Mila,

judged by your interests, every plus is on Chicago's side beside the brand. Would you suffer any disadvantages if you chose Chicago? I think not (German perspective). The only thing you will lack is the "Uhuh, you went to HLS". If that's something you consider of higher importance than a program which suits your interests better, go for HLS. Otherwise...
Just look at the decisions other people made (e.g. Jess 2006, if I remember right): they even turned down Yale.
A further point speaking for Chicago is the possibility to combine strong coursework with independent research projects in every quarter. This might be better than writing a lenghty paper at the end of the year.

And now - come down on me, HLS-girls and boys :)

Regards,

Yps.

Yps,

Thank you for your advice! You are partly right. Things are slightly more complicated however. Law and Economics is not my only topic of interest. And Prof. Sunstein, who is one of the people at Chicago I admire the most, will actually be teaching in Harvard during the winter semester. If I count the people I would love to take courses from, Harvard comes out a bit better, but it has got a bigger faculty of course.
Perhaps more important, some professors warned me that the heydays of Chicago are almost over and that it is a bit of a declining law school. Any thoughts on that? Honestly, I personally feel I should't take this kind of stories too serious and I am not enough of an expert to judge if they are truth.
The big plus of Chicago for me is the class size (50 vs 150 at Harvard) and the teaching method. At least I will be able to get to know my teachers.

Funny, I heard the thing about the declining law school with respect to HLS...

However, at least now Chicago and HLS have not declined and they will not within the year of our studies nor in the next two years. I think it is worthless to speculate about future developments. What counts is the forthcoming year, because this is the year I want to enjoy and profit from.
If Sunstein is teaching in HLS in winter, he will be in Chicago before and after, so you will have you're chance (Although I see your point).

Which professors warned you about Chicago? Are they really into the US market? On which grounds do they judge? I need something more concrete to be convinced.

A further plus resulting from Chicago's class size is not only the better contact with professors and J.D.s, but also the better contact with fellow LL.M.s.

Hope this helps,
Yps.

When it comes to "brand name" Harvard may come first, even before Yale despite of US News ranking. However, with respect to quality of teaching and academic experience, Chicago comes first amongst all US law schools. At least, I've heard some people chose Chicago, and turned down Columbia. And now, I see another lady on this site (Jess2006?) decided to go over Yale...

It is because not only the size of class, but also great great faculty members. Law and economics of Chicago is the most recognized area. Columbia LL.M.s may be in a better situation to get a temporary or permanant job in NY. However, I don't think Chicago LL.M.s cannot get a job just because they went to Chicago. It's up to you. Many Harvard LL.M.s do not get a job in US. If it is LL.M., just go for the school that best fits for you.

US ranking is very influential but I think and I've noticed it makes little difference between the very top schools.

A friend of mine who went to Chicago LL.M. advised me that I'll find myself in a great learning process, perhaps greatest, in Chicago law school within a few days.

For your information, please find the article below released last October 2005.

NEW YORK, NY, United States (UPI) -- University of Chicago`s law school and Massachusetts Institute of Technology`s business school get top ranking by Princeton Review.

Chicago was named the the U.S. law school that provided the best academic experience, while MIT took the top spot for business.

The Princeton Review`s 2006 editions of its law and business school guides each feature 11 ranking lists of top 10 schools in categories from best academics to best career prospects.

The rankings are based on student surveys and institutional data from the schools.

For 'Best Career Prospects,' Northwestern University was number one in the law school guide, while Stanford University was No. 1 in the B-school guide.

Washington and Lee University had the best law school professors and Indiana University-Bloomington had the best business school professors.

The University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minn., was named the law school with the best quality of life.

Hi attorney ed and everyone here - yes I am turning down Yale to go to Chicago. I am also turning down Harvard (with scholarship), Michigan, Columbia, NYU etc. I believe Chicago's educational experience is second to none. This si based on so many factors I have talked about before, but I really feel that this decision is the right one.

Jess

Have you let these universities know you will not be attending their LLM program ? This is important to free up slots for those still waiting