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The John Marshall Law School's LLM Program in Global Legal Studies satisfies the needs of two applicant groups. First, John Marshall provides a flexible program for those wishing to deepen their knowledge of specific areas of law, yet who either cannot find a graduate program focusing on those areas, or find such programs too restrictive in possible course selection. Second, John Marshall provides an expansive curriculum in United States and international law for those wishing to broaden their scope of legal knowledge.
Many graduate programs in law permit students to take only a few courses outside a tightly-defined subject area. Although this arrangement is fine for the specialist who has found the perfect program, it may be too restrictive for many lawyers who wish to pursue graduate studies. In particular, those who wish to study a defined subject in law, yet want the freedom to take a number of other courses, will find John Marshall's program of interest.
In John Marshall's LLM Program in Global Legal Studies, students are permitted to choose from a large selection of courses in United States and international law, combining them in a way that suits each student's individual interests and abilities. This is possible because each student, with the approval of the Program's Director and Associate Director, is free to choose from almost the full range of John Marshall's extensive undergraduate and graduate law curricula. Since The John Marshall Law School is one of the largest law schools in the United States, those curricular offerings are likewise large.
Thus, one graduate student might concentrate on labor and employment law; another, on U.S. constitutional law and individual human rights; yet a third, on commercial and international business law. In pursuit of these concentrations, each student would be required to takeIntroduction to the U.S. Legal System,Comparative Legal Studies, andLawyering Skills for Foreign Lawyers, the LLM Program's three required courses. Each student would consult with the Director to design an individual schedule of additional courses in his or her chosen field.
John Marshall offers an additional advantage to those foreign lawyers who want to pursue interests in tax law or intellectual property law: the Law School offers graduate law degree programs in both fields. If a student truly wishes to specialize in these fields, that student can enter those programs directly. If, however, a student wishes to take some, but not most, of his or her coursework in those fields, that student can enter the LLM Program in Global Legal Studies, take as many of the specialized tax or intellectual property law courses as appropriate, and graduate with a general LLM Degree. For the non-specialist with an interest in those fields, this may be the ideal arrangement.
In short, John Marshall's LLM Program in Global Legal Studies offers academic flexibility, individualized structure, and the many other advantages of a large, urban US law school.
Requirements for Admission to the LLM Program in Global Legal Studies
Enrollment in the LLM Program inGlobal Legal Studies is open to members of a foreign bar or graduates of a foreign law school. No members of the bar in any U.S. jurisdiction or graduates of a U.S. law school may enroll. Applicants must present an acceptable score on the TOEFL. An acceptable score is 80 or higher on the Internet-based (iBT) TOEFL exam with a minimum score of 20 on the writing section. The director reserves the right to waive the TOEFL requirement for applicants whose English language skills are sufficiently developed to the academic requirements of the program. Additional admission information can be found in The John Marshall Law School Catalog.
Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Laws in the Global Legal Studies Graduate Program
A Master of Laws Degree (LLM) in Global Legal Studies is conferred upon successful completion of a minimum of 24 semester hours of course work, including all required courses, with a final cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher. Candidates intending to complete their requirements with an externship or an independent thesis project should obtain, at the beginning of the relevant semester, detailed instructions from the director. All of the requirements of the LLM Degree should be completed within five years. Students are encouraged to complete the program as quickly as possible consistent with their time constraints.
Tuition, Expenses, and Other Information
Tuition
Tuition for the first semester must be paid in full upon enrollment. For the 2009-2010 academic year, tuition is $1,260 per credit hour. Further information can be found in The John Marshall Law School Catalog. Tuition and fees are subject to change. Please contact the law school for current information.
Financial Aid for Non-U.S. Students
Generally, students from other countries must expect to make their own financial arrangements to cover the costs of their education and living expenses while attending John Marshall. Foreign applicants should consider obtaining the necessary resources from personal or family funds, banks or other lending institutions in their home jurisdictions, and grant-giving organizations.
The John Marshall Law School does not have special scholarship funds available for foreign students nor are foreign students (other than certain classes of resident aliens) generally eligible for federally guaranteed student loans.*
Students wishing to research available scholarships and grants should consider studying the information provided by International Educational Financial Aid at http://www.iefa.org/
*International students are not eligible for federal student loans, but there are some private educational loan programs that may be able to assist you. Private loans for international students generally require that a U.S. Citizen co-sign the loan. For further information on these loans, please contact the Financial Aid Office
Yara Santana
Director, Financial Aid
(312) 427-2737, ext. 454
6santanay@jmls.edu
Housing and Living Expenses
All students are responsible for making their own housing arrangements and for paying for all of their own housing and living expenses. Officials of the law school will be pleased to assist incoming graduate students in locating appropriate housing. Estimated housing costs vary widely, depending upon the accomodations desired. Coursebooks will be an additional expense.
Proof of Immunization
Proof of immunization against certain communicable diseases may be required of certain enrolled students under section 694 of title 77 of the Illinois Administrative Code.
English Language Proficiency
Whenever necessary, the Director may require any foreign graduate student to undertake additional formal study of the English language, as a condition of continuing in the graduate program. A number of programs in English as a Second Language are available locally.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Paul B. Lewis, Director
Director, Center for International Law
Global Legal Studies LLM Program
Telephone: (312) 427-2737, ext 556
E-mail: 7lewis@jmls.edu
Virginia M. Russell
Associate Director, Center for International Law
Global Legal Studies LLM Program
Telephone: (312) 987-1443
E-mail: 6russell@jmls.edu
Silvia Rodriguez
Director of Graduate Admission
and InternationalEducation Services
Telephone: 312.360.2658
E-mail: srodrigu@jmls.edu
If you have questions about this site, please contact the Global Legal Studies web coordinator.
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