Wallick Global Consulting, which provides end-to-end career counselling solutions for law graduates and lawyers in India, recently celebrated its seventh anniversary.
Wallick Global Consulting works to support law graduates and lawyers as they prepare to enter the workforce or apply for their dream law programs.
Its co-founder, Heather Wallick, earlier worked for Harvard Law School (HLS) for twelve years, most recently as the Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid for the Graduate Program.
Before joining the Graduate Program at HLS, she worked as a lawyer and an immigration law specialist focusing on business and family immigration.
During her career, Heather reviewed multiple applications for admission, financial aid, and US work visas. An expert in her field, she provides end-to-end counseling solutions which include, among other services, helping lawyers define their short, medium, and long-term goals.
She helps vet internship experiences, publications and placement opportunities, and university choices. Apart from managing expectations and outcomes, she also provides support and feedback for developing a personal narrative or research proposal in a more thorough and professional way.
Wallick Global Consulting has achieved continued success in advanced law admissions with clients, receiving multiple admissions to top-tier graduate law programs programs such as Harvard, Cambridge(LLM and MCL), Oxford(BCL and MFA), Stanford (all 4 programs), UC Berkeley, UPenn, Cornell, U Chicago, LSE, UCL, LSE, and Kings.
Apart from LLMs, she has also helped MBA aspirants with their application strategies for HBS, GSB, YALE, YALE Silver Scholar, MIT SLOAN (MBA/MS), MBA at Kellogg, INSEAD, NYU and many MS programs including those offered by Stanford and Carnegie Mellon.
August 21, 2024 marked the seventh anniversary of the firm. Heather Wallick has lectured about “Early Preparation” at the crème de la crème of law universities in India and has also given similar talks online.
Heather has coached many members of the Bar who are completing their LL.M. application after several years of experience. Apart from law schools, she has given talks at almost all the top IITs, top-tier engineering colleges and top private universities. This exposure provided her a unique opportunity to integrate her pre-existing understanding of the requirements of the top-tier universities with local practices and challenges.
Common Issues in 2024
For law students interested in applying for advanced legal studies as part of their legal career planning, a few things to keep in mind are:
LLB Grades Matter Most: Students must pay attention to their marks/grades/CGPA from year one to achieve academic excellence. From her own cohort of clients, Heather has gleaned that the trend is that a student should strive to be in the top 5 in the batch to increase their chances of admission to the top 5 postgraduate law programs (LLM, BCL etc.). This means that a student should develop a rigorous revision and study plan from day one of their LLB program.
Writing is an Integral Part of an LLM Program: If a law college provides rigorous law studies through examination only, then it is up to the student to secure writing, mooting, or research opportunities on their own. Many students graduate from exceptionally good law colleges without any legal research or writing to demonstrate their competence in those areas. Since most advanced law degrees have a substantial writing and academic research component, care must be paid to work on these skills whilst studying for your LLB.
Avoid Misaligned Writing Projects: Student aspirations are often not aligned with their goal of attending a top-tier LLM program. In Heather’s opinion, universities like Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge demand that students dig deeply into legal scholarships and begin authoring papers and publishing them early in their LLB programs. However, more often than not, students are not aligning their articles with the area in which they see themselves practicing.
Practitioners “only working”: One major constraint is the time that is still needed for ‘extra-practice’ activities while balancing practice responsibilities and caseload. Heather finds that practitioners often neglect writing and research opportunities in lieu of solely focusing on their workload. It is important to continue to publishing articles and speaking about issues in need of resolution where this does not contradict your employer’s policies. For advocates or those who practice at firms at any level, time is limited.
First Generation Lawyers: First-generation lawyers often need additional support to make networking and internship opportunities available to them. Such persons should seek advice and guidance as soon as possible after beginning law studies. Wallick can assist with your planning.
Changes in Application Processes - 2024: There are a few notable changes in the LLM application process for US Law Schools and for NUS as of September 1:
As of September 4, 2024, Columbia Law School has released a link to its new LLM application located on its website. Students are now required to apply directly to Columbia through the Columbia website but send your documents and recommendations via LSAC.
Due to the prevalence of AI software, universities are now clearly restricting the use of any AI software, and some like Berkeley Law and Northwestern Pritzker are giving optional/ required video interviews.
NUS Applications opened on September 1 and will close on October 15. This seems to be a somewhat earlier deadline than in prior years. Please plan accordingly.
Contact details
Wallick Global Consulting Private Limited (WGC) not only serves local clients but also coaches clients from across the globe.
WGC is open in the evening Tuesday through Sunday 7pm-11pm especially for clients in the workforce to ensure that career planning is available for working professionals.
Please call +91 8851119559, or send your resume to Heather at info@wallickglobalconsulting.com to request a free consultation, or click on the “Free Consultation” button on the WGC website and complete the short questionnaire. The team at WGC will call you to set up your consultation.
To book Heather for a speaking engagement at your law school, firm or for your event, please ask for Prashant at the number listed above.