I have a US JD, graduated exactly 1 year ago & have passed the bar in my state. I want to get into international business law. I have gotten into to both GW & American in DC. Just wondering if anyone has any feedback on which is more respected in the international law arena especially for international business law. I know the US news ratings but just wanted to know if anyone in DC can give me a better feel of which is better b/c cost appears to be about the same.

Hey Marley,

I'm thinking about applying to Intl Law LLM programs, so I've been checking out AU and GW as well. I know that AU is ranked higher, so I guess that's a plus. I'm interested in International Business Law as well. I know that GW has a section in their General LLM for commercial, business, and labor law, but I think that's more US domestic based. As for AU, I like the looks of their Intl Business specialization. It seems a bit stronger than GW's. I've been looking at faculty to see what they've been doing (I think the faculty determine if its reputible or not). The faculty list for the GW website is good: http://www.law.gwu.edu/Faculty/. But I think the listing at AU/WCL is a bit better to understand: http://www.wcl.american.edu/ilsp/faculty.cfm

Eitehr way, good luck!

ttyl.

Hi Marley,

I agree with amelie. I think that AU's business program will be more international focused. The faculty at AU have done some interesting stuff. Some of their profile's include their CVs and past syllabus. I liked looking at what the faculty have done because it gives me a sense of how good the school probably is. Good luck!

look at the rank of the law school.... GW is a national law school, AU is not.
If you want to work for BigLaw, go to GW

What do you mean by a national law school? Both GW and AU is accredited by the ABA, but AU is better known in the Int'l community, but also a top law school as well. I attended one of their summer academies and will start the LLM in January. I met a lot more international students at AU than GW. If you aim to get an LLM in International Law look at the rankings for that. If the school ranks high in JD it doesn't matter because you will not be able to take those courses anyway. AU has the better LLM program.

Hi All,

I have a US JD and got a LL.M. from AU's ILSP. Presently, I work at Mayer Brown JSM in their Saigon office. (It is a large firm with 1800 plus attorneys world-wide.) I liked AU and really enjoyed my studies there.

I think you must first remember that if you are a domestic (i.e., US JD), your LL.M. degree by itself will not help much to get a job (with the possible exception of a tax LL.M.). To the extent that the degree will help, name does matter. GW does have better name. Second, in terms of getting a job in international business transactions/trade law, you should think of how each school can help you network, including internships and so forth. Last, getting a job in a large firm in the USA will be very difficult (but this depends on your background) so consider a job abroad.

This is a difficult choice considering that both programmes are quite good. GWU would afford its graduates the opportunity to work in the U.S. and in international financial institutions based in Washington, D.C. On the other hand, AU would enable its graduates to work in countries outside the United States, specifically Asia or Europe. I sort of like the course offerings of AU, as well as its dual degree options, but GWU also has a renowned faculty in international law. It all depends on where the graduate intends to work and one's career objectives.