Hello everyone,


I really need help and fast. I have been accepted into the LLM program at UofT and UPENN. I have very limited financial assistance and it seems almost impossible to afford a 70k$US LLM at UPENN vs UofT (only 7,000$CAN for Canadian citizens which I am). I intend to practise law in both the USA and Canada.

Is there anyone that did the UofT LLM and highly recommends it to me? If yes, I would like to know what are the job prospects in Canada and/or the USA with an LLM from UofT.


I NEED ASAP ADVICES AS TO WHETHER IT IS WORTH TRYING TO FIND THE MONEY FOR UPENN OR GO FOR THE CHEAPEST AND SIMPLEST OPTION IN TORONTO.


THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR OPINIONS

Same here, Having offer from Upenn (but not financial aid,) and being accepted to UBC and MCGILL, It is hard to decide. How do you rank Canadian law schools?
If I were u, I would choose Upenn. It is obvious that upenn is your first priority, But if u want to work after LLM and not to pursue SJD, maybe T is better. You can also save alof of money. Upenn is better for academic work.

Legalgirl,

There is no doubt in my mind, after having undergone extensive research on the choice of LLMs, that UPENN is by far a much better choice than any Canadian Law Schools. I myself am from Montreal and really appreciates the reputation that McGill Law School has in Canada. However, depending on your field of interests, Penn Law has much more to offer both academically and professionally. It is consistently ranked as TOP 7-8 in the USA and is an IVY League (the other ones being Yale, Harvard, Columbia and Cornell).

For example, even though I have been accepted to UPENN I will apply to HLS, CLS and NYU for the LLM because those 3 universities are the best for corporate law. UPENN is defintiely right next on the list as probably the fourth best Law School LLM programme for corporate law. Dont forget the possibility of doing a Wharton Business and Law Certificate which is a great plus!

Not even UofT (ranked 1st Law School in Canada for three consecutive years in MacLeans Law School ranking) is comparable to a US Ivy League or, for that matter, to Oxbridge and LSE!!!

Go for UPENN if YOU CAN AFFORD IT!!!! IF not, you should head for McGill!!!!!!!!!

Best of luck!

Hiya,

I completed my LLM at UofT and highly recommend the experience. The students and faculty were first rate, as was the overall environment.

Like the original poster, I was concerned about the cost of US LLMs and selected UofT partially on that basis. For what it's worth, I moved on to the DPhil at Oxford after the UofT LLM and now teach at a top-10 law school. My point in mentioning this is simply that I didn't find my opportunities at all restricted as a result of my decision to attend UofT.

In terms of job prospects in the US, in the last couple of years prior to the crisis UofT was in the top 10 schools globally (and the top non-US school) supplying graduates to NY white shoe firms (if that's your bag). Obviously, however, we're living in a different world now and I am not sure whether or to what extent the crisis has impacted UofT's success in this regard.

Cheers,

Paddy

Hey Paddy,

Congrats on your DPhil at Oxford!!! Very impressive!!!

Your comments about UofT are most certainly compelling and convincing. To be honest to you, the UofT option was and still is an extremely cheap ad outstanding one for a Canadian citizen such as myself.

However, it has always been a dream of mine to study at a leading law school in the States and to start working thereafter...Now with the crisis, im not even sure an LLM from Harvard will land you a job in New York!!

I have been very confused for a long time and, to some extent, still am over the debate whether a US LLM is really worth it. At some point one has to make up his mind and I have made up mine in saving money and going to UPENN in 2011-2012 as opposed to next year.

Morever, at UPENN I'll have the opportunity of doing the Wharton Business and Law Certificate. Sure should help in this competitive market!!

That being said, I really hope I am making the right decision by going to the US and foregoing my place at UofT....I still have doubts though.

Thanks for your comments. Appreciate them! Cheers,