| Topic Name: |
Australian lawyers |
| Message Name: |
Tax - skip it |
| Date Posted: |
01/19/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
I'm at MSJ and I went to Melbourne Uni. law school. Where are you working in the U.S? Also, if I choose to spend another year here which practice area would you recommend. I'm interested in tax - particularly, international tax. This is for two reasons: Firstly, it's legally interesting and challenging. Secondly, setting up tax effective corporate structures and transactions seems strategic and creative. From my own experience with a small business that does make profits (and therefore pays taxes) I think tax skills are extremely valuable. And as corporations continue to be "global" international tax planning will be highly sought after. But what do you think? |
| Message: |
if going to NY, that is. The US tax-people tend to be very well-trained in specific areas, and the top NY firms have their pick of tax LLMs - the NYU tax LLM being very highly regarded and on their doorstep!
Melb Uni now has two tax LLMs - like NYU, one with a domistic focus, one with an international focus. But you seem unwilling to do it (not that it matters to a NY firm - tax isn't desperate for people at the moment). What do people there (Aust) think of these LLMs - would you be able to take 9 months off to complete one, and ask for a years standing?
If you were the person who posted re: VC and MBA part-time, you have some problems. You will have great difficulty completing a night-time MBA while at a NY firm - don't even try, even if someone assures you they did it! There are only so many hours in a day. Americans who want that route do a combined JD/MBA, shaving a year off the MBA.
You seem to have little focus at the moment - VC or tax? They're not incompatible, but hardly ideal bed-partners! You still have a year or so to think things over and choose a route (first year won't set your life in concrete if you want to change groups at the end of it).
Be very cautious about raising VC ideas in an interview. Also, brush up on general communication - there is a tendency towards naivety creeping into your comments 'From my own experience with a small business that does make profits (and therefore pays taxes) I think tax skills are extremely valuable'.
Not a complete answer, but the gist is - where do YOU see yourself in five years time? I guess, in a VC firm, in which case I am less able to offer advice, and you are better off checking through all the 'JD into VC' topics on the VC board, as well as running a general search of 'JD' or 'lawyer' in the VC board.
|
|
