Contacts:

Assistant Dean of Students & Dean of International Programs: Adi Altshuler
Associate Director of International Student Support:  Nell Novara
Program Office:  312-503-0795; international.programs@law.northwestern.edu 

Program Overview

The general LLM program offers outstanding graduates of foreign law schools an opportunity to expand their knowledge of American law and legal processes, continue their studies in international law, and engage in comparative legal research.  The required coursework focuses on the fundamental research, analysis, and drafting skills expected of U.S. trained lawyers, and introduces students to the history and principal characteristics of the American public and private law systems.  With the exception of the compulsory courses, LLM students are completely integrated with American JD students.

Bar Eligibility

Only some states permit foreign lawyers to take the bar examination, and each state has its own requirements as to prior legal education, coursework in a U.S. LLM program, and other matters. As such, the LLM program does not guarantee students that they will qualify to take the bar examination or practice law in the United States.  Eligibility, however, has been extended in the past in DC, New York, and California, dependent on meeting some specific criteria.  Please refer to the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements.

Program of Study

Beyond the required courses, LLM students are free to design their own program of study from the Law School's many upper-level courses and seminars, including commercial and corporate, international, constitutional, and human rights law.

Degree Requirements

¹

 LLM Students are not eligible for Practicum courses.

²

 LLM Students are not eligible for Clinic without the LLM Program Director's approval.

³

 Students (with well-defined topics) may request permission from the program director to pursue an individual research project for credit.

LLM Concentrations

Two concentrations are available for international students enrolled in the general LLM program:

• International Human Rights Law
• Tax Law

International Human Rights Law Concentration

Requirements

Students are required to complete a minimum of 10 credit hours of IHR coursework.

• All the courses are electives. There are no specific courses that are required to complete the concentration. Students are strongly advised to take International Human Rights Law and/or International Law courses, provided they are offered during the candidate’s degree period.

Tax Law Concentration

Requirements

Students are required to take a minimum of 10 credit hours of Tax coursework.

¹

None of the above representative courses are guaranteed to be offered in a particular year.

²

Students may take both Basic Federal Income Taxation and Taxation of Property Transactions, and both courses will count towards the 10 credit hours required to earn the concentration.

LLM Courses

The following courses are open only to International LLM students, excluding students in the Executive LLM programs.  Students in the general LLM program also choose electives from most of the courses found in the JD program.  Please note while every effort is made to ensure these lists are accurate, change is inevitable and courses may show alternate program restrictions at the time of scheduling.  Not all courses are offered each year.