Tax Law Forum

[nooooo]

Interested in tax law, and I had a few questions.

- Does going to a school with a particularly higher rank in a Tax Law Program (USNWR) carry any weight (at all) relative to its standard ranking (USNWR)?

- Someone told me having an LLM is pretty much a requirement for Tax Law. Any validity to this statement?

[ph14]

Interested in tax law, and I had a few questions.

- Does going to a school with a particularly higher rank in a Tax Law Program (USNWR) carry any weight (at all) relative to its standard ranking (USNWR)?

- Someone told me having an LLM is pretty much a requirement for Tax Law. Any validity to this statement?

1. No.
2. I'm not sure of this personally, but I would browse some websites of big tax firms and see how many of them have LLMs or not. Check out: http://www.chambersandpartners.com/1278 ... torial/5/1 for a list of the big tax firms. But note that there are many, smaller and specialized firms that do great tax work as well, for example, Roberts & Holland, http://www.robertsandholland.com/.

[brotherdarkness]

.

[2014]

You are better off going to the best school you can get into, getting hired, and then talking to your firm about whether a tax LLM early in your career would be valuable. Particularly if you are looking at NY, all big firms have tax departments, and NYU is feasible as an evening program I believe.

[AntipodeanPhil]

I interviewed with firms throughout the v50 this year and asked about LLMs. Most of the partners seemed mildly opposed to them - some even a little upset that younger associates were getting them. At best, they didn't care.

A couple of times partners told me they think people get them to improve their resumes (i.e., just to get NYU or Georgetown on their resumes).

You might get a different response outside the v50, though. I've noticed they seem much more common in some firms and regions than in others.

[nealric]

I am a tax lawyer with an LLM.

1. Generally, you want the school that gives you the best shot at big law. Even if you do something else later (I am in house now), big law is by far the best option starting out. However, a strong tax program is a good reason to pick Georgetown over Cornell or NYU over Chicago.

2. Opinions vary. I got mine because firms were deferring start dates after I graduated. Many firms will pay for NYU part time. It's not a good idea to try to use an LLM to make up for a mediocre JD. I thought I came in with a bit of a head start as a result of my LLM, but I wouldn't tell anyone that it is mandatory.