Preparing graduate students for law school and beyond is at the heart of the mission of the Academic Success Program (ASP) at UNH Franklin Pierce. For different students, success can have a variety of meanings, but the ASP has them all covered.
“I’d break it into two buckets,” says Professor Kevin Frost, who directs the program. “The first would be anything related to the bar exam and the second is in the title of the department, which is academic success.”
When it comes to the bar exam, the ASP guides international graduate students through eligibility, the application process, and how to study. Because each state in the U.S. has different requirements and regulations regarding qualifications for international students wishing to take the bar exam, Frost helps LLM students navigate the differences, including course selection during their year at the law school that might be required for eligibility.
The academic success bucket of what the ASP offers focuses on the skills students must develop in order to reach their full potential. That could be anything from scheduling to course preparation to outlining to legal writing to exam preparation. “It might be reviewing the differences in legal writing between here and what they’re used to in their home country,” Frost explains.
Because many international students come from countries with legal systems built on civil law versus common law (statutes vs. case law/judicial opinions), Frost often helps students with understanding how American cases are structured, what to look for when reading them, and what information to extract for their outlines.
Gaby Riveros Paredes, LLM ’23, an attorney from Paraguay, got assistance from the ASP with legal writing skills and with navigating the differences between civil and common law. As English is not her first language, she was particularly grateful for the support Frost offered.
“I had to learn several fundamental aspects from scratch,” she says, “such as how to effectively do a case brief, how to use the IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) method to write essays, and strategies for tackling fact patterns in exams. The Academic Success Program helped me identify the areas where I was struggling and build my confidence around these new concepts. Thanks to the [ASP], I was able to understand where I needed to focus my efforts and develop the skills necessary to succeed in my LLM studies.”
LLM students are introduced to the Academic Success Program during orientation, where Frost makes a presentation that invites them to take advantage of the services offered. From there, students can opt to set up individual meetings and/or attend a workshop presented by Frost during the first semester that highlights exam preparation and other study skills. Last summer, Frost initiated Zoom meetings with incoming LLM students who had expressed an intention to take an American bar exam. He will continue that this summer so those interested students can get a head start on what’s involved in the process.
As an example, Frost mentioned that he provided support to LLM student Mariya Ortynska, an attorney from Ukraine specializing in trademark and patent law, as she prepares to take the New York bar exam next February. Because her country is in the midst of an armed conflict, Ortynska has encountered many challenges with obtaining the necessary documents required to sit for the bar exam, which Frost has helped her navigate.
When she began her LLM, Ortynska notes that she was provided with a structured plan to help her prepare for the bar exam. That included a schedule, a curated selection of courses, skill-building opportunities, and essay guidance. “The Academic Success Program is exceptional,” Ortynska says. “It offered day-to-day support, ensuring that I was well-prepared for the challenges of the bar exam and equipped to achieve my professional aspirations.”
Another student, Hadil Battrawi, LLM ’23, who is from Palestine, credits Frost with helping her plan her schedule; improve her study skills; and with providing human and printed resources any time she needed them. “Professor Frost is one of my favorite human beings on Earth, not just on campus,” Battrawi says. “He helped me plan everything out and to make a goal of moving from one step to another. He provided all the resources I could ever need and connected me with people, books, and organizations. He was always there for me, and has helped me help shape my future career in a very strategic way.”
