Student Information

What is the International Student Interview Program?
The International Student Interview Program (ISIP) is a job fair for Foreign-Trained LLM students attending one of our consortium law schools nationwide. Over 1600 LLM candidates representing 75+ countries will have an opportunity to be considered for internship and permanent positions in the United States and abroad during this interview program.

ISIP is administered through ISIP Symplicity, our online registration and interview scheduling system. School coordinators will send out ISIP Symplicity login information in October. For detailed ISIP Symplicity instructions, please review this document.

When will the program be held? Interviews will take place in-person on Friday, January 24, 2025 on campus at NYU. All students who accept interviews through ISIP 2025 are expected to travel to New York to participate in the interviews.

Which students are eligible to participate?
Students currently enrolled in a US graduate (LLM or JSD) program from one of the participating law schools (see above), who received their first law degree from another country, are eligible to interview in this program. Participation is limited to one event per degree earned at one of the participating schools. Students currently enrolled in a US JD program are not eligible to participate under any circumstances.

JSD participation is limited to one ISIP event while a JSD student. Students continuing their studies during the following fall semester will need to make their need for a summer associate/intern position very clear in a required cover letter to be submitted along with their resume to each ISIP employer. Anticipated date of graduation must also be made clear on resumes. JSD students graduating in May 2024 do not need to submit a cover letter with their resume since their availability is the same as that of the LLM students.

Important Dates:

Which employers participate?
ISIP attracts more than 160 of the top legal firms worldwide and continues to grow each year. Information on participating employers will be available through the online registration system, ISIP Symplicity, in October.

How are interview schedules created?
The International Student Interview Program is 100% pre-screened; employers select their candidates after reviewing student resumes. Employers will submit position requirements through the online system. Students review this information through the ISIP Symplicity System starting October, and submit their resumes for consideration in early November. Interview invitation results will be released in December. Students will accept or decline invitations by January. Students will interview in person at NYU School of Law on January 24, 2025. 

What if I can't interview in New York on the program date? Is there a virtual option? 
Students who accept interviews through ISIP must be able to interview in New York   on the scheduled date of ISIP. Unfortunately, due to the size of the program, we are unable to offer a hybrid or virtual option. Students should not contact employers directly to (re)schedule their own interviews. If you are selected for an interview, but are unable to travel to New York in January 2025, please speak with your career advisor. 

How many interviews can I request?
There is no limit to the number of interviews students may request from employers provided that the student's background matches the employer's requirements. If a student is selected by more employers than can be scheduled due to time conflicts, a student may not get every interview for which s/he has been selected. Students selected as pre-select or alternate candidates will have the opportunity to accept or decline those interview invitations prior to the system scheduling interviews. One interview schedule can accommodate 18 individual interviews during the course of the day. Each interview is twenty minutes long, with five-minute breaks in between to allow students to move between rooms.

How many interviews will I receive?
This depends greatly on the country from which you received your first law degree, the need for your background among the participating firms, and the number of employers to whom you submit your resume. There are students who are not selected at all and others who have an abundance of interviews. You are encouraged to work with your career counselor on the best job search strategy for you; ISIP should be just one of your options.

How closely should I follow employer specifications when submitting my resume?
When you access the bidding tab on ISIP Symplicity, you will only be able to see the employers that have requested resumes from your country of law degree. You may view the complete list of participating employers through the Resources tab on ISIP Symplicity.

Please remember that employers have requested students with training in certain countries because of their needs for specific legal skills based on existing business relationships. If you believe your home country or background is "related" to the country requested but not specifically listed, or you have another strong reason to believe your credentials qualify you for a particular position, you may submit a request with your cover letter and resume to your school coordinator in order to have it submitted to the employer for review. Detailed instructions for this process are in the Student Instructions. 

One word of caution: in the past students have taken unreasonable latitude in this regard, i.e. a student with a Mexican law degree should not submit a consideration for hire to an employer requesting students from Spain. If a request for Spain is being made, this is rather specific—if an employer is looking for Spanish-speaking lawyers, it will be indicated in the system. Speak with your career counselor if you are unsure of your eligibility to apply to a particular employer/position.

What should I bring to the interview?
Employers will specify which materials they require, such as transcripts, writing samples, and a list of references, in the additional requests section of their schedule on ISIP Symplicity. Please check each firm's hiring criteria and speak with your school's coordinator for guidance. Firms will reach out to students directly on obtaining additional documents.

Please do not upload documents listed under additional requests to ISIP Symplicity, as employers will only receive resumes through ISIP Symplicity. Resume collection only employers will contact students about providing additional documents in November. 

What are some “tips” for approaching this process?

• Do not contact employers or NYU directly. If you need additional information or clarification, ask your school’s coordinator. The majority of employers do not want to receive calls from students prior to the program, and NYU will refer non-NYU students to their respective school’s coordinator.
• Be able to clearly explain your visa status and the procedure for employment in your case, how your educational system works (grades, rank, bar exam, etc.), and the courses you are taking. Also, be ready to answer the frequently asked question, “So why did you decide to get an LLM degree?”
• Start gathering law school transcripts, writing samples, and references now. Be sure to ask references whether you may use their names.
• Read employer information thoroughly, and prepare intelligent questions based on this information. Do not ask questions which have been covered in the materials provided. Be ready to discuss the reason for your interest in the employer!

Please contact your school's coordinator if you have any questions.