packaging for a Macaroni and Cheese microwavable meal. When you’re hungry and have a keen sense of justice, every second counts! And the lawsuit alleges that the company that produced the meal deceived customers by claiming that the meal would be “ready” in 3.5 minutes. You can find the article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/27/velveeta-mac-and-cheese-lawsuit/ and a similar article here: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/business/florida-kraft-velveeta-mac-and-cheese-lawsuit/index.html Enjoy an episode about a very American meal and a very American lawsuit.

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual legal professionals as Daniel Edelson interviews translator Stephen Rifkind. Stephen is originally from the United States and lives in Israel. In addition to translating a wide range of legal documents, he teaches English at Ort Braude College of Engineering.   Fluent in English, Hebrew, French, and Russian, Stephen describes the excitement and challenge of translating documents not just from one language to another, but also the challenge of translating documents between different legal systems. You can visit Stephen’s webiste and blog here: gaguzia-translations.com (Company) tip-o-tongue.blogspot.com/ (Blog) Stephen’s love of language comes through in this interview as he shares his insights on what it means to effectively translate the language of law for different audiences. Among other things, we learn how his legal studies and sensitivity to different legal systems enable him to capture the meaning and intention of the original documents he translates. This is a fun and fascinating introduction to the world of legal translation with an expert translator.  

The USLawEssentials Law & Language podcast continues its series of interviews with multilingual lawyers as Stephen Horowitz interviews Nory Dianne Miano. Dianne is a lawyer originally from the Philippines and graduated from Georgetown Law with a Masters of Laws in Taxation and a Certificate in International Taxation as well as a Certificate in Legal English. She also graduated from Georgetown’s  2-year LLM Program   Prior to studying at Georgetown she graduated from the University of the Philippines-Manila cum laude with a major in Behavioral Studies and then got her JD from the Ateneo de Manila University. Recently Dianne joined The World Bank Group as a Consultant in the International Finance Corporation’s International Tax Unit. This interview is a great resource, not just for improving your legal English, but learning about options for LL.M. students interested in studying in the United States, especially students interested in tax law.