Hey, I am a lawyer from Angola and was admitted to SLS (IELBP) and CLS...

which one would you consider best for job purposes?

I am almost decided for CLS because of many factors (California's crisis; SLS more academic than "professional" as opposed to CLS; East coast generally better for job hunt; CLS has better rankin in international law; and I love NYC)...

I would appreciate some inputs. I shall decide until April 1..

Thank you all.
G

Hello Gaudio,

I am from Portugal but I will write in english to allow other board members to read in.

The job market in the NYC is pretty bad right now as you should know. On the other hand i've heard it's very hard for foreigners to get a legal job in California.

That said : both have a great reputation in the USA and outside the country as you know. I don't think one would make that much of a difference over the other (Stanford might be a little bit more prestigious because it's a little harder to get into).
I think Columbia would make more sense because of the location : you are closer to everything and that can save you a lot of hassles such as travelling long distances, etc.

In terms of the courses you can take I say pick Columbia. I suppose you're interested in Commercial / Business Law: in that subject area Columbia has a much wider course offering (actually it has a much wider course offering in all subject areas). I'm pretty sure you would be able to learn some things in Columbia that you wouldn't be able to in Stanford.

I reccomend that you check the course catalog of both law schools to better get my point.

Congratulations,

Zé

i would enroll at stanford law school. too bad, that they have rejected me.

Well said! Can't agree more.

One point to add: this is the first year of IELBP, which can be something like a trial period, good or bad, and it's too early to judge its quality (though Stanford Law is superb at large). Plus, I've noticed that Stanford has not hired professors particularly for this program, ie. the ratio of professor/student will be diluted through the three LLM programs (http://www.law.stanford.edu/news/details/3486/). Gook luck!

wld just add reference to an earlier discussion on the board below (Stanford vs Columbia). generally, believe Columbia is better...In terms of ratings, I made a reseach for my own purposes and looks like in international and comparative law Columbia is ranked 1st, while Stanford leads in Intellectual Property..

http://www.llm-guide.com/board/85803

I am a trainee lawyer from a top firm in Spain. From what they tell me here, the top brands are Harvard and Columbia. Unless one intend to study a specific field at University A or B...

Stanford has a little advantage over columbia. I would choose Stanford because of its class size, its beautiful campus and the location near san francisco. the stanford business school is also world class, too.

I am almost decided for CLS because of many factors (California's crisis; SLS more academic than "professional" as opposed to CLS; East coast generally better for job hunt; CLS has better rankin in international law; and I love NYC)...

Hey Gaudio,

Choose Stanford. Good luck!

If you love NYC, do not make yourself spend this year in Palo Alto -- the difference in prestige (if any) does not worth it.

I spoke to many friends of mine who have a US LLM and they all told me that the place where you live while studying is as important as a law school. What I understand is that NYC can not be compared to any other city in the US in terms of lifestyle, cultural events and other attractions. Also, I was told that one needs to "feel" NYC if he or she has plans to work there and the best way to "feel" it is to study there.

I wish I also could take the last argument into account but I will have to return to my home country after obtaining an LLM degree.