Hello everybody. So just to give you a little background, I am currently studying the LLB Law degree in England at a pretty low ranked university (56 out of 130), however I am on route for a first class honours degree and have many hours of internships under my belt. However, I aspire to do my LLM at a top institution such as Harvard, Yale or even Northwestern (most generous with scholarships).

I have heard that in the US, employers will only care about where you got your LLM from and will not really be curious about my LLB as it is a British degree. However other people I have spoken to say that the LLM does not cover up a top degree from a low ranked uni, and that employers will look at the LLB in more depth since the LLM is only a year long.

Do share your experiences :)

[quote]Hello everybody. So just to give you a little background, I am currently studying the LLB Law degree in England at a pretty low ranked university (56 out of 130), however I am on route for a first class honours degree and have many hours of internships under my belt. However, I aspire to do my LLM at a top institution such as Harvard, Yale or even Northwestern (most generous with scholarships).

I have heard that in the US, employers will only care about where you got your LLM from and will not really be curious about my LLB as it is a British degree. However other people I have spoken to say that the LLM does not cover up a top degree from a low ranked uni, and that employers will look at the LLB in more depth since the LLM is only a year long.

Do share your experiences :)[/quote]

I dont think that anyone on LLMGuide is qualified to give you a definite answer on what each school in the USA considers. Obviously Harvard will want to know your LLB school offhead especially if it is from the UK and will want to understand why you ended up in a low ranked university and now feel confident to jump from a low ranked university to Harvard.
Its all in how you explain your motivations for Harvard. And that first class degree is a MUST in the circumstances. It will help to give face to your application.

Yes employers obviously want to look at your longer degree. But it is not exactly true that the LLM is discarded and wont count. It will count especially if it is from a prestigious school.

My advice is that you should apply. There is no harm in trying. However you have to think about other schools in addition to Harvard and Yale because those ones are quite competitive and you will be competing against more established undergrads. Consider applying to other additional schools.