Will Getting an LL.M. Degree Help My Legal Career?

I read your article on LL.M. degrees and was wondering if you thought my case would be a worthy exception. I have just been accepted into the Securities & Financial Regulation LL.M. at Georgetown. I am just looking for a slight bump from the LL.M. to enable me to get a job in a big firm or with the federal government.

Goals/reasons why I think the LL.M. might be worth it over the job offer:
1. Georgetown would slightly class up the resume. Top 10% at T40-50 is very different from someone at an unaccredited school thinking it will save the resume.

That's true-but the concept talked about in the article is the same. You are going from a regional law school to a national one. If you want to do securities, why not try to go to a law firm that does this work now?

2. DC would increase marketability to DC firms.

Corporate is not a large practice area in DC-most of the work is in NY and the Bay Area.

3. It would provide access to the Georgetown placement office.

True. But what are they going to do with you?

4. It would show an interest in Securities since I lack the undergraduate background.

Almost all securities work is learned on the job.

5. Securities is very specialized, similar to tax, and Georgetown has the best program in the nation.

Almost all securities work is learned on the job.

6. It provides access to Georgetown alum and adjunct professors who work at the SEC and Big Law.

This will likely not help.

7. It enables me to do an SEC internship prior to the start of the LLM, which is usually only available to 2L's.

True-but this is government and not private sector experience. They are different. The private sector typically values its own training and not government training.

8. It gives me a second bite at the apple for applying to fed honors programs which tend to take LLMs into great consideration and offer a higher pay grade.

If this is what you want to do it may be ideal.

9. My parents can cover housing and living expenses but I will be responsible for tuition costs.

That may be helpful and make it worthwhile.

See the following articles for more information:
 

• Is an L.L.M. Degree Worth It?
• The LLM Degree: Friend or Foe?
• How Valuable Is an LLM?