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1. LLMs in the US are expensive with little to no financial aid in the top universities, especially for the commercial / private sector.
2. The barriers to entry for a JD are high (LSAT and interviews require intense preparation).
Even then, the JD is 3 times the cost of an LLM, and after paying close to 50% taxes abroad, it may take you 3-4 years at a very high paying job to pay it off. The JD remains unpopular for these reasons.
3. LLMs are not intended for people to seek employment in the US. Most colleges state that the program expects that people will return to their home country. However, what it does allow you is an opportunity to network, explore opportunities and convert it into a job if you can hustle enough. You wont benefit from college placements, but it’s similar to how folks choose GLC for access to courts + law firms + corporates in Mumbai. The college will provide you with some resources, but no guarantees.
4. Corporate folks have an easier pathway after a few years of experience, because the work is largely similar. You do diligence and circulate call notes in Mumbai, you do diligence and update trackers in NY. But you get hired based on your demonstrable ability (ie work experience).
5. PQE can be a myth, but volatility of the US job market is not. US law firms continuously review their profitability; layoffs and hiring freezing are common when business slows, which it does every 1-2 years. Those high salaries exist for a reason.
6. Immigration laws are not on our side. International students have to get lucky in the H1B lottery. If you don’t clear it, you leave the country in 6 months or less. The application can be filed only by employers, so there is an inherent risk in hiring a person who may have to quit in under 1 year . Unlike techies and doctors (and STEM folks) the US doesn’t have a shortage of lawyers (least of all foreign qualified ones!)
7. US law firms are exploitative in different ways - working hours can be roughly the same, often more than T1 firms (unless the T1 team has a culture of 12 hrs/day through the year). In India you get reprimanded for inefficiency or low hours or you lose bonus, in the US you get laid off. No gain without pain!
That being said, plenty of Indians manage to do it every year, you just have to be very goal oriented about it.