Zhe Che

“International employers are more and more looking for students who have a JD."

Zhe Che may very well be the model for future international lawyers.
 
A graduate of the prestigious China University of Political Science and Law—widely considered the premiere law school for legal talent cultivation in China—Che is among the best and brightest young attorneys out there.
 
He spent five years as a lawyer in China before deciding he wanted to enhance his legal education with an American law degree.
 
One of Che’s mentors at CUPL was a graduate of the Maurer School of Law, and when Che expressed an interest in studying abroad, the mentor was quick to recommend IU’s distinguished LLM program.
 
Like many students, Che had never visited Bloomington, but he was quickly impressed by the school, its faculty, and the town.
 
“I enjoy the peaceful environment and all the nature that is around me,” said the Beijing native. “Bloomington really, really impressed me.”
 
Che earned his LLM in 2022, but during his studies, he realized he wanted even more. And the Law School's JD Advanced Standing program made enrolling in the school's prestigious JD program easy.
 
At Maurer, LLM students are often embedded in the same classes as their JD peers, offering them firsthand insight into how three-year law students learn and work.
 
For Che, that was both inspirational and a solid opportunity to do more than just gain even more legal experience.
 
“For a student whose English skills need improvement, three more years would give me even more experience,” Che said. “Now, as I prepare to graduate in May 2025, my English is much better than it was before.”
 
(His English is excellent, by the way.)
 
Adding a JD to his LLM will position Che to succeed in any number of countries, he said.
 
“International employers are more and more looking for students who have a JD,” Che said. “While an LLM is still incredibly valuable, using something like Maurer’s JD Advance Standing Program to earn a second American law degree is an outstanding investment in your future.”

The transition from the LLM program to the JD program was seamless, he said. Having taken classes alongside JD students for two semesters, Che was already comfortable with life as a JD student.
 
Though they sit in the same classes, do the same assignments, and take the same tests, JD students are graded on a harder curve. It was a challenge Che welcomed.
 
“It’s a different experience in terms of pressure,” he said, “but pressure is always a great motivator to help you improve.”
 
As a JD student, Che has also had two summers to pursue real-world experience. Immediately after finishing his 1L year, Che participated in the Law School’s Stewart Fellows Global Internship Program, which places rising 2L students in fully funded externships around the globe. He worked for a Thai law firm, then was selected to participate in the Law School’s Miami program, where students spend half their summer interning for a local law firm and half serving as a clerk with the Hon. Jose Rodriguez, a 1980 alumnus of the Law School and judge on the Florida 11th Circuit Court.
 
Making the move from the LLM to the JD program continued Che’s experience of being part of a special community among his peers.
 
“After the first day you fit in,” he said. “You’re all in it together, so there’s a common sense of camaraderie that comes through. And even though I’m a JD student, I visit the Graduate Legal Studies office (where LLM students tend to congregate) every day to say hello to my family there. They have given me so much, I want to give back.”
 
Che is a student ambassador for the LLM program, providing prospective students with first-hand knowledge of the experience, as well as offering a look into another possible path after they finish. When he crosses the stage at the Law School’s graduation in spring 2025, Che will have spent four years in Bloomington, an experience he said will have forever changed him for the better.
 
“It’s been a challenge,” he said, “but it’s worth it.”