Law Schools

Georgetown LLMs Bent Out Of Shape Over Graduation

UPDATE: Seems everyone got treated badly at graduation.

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Sad GradLLMs are not particularly popular degrees. Seen by most as only really useful for tax work and foreign students, those pursuing an LLM can get lost in the shuffle. That is somewhat understandable for JD students — the pressure and stress of the daily law school life can make anyone myopic. But the law school administration, the entity that gleefully takes the money for LLMs, is supposed to do better. They’re supposed to remember those folks and even care about them.

Our vast network of tipsters turned us onto a group of nearly 140 LLMs who are super pissed about the way they were treated. Graduation is supposed to be a happy, fun time (assuming you show up) — yes, even for those that only spent a year at the school getting an LLM, but these LLMs had a miserable time. It started with a blow from mother nature — rain on graduation day. While not as ironic as rain on your wedding day, it is still a bummer when you’re scheduled to have an outdoor ceremony. There was some confusion as to the ceremony location, and during the chaos the LLMs were held outside in the rain. That might be enough for anger, but it was compounded by the unequal treatment the JDs received:

[W]e did notice that during all this time J.D. graduates were waiting indoors, in a warm and dry space. This seems rather unfair. What is the characteristic that qualifies J.D. graduates to be granted the privilege of shelter on their graduation day, and what differentiates LL.M. graduates from being granted the same privilege? Surely some space could have been arranged for LL.M. students and their families to also wait indoors. Waiting in the rain for two hours is not merely uncomfortable but also a threat to one’s health. There are several students and family members that have become ill as their clothes, regalia and shoes all became soaked.

While I am sure Georgetown appreciates the three years of tuition JDs ponied up more than the one year LLMs paid for, this seems a bit much. The letter also notes that a tent was provided for the faculty, but guests and students were left out in the rain. Apparently there’s only so much room in the budget for tents.

In complete neglect and recklessness, we did not feel very special. In fact, we felt disrespected. Our families felt disrespected. We had planned and had been looking forward to this day from the moment we received our acceptance letter, to only be utterly disappointed.

And, so yeah, they’re pissed.

Overall, the prestige and properness of Georgetown Law as well as the majesty of alumni achievements, seem to have faded on Sunday. We are well aware that not much can be done for all this at this point in time. An apology, however, to say the least, seems appropriate.

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I can be sympathetic to the plight of these LLMs — hanging out in the rain isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. But I have to giggle over the flowery demand for an apology. No matter the high minded ideals you thought a law school represented, they are a business. And so sure, maybe they’ll apologize, but they’ll still see LLMs as dollar signs.

Update 5/27/16 9:49 a.m.: We’ve gotten more information about Georgetown’s graduation, and it seems the disappointment extends beyond the ranks of the LLMs. The JDs got rained on as well:

I just wanted to inform you that we JD students were just as disappointed as the LLMs. While it might have appeared to the LLMs that we were waiting inside of Healy Hall, we were actually directed THROUGH Healy Hall and made to wait inside of, and later line up in, an inner courtyard. I agree that it would have made more sense for Georgetown to have had us wait indoors, as it would have made more sense to use the rain site that had been set aside for this exact purpose, but the Deans apparently decided to standing in the rain would make for an enjoyable graduation for all involved.

As for our degrees, they handed us degrees in an envelope without any sort of cardboard to help prevent bending, and then immediately handed trash bags to stick out degrees in, a clear indication that even though the professors were provided a tent to sit under throughout graduation, they did in fact know that everyone else was being rained on.

Needless to say, I do not think that any student who graduated last weekend was pleased with the disaster that Georgetown provided for us.

Read the full list of LLM graduation day complaints on the next page.

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Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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