I was wondering what you guys think my chances of getting into the aforementioned schools for the BCL/LLM are.

I'm a British national and I am wanting to move home after almost 8 years in the US, but need to do a UK LLM (and do well in it) in order to do want I want ie the commercial bar or high end cross-border arbitration/litigation at a reputable firm.

I have an LLB from Southampton which is consistently ranked in the top 25 UK law faculties. I narrowly missed a 1st by a few % points and graduated well within the top 20% of my year.

I also have a US JD from a tier 1 school, but only managed top 40%, though I did get the top grades in Evidence, Trusts, Civil Trial Practice, and Moot Court.

I have 5 years of US-side commercial litigation experience which includes being lead counsel in 3 arbitrations, 2 appeals, and 4 jury trials - albeit with a small firm and for pennies! (but I won't mention that).

I can also add foreign language skills, multiple US bar admissions, and 2 publications.

IF I present myself in this light - on the application form, CV, and personal statement - will I have a fighting chance of making up for my lack of a 1st in the LLB or top 10% in the JD? Is work experience viewed positively or negatively? And what of age? I will be in my mid-30s if and when I begin, hoping for Fall 2008.

Is LSE easier to get into than Cambridge, and Cambridge than Oxford?

They seem like the best 3 UK law schools for the LLM, followed not so closely by UCL. Am I correct in this analysis?

Thanks.



I can add