My wife and I are moving to CO upon graduation from law school, and I am considering an LLM in Tax. Does anyone have any info on the program at University of Denver?

Thanks!

It's a good question. I was told by a career services worker here at my school (Louisville) that Denver is one of the best tax programs in the country. My father is a CPA, and he said that Denver is kind of a hotbed when it comes to tax information and new tax issues, so I think that it's a pretty good program. I haven't seen rankings, however, (don't feel like paying for USNews' guide), and I've also been a little surprised that nobody on here seems to know anything about the program. I would assume that if it did in fact have a strong national name to it, it would be more of a choice for a lot of people here.

Denver Tax program is based on very practical approach as opposed to other LLMs in the nations that are research based. The best feature I like about the program is the palcement rate. The director of the program Prof. Mark Vogel is one of the highest paid professors in the nation, but he is well worth every penny. He personally places each individual graduating with an LLM in tax, thus the placement rate is over 90% before graduation and 100% within 90 days of graduation! The faculty is mostly adjunct, teaching with practial approach. I graduated in top 10% of my JD class and chose DU Tax. A few years back, the program was rated in top five with Harvard, Yale, Florida and one other I can not remember. Hope it helps.

I'm an LLM grad, 2000. It was good to work together with accountants in the same courses, as they had strengths that JDs did not, and vice versa. Vogel is a good man with a good sense of humour, and he will help you out for sure. There used to be a strong recruiting connection with Andersen so I'm not sure how the Program has plugged that hole, but certainly they have done something. One downside is that the tax is seriously complicated, and you take a lot of courses, so you don't get the depth that you might like. But certainly by the end you have seen it all. Good luck!

Forgot to add - call Vogel directly and he'll sort you out.

I'm in the MT program right now which is virtually the same as the LLM and I love it. Very serious tax professors who want to see you learn everything. I'd definitely recommend it. Vogel is a great guy.

I'm trying to decide between DU and UW's LLM in Tax. DU's placement rate seems very impressive, and I was wondering what the median starting salary was for a DU Tax LLM grad working in a private law firm/ accounting firm. Also, do DU tax grads get placed in large/midsize private law firms, or do they end up working at the smaller private law firms & public sector? Also, more generally, do employers care more about how your grades are in your tax LLM or are JD grades/ program rank big factors in determining where you will work? Thanks for the input!

I have heard that DU's tax graduates average $75,000 to $95,000 for starting salary if you practice in the Denver area. I recently visited the school and it seemed like a very solid program. I will probably attend it.

i graduated in may of 05 from the program. it was awesome. mark vogel HAS to be one of the smartest tax people alive. his brilliance amazes me to this day!
i worked for KPMG for about 6 months after graduation and now i'm at the IRS. if you want any specifics answered, drop me a line at kate.mcfarlane@yahoo.com. i'd be happy to answer anything.

I just found out that I got into Denver's Tax Program as well as Northwestern's Program, and I was wondering whether any of you knew which program was better. Also, I want to move to Denver after my LLM, is it easier to find a job with a Northwestern or with a Denver LLM degree? Any help would be great!

Hi LaniEcho,
I also got accepted to U of D llm tax. Did you decide if you're gonna go to Denver?
I heard the director, Mark Vogel, is outstanding. I'm looking forward to having him for a class.