Spivey Consulting’s LLM services are designed to assist you with every step of the process of gaining admittance to prestigious LLM programs at U.S. law schools, including assistance with your personal statement, resume, letters of recommendation, interviews, scholarships, and overall communication with law schools.
Our LLM admissions consultant, Dr. Peter Cramer, knows what it is that makes an applicant attractive for admission to LLM programs, both from his own expertise and that of his Spivey Consulting Group colleagues, who collectively have over 250 years of experience working in law school admissions offices and making decisions on both JD and LLM applications. From application to admission, Dr. Cramer knows the process from the inside out and will lead you through it.
Dr. Cramer is also an expert in communication with non-native English speakers, as he has taught thousands of English learners over the last 30 years. He has firsthand experience learning English as a second language, as he was born and raised in Germany. Dr. Cramer’s clients can always feel comfortable asking him to clarify or repeat himself if they do not understand any aspect of their interactions. As a client, you deserve clarity about the application process, and that starts with clarity in the explanations of our services.
Below, see how Dr. Cramer’s experience can assist you with each aspect of your application, then schedule a free initial WeChat, Skype, or WhatsApp consultation by contacting us at info@spiveyconsulting.com.
LLM Admissions Consultant
Dr. Cramer spent 14 years at Indiana University, Georgetown University Law Center, and Washington University School of Law in recruiting, counseling, and teaching LLM students. Through his work in admissions, Dr. Cramer has reviewed close to 10,000 applications — he is intimately acquainted with international educational systems and the intricacies of applying to law schools as a foreign-educated applicant. Dr. Cramer has taught thousands of English learners over the last 30 years, and he has firsthand experience learning English as a second language himself, as he was born and raised in Germany.
As a lawyer-linguist, Dr. Cramer focuses on every word of a personal statement and can point out the strengths and weaknesses of an applicant’s statement in both grammar and content. Dr. Cramer follows his own advice on drafting and reviewing documents from his books, Drafting Contracts in Legal English and A Practical Guide to Drafting Contracts: From Concept to Closure.
Since Dr. Cramer also worked closely with the career development centers at Georgetown and WashU Law, he knows what a professional resume looks like. He ran regular workshops at both universities on how to compose resumes and job application letters. This experience has helped him identify outstanding resumes in the application materials of LLM students.
Dr. Cramer has written scores of letters of recommendation for his own students and screened thousands of LORs himself. When writing a recommendation, professors often ask an applicant for a bullet point list of the student’s achievements or a first draft. Similarly, students have the opportunity to approach a recommender suggesting that certain achievements may be highlighted to complement their resume and expand on it. Dr. Cramer advises applicants on how to find the right recommenders and help them produce strong letters.
Many students may be fairly comfortable with their writing and reading skills, but still find listening and speaking to be a major hurdle. In hundreds of virtual admissions interviews, Dr. Cramer took notes on the greatest challenges of applicants from different language backgrounds and developed an inventory of strategies to help applicants overcome them. He applied his insights in interviewing workshops, moot court coaching, and coaching non-native graduation speakers. Dr. Cramer can coach you on how to present yourself and your achievements confidently and linguistically correctly.
Efficient and consistent communication with law schools is incredibly important. Often, applicants respond to an inquiry from a law school immediately because they may be excited or anxious. This can result in e-mails that are incomprehensible or even offensive and raise doubts about whether the applicant should be admitted. As a specialist in cross-cultural communication, Dr. Cramer can advise you on culturally appropriate response times and content and can review e-mails with you before they go out.
For many applicants, financing their studies at an American university is a major concern. Some law schools offer fixed scholarships based on an evaluation of TOEFL score, LSAT score, GPA, and/or internships, while others may consider financial need or a mix of holistic factors. In quite a few cases, it is actually possible to negotiate a higher scholarship, but the process relies heavily on how you present your request(s). Dr. Cramer can help applicants maximize their chances of obtaining and increasing merit-based law school scholarships.
With years of admissions experience and a personalized approach, we are here to guide you through the process and help you present your strongest application. Reach out today to get started.
