I'm admitted at both NYU and Georgetown for the full-time tax LLM program. I'm actually leaning GULC for a number of personal and financial reasons (though no scholarship from either program). I'm wondering, how much (if anything) would I be sacrificing by going with GULC instead of NYU? The personal reasons for wanting to be in DC for the nine months are pretty significant but if the career options were really much better coming out of NYU I might do it. I have no intention of staying in NYC, however, and will likely end up in DC anyway. I already have a number of years of corporate/securities experience and have been thinking about a change of direction with tax for a while now.

Any learned advice is much appreciated.

If you are going to work in D.C. you would be best served going to GULC.

Of course, I am biased as I am waitlisted at NYU and may have a chance at your spot. jk

I have said this in other threads- I like GULC because of the course offerings and networking opportunities with all the commerce in DC and thru the adjunct faculty, many of whom are practicing tax attorneys.

NYU is obviously the gold standard across the nation, except DC(GULC) and Florida (UF).

NYU is indeed the gold standard. But as a practical matter, I do not know if the career oportunities will be that much better coming out of NYU v. GULC. If you know you want to stay in DC, then it may not hurt to attend GULC instead of NYU.

I can't remember which discussion thread had this comment on it, but a GULC student recently wrote that he was able to obtain a good internship in DC during his spring semester (GULC offers a lot of evening classes which makes this very doable) and it helped him with job opportunities.

Agreed. NYU is the gold standard. After my JD I was hired as a tax attorney in a global Fortune 10 company for a handful of years. All of the LLMs were from NYU and the company was going to transfer me to the NYC office to complete the program on a part time basis after the second year. Of course this was many years ago.

I have been admitted to GULC so far and as a non-trad who realistically will not get offers from Big Law, am weighing out the number of job openings in DC vs all of the deferred offers I am hearing about in NYC.
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/biglaw_lost_nearly_10k_lawyers_in_last_three_years/?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email

I disagree with DaddyLLM that GULC gives you that big an advantage in DC. NYU and GULC appear to have a joint program for externships,/internships so you could opt for a DC internship from NYU. NYU has an amazing Tax Policy program.

NYU or GULC are not considered to be regional degrees. All you have to do is look at speaker credentials for tax sections of various bar associations or ALI/ABA to know this. Big Law hires both.

I disagree with DaddyLLM that GULC gives you that big an advantage in DC. NYU and GULC appear to have a joint program for externships,/internships so you could opt for a DC internship from NYU. NYU has an amazing Tax Policy program.

Llm2012, I noticed you described yourself as a nontrad and it sounds like you got a JD at least a few years ago and then did tax for a global company?

Would you mind giving a few more details about your career path and the reasons why you are pursuing a llm in taxation now?

The reason I'm asking is that I got a JD years ago and after five years (two firms), ventured down a non-traditional path. I then had the opportunity to do a lot of tax work and thoroughly enjoyed it, so now I'm trying to build a strong foundation for a career in tax. But I do wonder about the odds I'm facing given I'm a nontrad....

The Big 3 hire non-trads. Without a CPA though you can not become a partner.

Again, I am not a candidate for BigLaw, they like them young or with substantial portfolios. I have a lot of healthcare, oil and gas, municipal and state law experience. I am interested in international tax and tax policy. My niche will probably be government.

Graduated from GULC - tax ll.m. and can offer a few notes about my experience,

First, NYU is a bit more prestigious with respect to academia. However, some are from the school that prestige in education takes a back seat to prestige in work experience. At GULC, I had the opportunity to intern at the US Tax Court and many of many friends had the same opportunity at the Tax Court, Office of Chief Counsel, Department of Justice - Tax Division, Department of Treasury, Joint Committee on Taxation, Senate Finance Committee, etc. I can also say that when interviewing for a job, of which I did a lot, every interviewer wanted to talk about my experience at the the Tax Court. I am certain that this practical experience as well as those from many of my peers at GULC played an important role in receiving offers. GULC student presence dominates at the U.S. Tax Court. In 2011, only 4 students from NYU earned clerkships, while almost triple that number were from Georgetown. This is likely because of the internship opportunities available due to the location of GULC, giving GULC students an opportunity to make great impressions on the judges while working hard as interns and externs.

Second, if you intend to practice in estate tax planning/private wealth in the New York/D.C. area (and anywhere else in the Country as well), GULC has a substantial advantage. GULC offers a certificate in private wealth/estate planning, coupled with the LL.M. degree, and NYU does not. The certificate is 10 credits so students can take an additional 16 credits in other areas of tax law. The estate planning certificate curriculum at GULC offers an extraordinary level of knowledge and practice. I earned this certificate. Experience and recognition from the estate planning certificate program led to unanimity in estate planning job placement from the Tax Interview Program (TIP) in favor of GULC students. If you are applying to GULC/NYU, then you know what TIP is.

Alternatively, NYU likely has an advantage to students seeking practice in M&A tax due to the location of NYU, where the vast majority of M&A/financial products tax occurs. However, GULC offers more courses in advanced financial products. For M&A though, I would still give the edge to NYU.

Ultimately, both schools are excellent. NYU has the edge with respect to academic prestige. Georgetown has the edge with respect to governmental experience, clinical placements for intern/externships, and securing connections with professors who dominate tax practice (public and private) in Washington, D.C. Professors at GULC include present U.S. Tax Court judges and countless members from the Office of Chief Counsel and Department of Treasury (many from whom I received instruction). NYU v. GULC is a great choice to have. I am particularly pleased with the choice I made.