Eunyoung Hwang

I'd been practicing civil litigation for 15 years, when I realized I’d like to advance my career, particularly abroad in the United States.

Eunyoung Hwang had been an attorney for 15 years in her native South Korea by the time she enrolled in the Indiana University Maurer School of Law’s two-year LLM program. A colleague who knew about the Law School’s distinguished history in graduate legal education recommended that Hwang look into studying in Bloomington.

"I’d been practicing civil litigation for 15 years,” Hwang said, "when I realized I’d like to advance my career, particularly abroad in the United States. I wanted to study American Law and shift my career to a new phase, so I decided to pursue my LLM."

Wanting to strengthen her English proficiency, Hwang chose the Law School’s two-year LLM program, where students bolster their English skills while learning about the American legal system in a town that is more affordable for students than schools in major metro areas.

"I really wanted to be in a place where I could practice my English skills," she said. "I wanted to have real conversations with real people. The legal terminology is on a whole different level, but this first year has been so helpful for me because I’ve not only enhanced my English speaking skills, but developed my English writing skills as well. The two-year LLM is a great opportunity to enhance your legal writing.”

Students who earn a 3.0 GPA in their first year of the two-year LLM program advance to their second year, where they begin the traditional LLM program, earning 20 credit hours to complete their degree. One benefit of the two-year program is the ability for students to specialize in one of six areas of law, including a specialization in American Law that helps prepare students for the bar exam.

And that’s precisely what Hwang hopes to do.

"I came here just to earn my LLM," she said, "but now I’m interested in practicing law in the U.S. These days many judges and attorneys have the opportunity to study abroad in the U.S. Earning an LLM in the United States gives them an advantage when they return to their home country."

Hwang is now considering applying to the Law School’s JD program through its advanced standing option.

"Even though I’ve practiced litigation and other legal issues in South Korea, I’m interested in experiencing new fields of practice," she said. "As a woman of color in the United States, I want to contribute to American culture and society."

 If Hwang can do that, she hopes to end up a law professor in South Korea someday.

For now, she’ll continue enjoying the splendors of Bloomington—one of the country’s most beautiful college campuses with an affordable cost of living.

“Maurer has a lot of scholarship options,” Hwang said. “The tuition is lower than many other law schools and the cost of living is lower than in the city. The faculty are very kind and are always helping students, especially those of us in the LLM program. Even though I’m incredibly busy with school and raising three children, I’ve never once felt any regret in coming here.”