I have been accepted into Northwestern's and University of Washington's Tax LLM program and was wondering what others would do in my situation. I realize both programs are relatively new.
Basically, I went to undergrad near Seattle, went to regional law school in Northern California, passed the bar in California and might like to live on the West Coast. Plus UW is half the price of Northwestern and considered "the best Tax LLM program in the West."
On the other hand, I grew up in the Midwest, most of family is in the Midwest, and I would consider living in Chicago. But I want to keep my options open about being able to work in the West Coast, Chicago, and New York. Northwestern, with its national repuatation, may allow me to get a good job on both coasts but is twice the price.
Please help me!

there's no doubt both are good programs and i considered going to NW last year. i am at Florida right now. i know you didn't ask about any of these schools, but i would recommend that you consider NYU, UF, or Georgetown. they are the most recognized programs in the country no matter where you want to work. there are several people at UF with me right now from the northwest part of the country and they are finding jobs there. i know of 3 or 4 that are finding jobs and interviewing in seattle specifically.

NW has a great reputation as a law school, and the tax program has gained some respect quickly, but the top 3 programs still seem to carry more punch with law firms.

I have just been accepted to Northwestern and Georgetown and I wondered when you applied when did NYU get back to you?

I have just been accepted to Northwestern and Georgetown and I wondered when you applied when did NYU get back to you?

Did you choose Florida over Georgetown? If so why?

yes, i chose UF over GT. i got into UF, GT, and NW, but not NYU.

first, i chose UF over GT because it is ranked higher as far as tax programs go. even though the "university of florida" doesn't carry the national weight of the "georgetown" name, it does carry more weight in the tax world. UF has one of the best tax faculties you can find, and some even consider the professors at UF to be better than NYU, and consequently, some believe the education at UF to be better than NYU. almost everyone who knows anything will tell you that UF is ranked above GT for a reason.

secondly, i get in state tuition at UF. it's costing me about 10K in tuition and about 30K overall. i would have spent 60-70K at GT or NYU. this is the reason many choose UF over NYU if they are paying for it themselves. i'm not a FL resident, but through the "academic common market" some out of state residents can get in state tuition at UF. it depends on if your state offers a tax LLM and whether your state participates in the academic common market.

third, i did some research with some attorneys in the area where i wanted to work and got their input. i was told (not my opinion, but this came from several tax attorneys with LLMs) that GT has a reputation for breeding government lawyers and that UF had a better reputation in the private sector. however, this opinion came from attorneys in the south and midwest part of the country, so it may be due to more UF alums in these areas and it could be completely different where you are.

so that is why i chose UF. had i got in to NYU i probably would have gone and spent the money just because it has the best national reputation, but i have no regrets about choosing UF b/c the education i'm getting is the best and it has opened a ton of doors as far as jobs go.

Thanks for your input, if you don't mind me asking what was your GPA and Tier of law school? I'm just wondering my chances of admission to NYU and Florida. Also have the job opportunities been more in accounting firms or law firms?

What is your tier and GPA LLM164?

2nd tier law school
top 30% of my class
A's in all my tax classes
accounting degree

the job prospects have been with law firms. not necessarily with biglaw, but with large regional firms and mid-size tax boutique and specialty firms. biglaw still cares more about your JD than the LLM. of course, LLMs are attractive to accounting firms, but i never wanted to work for one.

I have been accepted to Georgetown in the Tax LL Program, however haven´t received any answers from Northwestern or NYU yet.

I am foreign attorney looking forward to getting a job in the US after graduation, does anybody know if besides the two job fairs GT and NYU organize, LLM students from those Law schools can attend to other job fairs in the westcoast for instance?

I just got into Northwestern and into Denver's tax Program. Denver also gave me a half ride, and after I finish my LLM, I would like to move to the Denver area. However, I want to have the best prospects of getting a good job. Would Northwestern allow me to find a job in the Denver area easier, and is the cost of Northwestern worth it when it will cost me almost 4 times what Denver will. (I am still waiting to hear back from Georgetown at this time).

Thanks for all the help!

Take a look at the tax attorneys in the Denver area and see what they did. My guess is that you will see a number of U of Denver LLMs and few if any NW LLMs. If you want to practice in Denver, get the degree from there. You will probably save yourself a lot of money in the process. However, if you are looking outside the Rocky Mountains, NW will be your best bet.

By the way, what are your numbers (tier school, class rank, journal, etc.)? I'm curious what it takes to get a scholarship at Denver.

Hiya there! Thanks for the response! I go to a top tier law school (but wavering close to 2nd tier). I am on the International Law Review and did well on Jessup Moot Court. Although that is all fine and dandy, I think it helped that I applied as a hispanic female.