[quote]Let's revive this topic. I'm lucky enough to be admitted to both LL.M. programs and wonder which one is better for landing a big law job in LONDON.

It's clear that the Harvard LL.M. makes you eligible to sit for the New York Bar, which is a big plus compared to the non-qualifying Cambridge degree. Still, I am not convinced that London law firms are interested in LL.M. graduates, even if they graduated from Harvard. Do you share this concern? Does a Harvard LL.M. help you to get a training contract? Thanks.[/quote]

The merits of each of the Harvard LL.M. and Cambridge LL.M. have been discussed both on this thread and elsewhere on this board. Personally (for many different reasons) my view is that the Harvard LL.M. is the superior degree (if costs is not an issue), but it seems you might agree.

However, focused solely on your aim of getting a training contract in London (not New York, not anywhere else), I would suggest that Cambridge is the better choice.

You will find that many of the Magic Circle firms invest very heavily in recruitment from Oxbridge, and as a Cambridge student, you will gain access to the many social / recruitment events that the different firms hold in Cambridge. If it is just about writing an application and sending in your CV, all this would not matter, but actually getting face-to-face interaction with the partners of these law firms at your university's events would it seems to me be extremely beneficial.

As for the relevance of the actual degree itself, the Cambridge degree is probably one that the English firms (or firms in London, whether English or American) are more familiar with as well, so, especially if you do well on the course (maybe even bag a few prizes) that will be an advantage. Also bear in mind that it is quite a commonly held view that while the Harvard LL.M. is a great experience, in terms of an actual legal education, it cannot compare to Oxford or Cambridge. Therefore, as to ldncdn's point that "[m]agic circle law firms in London explicitly state in their HR websites and also careers events that an LL.M. will not boost your chances of obtaining a TC", I think they will tend to discount the Harvard LL.M. more than they would the Cambridge LL.M.

Hi! I have also been lucky/blessed and have been admitted to both Harvard and Cambridge LLM programs.

My practice is more business oriented, so I am very appealed to Harvard's academic offer: there are more courses to choose from related to corp and business law, and I can even choose some courses from HBS, MIT and other schools; Cambridge has a much more limited course offering and, from that course offering, I can only pick four papers. I have been working for 6 years now so I'm looking for advanced and new content and, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not quite sure if the actual courses at Cambridge can offer me that (please someone advice me a bit more on this!)

However, I won a Chevening Scholarship, so that means that I can go to Cambridge with all expenses paid (although I got a significant award at Harvard too), so I am reconsidering whether I should go to Harvard or Cambridge.

About klazo's last post, I would like to know a bit more regarding this statement: Also bear in mind that it is quite a commonly held view that while the Harvard LL.M. is a great experience, in terms of an actual legal education, it cannot compare to Oxford or Cambridge.

Thank you!