Frequently Asked Questions From Prospective Tax LL.M. Candidates

1. What are the employment opportunities with an NYU School of Law LL.M. degree?
Students obtain a graduate degree for a variety of reasons and your individual background will determine, in part, the level of opportunity available to you following the completion of an LL.M.  It is difficult to make a career diagnosis without understanding your background and, for this very reason, once you start your studies at NYU, LL.M. career counselors are available to help assess your goals, strengths, and to develop an individualized job search strategy.  Typical reasons for obtaining the LL.M. include the following:

The LL.M. degree opens doors for many students, but cannot be counted on completely to change one’s background.  Personal factors such as your J.D. institution, prior experience, and academic performance, coupled with your professional goals and the current job market, determine your odds of securing an offer.

2. How many employers contact NYU School of Law for LL.M. in Taxation Candidates?
The total number of employers interviewing LL.M. in Taxation students on campus has remained high over the past several years, with more employers interviewing in the Spring semester. 

In addition, NYU participates in the Taxation Interview Program in consortium with Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, each February.  This program typically hosts between 60 and 70 interview schedules. 

Employers participating in on-campus interviews and the Taxation Interview Program come from around the country, with the majority being from New York and Washington, DC.

For those employers unable to visit campus or the Taxation Interview Program, we offer a Job Listing Service, which allow employers worldwide to receive resumes of qualified candidates directly from individual candidates.  We also distribute a Resume Directory of Tax LL.M. candidates to a wide range of employers across the country.

3. How do students in the graduate division obtain jobs?
Students obtain employment in a variety of ways including: networking, the Taxation Interview Program, the Tax Clerkship program, individual mailings, On-Campus Interviews, NYU’s job listings, and referrals.  The most frequently reported sources of employment (i.e., the way in which a student initially learned of or made contact with the employer) are the NYU On-Campus Interview Program, the Taxation Interview Program, and targeted mail campaigns (self-initiated contact with the employer).  During the fall and spring semesters, the Office of Career Services provides career planning seminars, individual counseling, panels, and workshops on all aspects of the job search.  The success of a student’s efforts strongly correlates to his or her performance at NYU, utilization of resources available through the OCS, and traditional job-search approaches outside of the OCS office.  There is no specific or foolproof means for obtaining a position; the approaches vary and should reflect each student’s individual ambitions and qualifications.  The OCS works with students to provide the tools for success in the legal market and determine a job search strategy that best suits each individual’s needs.

We are able to provide employment statistics for those LL.M. students who are in contact with our office.  However, there are a number of students who have or find employment without coming into contact with the OCS, so please be aware that the following statistics do not reflect the employment statistics of the Program as a whole.  (Each year, approximately 120-150 students are in the Program, and approximately 90-120 register with and use the services of the OCS).  Each year, approximately 75-80% of Tax LL.M.s registered with the OCS find employment before graduation from the Program.  Those graduates who do not obtain employment upon graduation typically find employment in the next few months. 

4. When do Tax LL.M.s usually obtain jobs?
The demand for graduate students, particularly those pursuing specialized degrees, is not seasonal and the OCS receives notices of job openings throughout the year.  The job search will not be limited to the Fall or Spring seasons, but will involve year-round effort on the part of the student and may extend beyond the completion of the LL.M. program. A small percentage of students obtain their jobs in the Fall, however, most students obtain positions in the Spring.  A large number of employers, particularly firms in New York City and Washington, D.C., wait until a student completes at least one semester of academic work at NYU.  Accordingly, these employers may treat a Fall interview as a brief meeting to be reviewed in the Spring.  Others, however, make offers based upon a student’s J.D. credentials.  Some cities/states hire all candidates in the Fall and students are advised to initiate contact with employers in these cities very early.

5. Where do LL.M. in Taxation graduates work?
The vast majority of Taxation LL.M. graduates work in private practice at law firms (approximately 60-70% each year), followed by judicial clerkships at the Tax Court (approximately 4-6 students each year), government (approximately 7-10% each year), and public accounting firms (ranges approximately 5-15% each year).   Increasingly, students are exploring a wider range of opportunities, including management consulting, law teaching, investment banking, and in-house opportunities at corporations.  Corporations usually seek to hire attorneys with experience; therefore, very few corporations interview on campus or request resumes of entry-level graduates.   Graduates work throughout the U.S. and overseas. 

6. Are there opportunities to work overseas?
We receive frequent requests for internationally-trained attorneys to return to their home country and some requests each year for U.S.-trained interns to work in foreign firms or foreign satellite offices of U.S. firms on a short-term basis.  We also receive listings for permanent positions overseas.  These positions are usually obtained by working with a U.S. firm abroad.  Opportunities often become available once an associate begins working in a U.S. office of a firm with offices abroad.

7. What are considered “respectable” grades in the LL.M. program?
Academic performance in an LL.M. program is an integral component of hiring decisions and grading is based on a competitive bell-curve (wherein the vast majority of students receive grades in the mid-range, few students receive “below-average” and few students receive “outstanding” marks).  The NYU degree alone will not get you a job.  For the most part, New York City firms prefer students with a B+ average or higher from the LL.M. in Taxation program.  Students who are accepted to the LL.M. program are familiar with this grading curve prior to starting their LL.M.  However, keep in mind that students who are accepted to NYU usually graduate in the top 25% of their J.D. classes and, therefore, the level of competition increases.  To achieve the abovementioned g.p.a., the student should expect to commit a great deal of time and effort to his or her studies.

8. As a part-time LL.M. student, may I use the Office of Career Services?
Yes, however PLEASE NOTE students must meet a credit requirement before receiving services.  A student has access to most services once he or she has completed 8 credits; all services become available once the student nears graduation and has completed 16 credits.  Please contact the OCS for a separate outline describing the services for part-time students if you are interested in learning more.

9. Will the LL.M. degree increase my salary?
Employers’ policies regarding “credit” for the LL.M. degree vary widely.  While employers sometimes award credit to LL.M. graduates, the majority do not give credit to graduates with no prior legal experience.  When credit is given, graduates typically begin as a second year associate, at the second year salary and corresponding credit toward partnership. (To estimate a second year salary, add approximately 7% to the first-year associate base salary.)  Please refer to the NALP Directory of Legal Employers (or www.nalpdirectory.com) for salary information. 

10. Am I better off in the full-time or part-time LL.M. Program?
If a student enters the LL.M. program with the intention of changing practice areas, he or she should strongly consider the full-time program as it demonstrates to employers a commitment to the change a field of practice.  Full-time students usually find it easier to secure employment because employers see that the coursework is completed in a concentrated time frame and know that students have established a network of contacts with other students that most part-time LL.M. candidates do not have the opportunity to build.  Employers may also assume that full-time students have more chance to internalize the material because their academic experience is not competing with concurrent professional responsibilities.

Again, thank you for your interest in New York University School of Law’s LL.M. program.  We look forward to continued contact should you join NYU School of Law!