Top LLM Programs in the USA 2019

The University of South Wales’s LLM course offers you a flexible approach to postgraduate study, where you can tailor your Master’s programme to suit your specific needs and career aspirations. You can explore a broad range of legal subjects, including commercial law, international trade law, competition law, employment law and intellectual property law.

The course aims to:

The LL.M. degree program consists of 24 credits hours of study and can normally be completed in a year, although a part-time option is available for domestic students in the LL.M. in Dispute Resolution program.

The highly selective nature of the programs allows students to individualize their plan of study in light of their specific needs and interests. Applicants come from a variety of walks of life and from a wide array of countries.

Established in 1999 as the first of its kind in the United States, the Mizzou LL.M. in Dispute Resolution is designed to assist lawyers and other dispute resolution professionals develop a deeper and broader understanding of the role that conflict plays in society, and of better ways to manage conflict through the design and implementation of appropriate, effective and fair dispute resolution processes.... [-]

Scholarships: All admitted students will be considered for merit-based scholarships at the time of application.

Classes: LL.M. students create their own program of study and take classes with their J.D. student colleagues.

Start Date: Spring or Fall

Eligibility: To qualify, students must demonstrate that they:

The general LL.M. program offers law graduates an opportunity to broaden their backgrounds in certain specialized areas of law by enrolling in advanced courses and seminars and by engaging in specialized research. Although the School of Law awards no specific subject designated LL.M. degrees under this program, most students seeking this degree concentrate in areas such as corporate and commercial law, international law, legal practice and procedure, natural resources law, or property law.

To receive the general LL.M. degree the student must meet all of the following requirements:

(A) Residence in the School of Law for no fewer than two terms if a full-time student and no fewer than three terms if a part-time student.... [-]

The LLM (Master of Laws) Program at the William S. Richardson School of Law is a one-year course of study of the U.S. legal system. If you have a law degree, or will soon graduate with a law degree, you may apply for the Program. The Program runs from August to mid-May. Our Program will help to enhance your legal English skills and understanding of American legal culture while providing you with the opportunity to interact daily with excellent American law students and faculty in a warm and friendly environment.

Our Master of Laws (LLM) focuses on the U.S. legal system for internationally-educated lawyers.

The full-time, one-year LLM is ideal for international:

This new specialized LLM will help students understand the laws and policies that shape international commerce and trade from a global perspective.

Courses will cover topics in business organizations, global regulatory policy, international trade policy, and international business transactions.

Students will learn negotiation and cross-border transactional law, in addition to the organizational and compliance aspects of servicing globally engaged clients.... [-]

Mitchell Hamline’s LL.M. introduces foreign law graduates to the legal system of the United States. The program brings together a global community of lawyers who receive the specialized training and education they need to practice law and compete on an international level. LL.M. students attend classes with Mitchell Hamline J.D. students, choosing courses and seminars that reflect their individual practice interests.

A one of a kind, practice-oriented tax law program.

The Graduate Tax Program at the University of California, Irvine School of Law offers an innovative curriculum that instills students with both the doctrinal depth and the practical skills needed to practice tax law at the highest levels, in the United States or abroad.

The Graduate Tax Program aims to produce graduates who are prepared for careers as tax attorneys, judges, tax administrators and policy advocates, as well as markedly enhance the tax skills of those who are already members of the tax profession.

In designing its innovative curriculum, the program’s founding tax faculty consulted tax practitioners, government administrators, tax policy advocates and other industry experts to develop a world-class educational experience at one of the premier law schools in the United States. At the center of the curriculum is a mandatory practical tax skills requirement, which is completed through tax externships, tax clinics, or specially designed tax classes. Ours is the only program in the United States that makes practical tax skills an inherent, mandatory part of the academic curriculum.... [-]

The Cybersecurity & Data Privacy LLM Specialization at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles offers students a slate of classes and experiential learning opportunities to prepare them for the evolving legal demands presented by emerging technology. The first of its kind on the West Coast, this specialization draws on Loyola’s traditional strengths in areas like technology, criminal justice, data privacy, and IP law.

The Cybersecurity & Data Privacy LLM Specialization features professors and practitioners with unique expertise in the spheres of Silicon Beach, cybercrime law enforcement and engineering and it capitalizes on the expertise of national security and related sectors based in Los Angeles. The specialization integrates the range of already existing cybersecurity classes, including Cyber & IP Crimes, IP in the Digital Age, and Technology & Privacy, and it includes brand new courses such as Incident Response & Investigation, and Cybersecurity & Regulatory Compliance.... [-]

This innovative LL.M. program is designed to offer in-depth instruction on the critical issue of our time: the protection of human dignity across political, social, economic, and cultural lines. Lawyers, government officials, teachers, human rights activists, and businessmen and women with a commitment to human rights and social justice are invited to St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami to pursue an advanced degree in one of the most dynamic fields of international law: intercultural human rights.

The excellence of instruction emanating from world-renowned faculty from the United Nations and eminent centers of scholarship creates a highly stimulating learning environment and promises the most challenging academic experience of your career. Notable guest lecturers include:... [-]

The LLM in Comparative Law program is specifically designed for attorneys and law school graduates educated outside of the United States.

Candidates for the LLM in Comparative Law are enrolled in two required courses, Introduction to U.S. Law and Legal Writing and Research. Except for these two required courses, candidates in the Comparative Law program choose their courses from the same curriculum as JD students and other LLM students.

Students whose native language is not English are also eligible to receive extra time on examinations and the use of a translating dictionary, provided they submit a TOEFL/IELTS score at the time of admission.... [-]

The LL.M. Program at Penn State’s Dickinson Law gives students and lawyers trained outside of the U.S. a high-level understanding of the American legal system. The program’s foundational courses introduce you to our unique analytic methodologies.

To ensure that we can provide hands-on training for our students, Dickinson Law has capped each LL.M. cohort at 20 students. This intentionally small class size ensures that students receive focused attention from faculty, guarantees ample opportunities to learn in practice settings, and fulfills the law school’s promise to best position its students to secure employment in a competitive marketplace.

The LL.M. program is a 24-credit, one academic year course of study. Students must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester and may enroll in no more than 17 credits per semester. The program’s foundational courses introduce you to our unique analytic methodologies. Students then may choose courses from our “Lawyer As …” curriculum divided by specialized fields of study, and create personalized tracks based on areas of interest.... [-]

Effective post-J.D. legal study provides the opportunity to explore areas of the law in more depth through a customized curriculum taught by leading experts in a stimulating academic environment. At Southwestern Law School, we offer an outstanding Master of Laws (LL.M.) program that fulfills that promise.

Southwestern’s flexible General LL.M. Program in Individualized Studies is designed for students who have already earned a law degree in the United States or abroad and would like to extend their legal studies in line with their own personal and professional goals.

As a student in Southwestern’s LL.M. program, you can create your own curriculum from a selection of over 150 courses focused in the area of law that will be of the most benefit to you. Over a quarter of our faculty have international experience. The LL.M. degree requires 24 credit hours of post-J.D. coursework and may be completed on either a full-time or part-time basis and may begin in fall or spring.... [-]

The Wake Forest Law University School of Law LL.M. degree program is designed primarily for international lawyers and students who hold a first degree in law from their home countries and desire to enhance their legal careers by studying the laws of the United States. Program features include:

The LLM in Transnational Business Practice trains lawyers to practice in the field of international business law. The degree further prepares lawyers for a career in the global economy.

A program highlight is an access to the McGeorge Global Center for Business & Development, which stands at the interface between the global economy and the legal profession. The Global Center facilitates scholarship and curricular innovation and hosts a number of international events every year.