Ryan - If Columbia rejects me, my only option is LSE. I think that Georgetown will give you many more opportunities in trade law, especially in DC. However, I would agree that studying in London would be more exciting and you will also get opportunities after LSE. I guess if you get accepted to Columbia it will be sort of a compromise for you - great trade law program + great city.

Yeah, when I filled out my applications I had Columbia as my #1 choice. I love NYC and have many friends there. Definitely more trade law opportunities in DC, and ultimately I want to be involved in shaping U.S. trade policy (which I think is currently too protectionist and hypocritical), but I also want to live overseas for a while. If I would be more likely to land a position overseas with a G'town LLM than with an LSE LLM, I would probably go to G'town. Right now I am operating under the assumption that I will have better access to the London job market with an LSE degree. If that is a false assumption I do hope someone will correct me.
As for my career goals, a job with the USTR's Geneva office would be ideal! I would also consider it a dream situation to spend a few years working in the overseas office of a U.S. firm that represents foreign respondents before the WTO, DOC or ITC, then move to DC and do trade work there.
In the end, though, job prospects still appear to me to depend more on the people you know than the school you attend.

I have spent several summers in DC and I would not sell the city short. It really is an amazing city. Also because it is relatively small size (certainly compared to London or NY) I found that networking was somewhat easier. Not to say NYC is not a great place. I grew up there and I still consider it my home. But don't sell DC short.

I assume, like you ryan, that if you are interested in overseas work the LSE is the place to be. Someone please correct me if this assumption is in error. I think that in the future the US Trade Policy is going to be determined less domestically and more internationally. We have been selling the belief to the world that free trade benefits everyone, stiulates economies, and empowers the poor. I think the time is coming when international agreements, treaties, and foreign policy is going to make the US stick to those principles domestically. I believe there are parallels developments in the world of finance and securities regulation.

The one thing which I plan on doing assuming I get in somewhere is request some alumni names and numbers and ask them about their post LLM job hunts. I wish I had done the same before I chose a law school. Ryan, this may make your decision easier to get some first hand experiences. I guess if I get into the LSE I'm going....price and expenses included.

How long did it take for decisions to come from Georgetown and LSE? I am started to get anxious. But hopefully both you and sage will have multiple choices when you are both accepted at Columbia.

Jamie:
I had a great time in DC and certainly don't mean to sell it short - I just like the vibe in NYC and London better. Thanks for your thoughts on the +/- of the programs, I really appreciate it. I applied to all my schools in mid to late December. I qualified for an "early admission" decision at Georgetown and heard sometime around the end of January. I heard from LSE middle of February. Honestly, I am still shocked that I got in anywhere. I basically attempted the Charlie Chaplin style of application (i.e., I didn't apply to any school that I thought would want to have me), thinking that I could only justify sinking further into debt if I got in somewhere that I really couldn't say no to. My references must have been overly gracious. In any event, good luck on your applications and perhaps we will be classmates.
Best,
Ryan

If you want advice about the LSE LLM experience (and future job prospects), I suggest doing a Martindale Hubbel search for US attorneys that attended LSE. I contacted several LSE alumni in the US to ask about their respective LSE experieneces. I received many responses, almost all of which were quite positive.

Anyway, I accepted my LSE offer last week, so I hope to see many of you in London next September. Please let me know who else will be at LSE.

I applied to the LSE just prior to the Jan. 31 deadline and received admission in mid February - relatively quick. On the trade front, it is important to remember that despite some protectionist policies, the US remains the less protectionist country in the world in terms of trade, as evidenced by its 666 billion trade deficit. Without an open US, the world economy would be in a tailspin.

Jack - Congratulations on LSE, I read your bkrd on the other thread. We're in a similar boat -- I've been practicing labor/employment for 7 years with a national NLJ 250 firm in the U.S., holding American undergrad and JD. Unlike you however, I was rejected by LSE :-( but accepted to UCL..... if I were in your shoes I'd go for it! UCL isn;t quite as internationally renown as LSE, so I'm taking some time to mull it over. Would you plan on working for a London office of an American firm? Or would you just go right back to the States? It is a big $ investment, considering the year's lost salary and the cost of living in London. Do you think Londo firms (or American firms with London satellites) would find our background useful?
Best of luck.
Brian

I was accepted in early February to LSE. I applied to only two universities, the other being Harvard. HLS is my first choice only because I plan to live in America (I have US citizenship). I'll probably receive a rejection letter from HLS by next week at which time I'll accept the LSE offer. LSE has an incredible international reputation and is a household name amongst American law firms and the judiciary (Justice Anthony Kennedy attended).

Jack:
Have done the Martindale search and was surprised to find relatively few LSE LLM alumns in London. I searched England for LSE/London School of Economics (and Political Science)/ University of London. I am sure the site just doesn't have them all listed.
I know a few alumns and all recommend LSE highly, as do those I have only just emailed. Of course, the same is true of the alumns of the other schools on my list. I have no doubt that an LSE LLM will be looked upon favorably by firms in London, just a bit apprehensive on the possibility of finding a position there in a tight legal market. (Tight (but improving) in the U.S., anyway, can't say if the same is true in England).
Que sera sera, though - I am excited to attend and will send my acceptance early next week.

I mentioned this in another category. From what I've read LSE seems to be the most "well-known" foreign university amongst US law firms. Of course Oxbridge is the oldest and is very well respected, but LSE is more cutting edge and progressive - attributes US firms look for.

For those of you planning on attending LSE (or any other London program), have you given any thought about where to live? School accomodations; flatshares; also which areas or neighborhoods? Thanks.

I am going to try to get a suite at the Grosvenor House (LSE) on Royal Drury Lane. It is a five minute walk from campus and right in the middle of the theater district. If that doesn't pan out, I would like to stay somewhere in Zone 1. I stayed in Bloomsbury on Gower St. (across from UCL campus) when I studied in London previously and found that to be a really nice area. Quiet (relatively) and close to the fun in Soho. Had classmates that had a really nice 4 bedroom apartment in Soho square that wasn't too expensive. Quite loud, though.

I applied for accomodation at Grovesnor and International Hall, but I am inclined to look for a studio or flatshare in Zone 1.

I am favoring the LSE halls right now b/c of price/location and furnishings. I could only do a flat if it was furnished, and the prices in Zone 1 that I am finding are way too high for what I can afford.

Has everybodu who applied to LSE, got its admission/rejection? I have not heard from them yet, and according to their on-line system, my application is still "under consideration"...

Hello Jack, ]

I will probably go to LSE. Still waiting for a reply from Cam.

Same here Maria_Gri.

I've been monitoring the status of my application closely last few days. I thought that they were going to answer everybody before 31st of March. Obviously they've accepted a bunch of people - I know one which received his answer in mid-february.

Does anybody know why this is taking so long? Also, should one still be positive of acceptance at this stage?

Zacharias:

It might be taking so long because others have not sent LSE their formal acceptance. I received my acceptance in mid-February, but have not given my formal acceptance as I am still waiting to hear from a few other schools that would vault over LSE if they provided a substantial financial aid package. LSE doesn't have a hard and fast reply deadline - they just ask that you get your reply in within 6 weeks of your receipt of their offer. They will not, however, give away your place until you tell them you are not coming. So. . . perhaps they are waiting for undecideds like myself to reply before they start sending out more offers.

Ryan -

That's what I suspected. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but the clock is ticking as I've received offers from other London schools but I would prefer to study at LSE, if possible. We'll see about that though...

Good luck to you all.

I was accepted to LSE in early February, but I am probably going to embark on a MJur in Oxford.