Hello all - I was wondering if anyone had input on my situation.

I just graduated from Northwestern (about the middle of my JD class), and I'm interested in doing an LLM in Intellectual Property. I've been accepted by everyone I've heard from, and I'm leaning towards GWU. However, I'm wondering if that fact that GWU is less well-regarded from Northwestern will actually decrease my pedigree, rather than increasing it. In other words, will I actually be making myself less marketable?

Funny you should ask this question, as I was having a similar dilemma recently.

I just finished a J.D. at Michigan last December, and thought about starting an L.L.M. in Real Property this fall at the U. of Miami. I wondered if the Miami degree would "tarnish" my Michigan pedigree. My conclusion - no way.

You have a Northwestern J.D. - nobody can ever take that away from you. And the L.L.M. just means that you have another year of specialized education that your peers don't. I think as long as you can explain why you chose GWU, it shouldn't hurt you. In my case, it's easy - only Miami and John Marshall offer an L.L.M. in Real Property (obviously, Miami is the better school). Also, I plan to settle permanently in Miami after I graduate.

So I guess my message is - think about why you are choosing GWU. As long as you have a good answer, the L.L.M. can only help you. Good luck.