Hi there,

Great resource here. I've been looking around here off and on for a few months. Essentially, looking for employment opportunities with larger organizations, building on skills I have in business and real estate matters. Here are the facts:

Thinking of an LLM in Ca (Loyola, Chapman, USD, or GGU) or an MST at GGU to create career opportunities. I'm admitted in CA and want to stay here.

Practicing business/real estate lawyer for 10 years at small firms and solo practice in CA

Graduated late 1990s from Top 50 Law School. Average grades. Passed Fed Income Tax and B+ in business planning. Practicing commercial lawyer for 10 years but no accounting background.

Not certain what path want to follow, whether it is a boutique law firm handling a mix corporate/partnership issues some tax planning or change gears and head into a financial institution and do wealth management for example.

I realize BIGlaw is out, but with the LLM would IRS work be a possibility at age 39-40, accounting firms? What are chances of joining a respected local firm with the LLM in tax? Would the MST and heading into the business world be a good plan? (The MST at GGU is well respected and seems to be taught in a more practical approach, more code and reg driven then case law--could be more interesting)

Your thoughts on good options at this stage-mid-career are appreciated. Thank you.

Hey dealio -

I would post this on the career forum at taxtalent.com. You are likely to get more responses and better advice on that site. Good luck.

I'm finishing my Tax LLM at Loyola and would not recommend it. USC's masters of business taxation is a much more thorough program with better faculty. If your heart isn't set on an LLM, I would do the MBT. You will need to take the GMAT.

Golden Gate University is a joke.

Golden Gate University has a very good law school. It doesn't have the money to compete with some of the large institutions. Still, it was ranked "Best LLM Program in Calif" by the Recorder (ahead of Berkeley, Hastings, and Stanford) legal newspaper; in the top 10 LLM Tax programs in the country by TaxTalent, in the top 20 in the country for practical training by National Jurist, and #11 in the country for diversity by US News & World Report. The professors are all phenomenal and of course it is in San Francisco!!!