Hey everyone,

I am very interested in pursuing an LLM starting in 2010. My first question is whether there are any schools that have January admission in addition to Summer/Fall.

My primary reason for wanting to obtain an LLM is to beef up my resume. I attended the University of Georgia (a top 20 public undergrad) and earned an econ degree. However, I only made it out w/ about a 3.05 GPA and a 155 LSAT. Therefore, I was not admitted into a top tier law school. I attend the Charleston School of Law and have done very well. I am well within the top 10%, am an editor on the Law Review, have 4 Cali awards, and should graduate Magna Cum Laude.

Most firms, especially outside of the Carolinas, are hesitant to hire from my law school, and I basically just want to add a top tier law school to my resume.

To sum it up, I want to know just how good of an LLM program I could get into with the credentials I listed? I am especially interested in Constitutional Law, Law and Economics, Govt. Regulation, Immigration, Comparative, Real Property, and Land Use. Georgetown seems to have everything I am looking for, and I have also noticed that schools, such as UCLA, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Chicago, Florida, Miami, and George Mason all have LLMs that fit my general interest.

Do I stand a chance at any of these schools, or are they all pipe dreams?

Finally, would anyone recommend just obtaining a general LLM, tailored to my interests upon admission?

Thank you!!

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Hi stagger,

I can't answer all of your questions, but here are some thoughts for you:

Have you considered getting a few years of work experience first and then going back for your LLM? Clerkship, non-profit, private practice, governmental? Whatever you do, that will open some doors at schools that you wouldn't otherwise get into, and will also help pay for the extra year (as opposed to just taking on more debt.) That was my strategy, and I guarantee I would not have been admitted to some of the schools I got into without that experience.

On a similar note: Without more, I'm not so sure that a non-tax LLM from the schools you mentioned will make much of an impression on prospective employers, without some other credentials such as work experience, clerkship, etc. I work for a pretty large firm (~500 attorneys), I've worked in recruiting, and I can tell you that an LLM would not make much difference to us on a grad fresh out of law school without other experience.

Hope this is somewhat helpful and good luck to you.

Thanks for your response, Engineer. That is the kind of advice I need, especially with you seeing it through the eyes of a recruiter. I guess I really wanted to get the LLM while the economy was still in the tank, rather than going back to school during an upturn.

I guess my dream job right out of school would be to clerk for a judge, but I dont really have any contacts, and I hear it is really competitive right now. I guess I could throw a few resumes around.

If anyone else has anymore advice/perspective on LLMs, I would love to see them

Thanks again, Engineer.