Hi,
I have received an admit for the L.L.M. in Comparative Law at the University of San Diego. I had applied for the Tax L.L.M. but they admitted me to the Comparative Law programme. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I would like to know how is the Comparative Law programme rated as well. Are there any opportunities after completing this programme? Can I take any tax courses as a part of the programme.

I am interested in specializing in tax Law.

I have received an admit from University of Washington, Seattle in Tax Law. I would however like to practice in California and give the California bar exam as well.

I have also received an admit in General L.L.M. from the University of Southern California (USC Law)... right now, it seems like a good option.

I'm still divided between Tax L.L.M. in UW, Seattle and General L.L.M. in USC Law.

Any advice, suggestions would be helpful !!

Pratima

I would contact San Diego to see if there was a mix-up.

<blockquote>Hi,
I have received an admit for the L.L.M. in Comparative Law at the University of San Diego. I had applied for the Tax L.L.M. but they admitted me to the Comparative Law programme. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I would like to know how is the Comparative Law programme rated as well. Are there any opportunities after completing this programme? Can I take any tax courses as a part of the programme.

I am interested in specializing in tax Law.

I have received an admit from University of Washington, Seattle in Tax Law. I would however like to practice in California and give the California bar exam as well.

I have also received an admit in General L.L.M. from the University of Southern California (USC Law)... right now, it seems like a good option.

I'm still divided between Tax L.L.M. in UW, Seattle and General L.L.M. in USC Law.

Any advice, suggestions would be helpful !!

Pratima </blockquote>

As long as you are a licensed attorney in any country, you are eligible to sit for the CA bar. Many classes in law schools teach the so called "multi-state" law, which is a mix of the most prevalent law in all jurisdictions, but not specific state law (the bar exam(s) only test state law to some limited extent, btw). There are a few classes at Californian law schools like Community property or California Civil Procedure that will be helpful in terms of passing the bar, but honestly, I think it's better to focus on the classes that interest you and learn everything else from BarBri or special LL.M. bar prep classes that schools like USC offer.

That being said, if you're really set to finding work in CA, being at a school in CA will be tremendously helpful in making connections. Many schools allow you to do externships with courts or in-house departments for credit and I know LLMs who were able to secure employment through these externships.
Los Angeles is the second largest legal market in the US and there are more employers here than in San Diego. I think that your chances are higher in L.A. than elsewhere in CA, although it's difficult to find a job as an LL.M. nowadays.
Also, "Trojans" are very proud of their school and since you have a lot of them all over L.A. and as there are many alumni networking events in the city, it might be easier to establish relationships with practicing attorneys here than in San Diego. As a result, USC seems to place its JD graduates better than other schools. Check out this ranking by placement in the top 250 law firms: http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202443758843&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1

USC is ranked 15 nationwide and my guess is that if you would only look at CA numbers, USC would be within the top three or four schools. I admit that you cannot draw the conclusion that LLMs will be equally placed in big law firms, but it might tell you something about a good alumni network and how employers perceive the school.

You've mentioned that you initially wanted to do a tax LL.M. If it's tax that interests you, check out curricula at different schools and see, if you they offer tax classes as general upper-division classes. My guess is that most schools will offer "Income Tax," "Corporate Tax," "Estate Tax" classes and classes like "M&A" and "Accounting for Lawyers" will further discuss tax implications to give you some idea bout the US tax system, albeit you won't get an "LL.M. in Taxation" degree.

Nevertheless, if you want to maximize your chances of landing a job in the US, at this time, you would probably have to get a JD from a top law school which is a considerable investment of time and money.

Good luck on making the right decision!