Hello!

I am currently clerking for a federal judge, after practicing in a two-lawyer firm for one year. My ideal job would be working in a medium to large sized firm in estate planning/wealth preservation. However, I have no actual experience in that area, so I'm seriously considering going back to school for my LLM in taxation.

My biggest concern is the cost involved in getting the degree. When I started law school, I thought for sure that when I graduated, it was average to start out at like 70K, 75K. It was a harrowing reality when my first job paid me about 32K a year, definitely not enough if my student loan payments are 1300 a month. I don't want to go into an LLM thinking that I'm gonna get a great job afterwards only to discover that my prospects aren't much better.

1. I'm hoping for Georgetown or Boston University. How competitive is it to get into the programs?

2. For those of you who have an LLM in tax, what kind of doors did it open in terms of job searching?

Thanks for your help!

I don't have any great tax or LLM advice but I'd think that coming from a federal clerkship you shouldn't have any problem landing a good job that pays well...have you thought about trying to do a distance learning course while you're working, to have just a little expertise in the field so you can get into the practice group you want?