Law Global Legal Practice, LLM
The LL.M. program is designed for students who obtained their degrees in law from universities outside the United States.
Nebraska LL.M. students attend their courses side-by-side with J.D. students.
LL.M. students may choose to focus their studies in a particular area of law and interest. Nebraska Law has faculty specializing in a wide array of practice areas and a large selection of courses each semester. Popular choices include courses in the areas of International Law, Intellectual Property Law, Business Transactions, or Litigation. Please note, because the program is only two semesters LL.M. students are unable to receive a formal certificate of concentrated study, but may register for the courses specific to their interests.
LL.M. students are also eligible for externship experiences at the Directors approval. Externships provide students with an opportunity to put the legal knowledge that they have acquired into practice while earning academic credit. The College has multiple established externships, but students also have the opportunity to set up externships that better suit their needs and interests. Externships are experiential learning opportunities that give students practical experiences for academic credit. Similar to job shadowing, externs are closely supervised by attorneys who will walk them through day-to-day routines at the company or organization. The experience allows students to apply their coursework learning to a real life setting.
A minimum of 24 credits is required to complete the LL.M. in Global Legal Practice program. All of these credits must be obtained at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
To complete the LL.M. degree, students also must meet the following requirements:
- Complete a program of courses approved by the Academic Director of the program.
- Complete (or be excused from) the required courses (see list below).
- Receive a grade of C or higher in all courses applied toward the LL.M. degree at the Law College.
The 24 credits of study must include satisfactory completion of the following required courses:
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
LAW 702 | Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Constitutional Principles for LL.M. Students 1 | 1 |
LAW 513 | Legal Analysis, Writing and Research (LAWR) | 3 |
LAW 790 | Legal Profession | 3 |
LAW 518 | International Perspectives in U.S. Legal System: Practicing Law in a Global Legal Environment | 2 |
- 1
Typically be offered during the week prior to the start of the fall semester.
LL.M. students select the remaining 16 credit hours from the J.D. Curriculum. LL.M. students are eligible to take first-year (1L) courses however we suggest LL.M. students also review the upperclass curriculum. Note, some state Bar Exams require courses in the core exam areas.
LL.M. students may choose to focus their studies in a particular area of law and interest. Nebraska Law has faculty specializing in a wide array of practice areas and a large selection of courses each semester. Popular choices include courses in the areas of International Law, Intellectual Property Law, Business Transactions, or Litigation. Please note, because the program is only two semesters LL.M. students are unable to receive a formal certificate of concentrated study, but may register for the courses specific to their interests.
Students who have taken comparable courses at other institutions as part of their basic law training may be excused from required courses at the discretion of the Academic Director of the program. A student who is not required to complete one or more of the required courses must still complete a minimum of 24 hours of course work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to complete the LL.M. program.
Admission to the Program
Applicants to the LL.M. program must meet the following requirements:
- The applicant must have
- taken the Test of English as a Foreign Language (“TOEFL”) and obtained a score of 90 or greater on the internet-based test, with no subscore below 20;
- taken the TOEFL computer based exam and obtained a score of 233; or
- taken the TOEFL paper-based exam and obtained a score of 577.
In the discretion of the Academic Director and the Executive Director, an applicant may submit, in lieu of one of these minimum TOEFL scores, a score from the International English Language Testing System (“IELTS”) or any other test of English, and the Academic Director and Executive Director will determine whether the score indicates sufficient proficiency in English. Furthermore, in the discretion of the Academic Director and Executive Director, an applicant may not need to submit any score of a test of English if the applicant received all of his or her legal education in English and was tested exclusively in English.
- The applicant must
- already have a degree in law from a non-U.S. law school (such as a university degree from a Faculty of Law, or an LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) or LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree),
- be enrolled in such a law degree program of a non-U.S. law school and expect to receive the degree prior to actual enrollment in the LL.M. program, or
- have completed, by the date of enrollment in the LL.M. program, at least three years of study in law, and expect his or her law degree program (which may include the receipt of an advanced law degree from the applicant’s home institution in addition to the basic law degree) to last five years or more, including a year of study at the College of Law;
- The applicant must complete an interview, either in-person or through an internet- based video communication program, such as Skype, if his or her TOEFL internet-based (or comparable) score is below 100 or if the Academic Director has requested an interview for any other reason;
- The applicant must complete and submit a written application and pay a $50 application fee;
- The applicant must submit two letters of recommendation written in English;
- The applicant must include with the written application a statement in English of why he or she desires to obtain the LL.M. degree; and
- The applicant must provide certified foreign academic transcripts confirming his or her foreign law degree via the Law School Admissions Council (“LSAC”) Credential Assembly Service (“CAS”).
As just indicated, students currently enrolled in a foreign law degree program may apply before receiving their actual degree so long as:
- they will have obtained their degree before enrollment in the LL.M. program, or
- by the date of enrollment in the LL.M. program they will have completed at least three years of study in law, and their law degree program (which may include the receipt of an advanced law degree from their home institution in addition to the basic law degree) is expected to last five years or more, including their year of study at the College of Law.
In case (1) above, such students must submit certified foreign transcripts of their law school records through the LSAC CAS with their application, and upon successful completion of their foreign law degree, must submit through CAS their final certified academic transcripts. Their enrollment will be conditional on provision of this proof of successful completion of a law degree from a non-U.S. law school.
In case (2) above, such students must submit certified foreign transcripts of their law school records through the LSAC CAS with their application. Their enrollment will be conditional on provision of proof of successful completion of at least three years of law study at a non-U.S. law school and their intent to return to their home institution to complete a law study program that is expected to last five years or more, including their year of study at the College of Law. Their enrollment will also be conditional on approval by the Dean of the College of Law.
Admissions decisions will be made by an LL.M. in Global Legal Practice Admissions Committee (“Admissions Committee”) that will be composed of the Academic Director in addition to the same faculty members who serve on the Admissions Committee for the LL.M. in Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law.
Tuition and fees are the same as the tuition and fees for out-of-state J.D. students.
For more information, contact:
Brian Lepard
Harold W. Conroy Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of LL.M. Program in Global Legal Practice
Phone: (402) 472-2179
E-Mail: blepard@unl.edu