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Overview of Studying Law in the US and Earning an LLM
- 1. An Overview for Foreign LLM Candidates Studying Law in the United States
- 2. Undergraduate Degree Law School Degree (J.D.) 3 years Bar Exam 2-3 days Quick Overview of American Legal Education
- 3. Statistics Law Schools: 201 Law Students: 139,260 Lawyers: 1,225,500 Lawyers per capita: 1 per 265 people • District of Columbia: 277 lawyers per 100,000 people • North Dakota: 4.4 per 100,000 Income (2012): • Median: $113,530 • Mean: $130,880 • Mean income of partners @ 200 largest firms: $681,000
- 4. Bar admission at state level • State requirements vary widely – In most states, individuals without a U.S. J.D. do not satisfy the minimum educational requirements for bar admission and are ineligible to take the bar exam. – In some, however, a foreign J.D.-equivalent is accepted, provided the student obtains a LL.M. degree from an accredited law school. – E.g., California: – “Law Students who received their first degree in law from a law school outside the United States must establish their eligibility to take the California Bar Examination by showing that their degree is equivalent to a Juris Doctor (JD) degree awarded by an American Bar Association (ABA) approved or California accredited law school in the United States and that they have successfully completed a year of law study at an ABA approved law school or a law school accredited by the Committee in the areas of law as outlined in the Committee’s ‘Guidelines for Implementation of Chapter 2, Rule 4.30 of the Admissions Rules.’” – In a few (esp. N.Y.), foreign law degrees from a jurisdiction whose law is “based upon the principles of the English Common Law” may sit for the bar without a LLM degree. Practicing Law in the United States With a non-U.S. Law Degree
- 5. Legal Employment Before Financial Crisis: Growth Plateaus
- 6. Demand for Legal Services, 1960 = 1 6 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 Legal Services as % GNP Federal District Court Filings Per Capita Source: Richard Sander, UCLA
- 7. Supply of Lawyers versus Demand for Legal Services, 1960-1 7 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 Legal Services as % GNP US Lawyers Per Capita Model of Licensed Lawyer Per Capita Source: Richard Sander, UCLA
- 8. Client pushback on costs continues Outsourcing to legal support service companies in low wage English-speaking countries (especially India) • Market growing at 30% per year since 2009 Probably a Permanent Shift 8 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 Legal Services as % GNP US Lawyers Per Capita Model of Licensed Lawyer Per Capita
- 9. Overall Business Law Int’l Litigation Tax Weston Ivy LLM Program Rankings 1. Harvard 2. Columbia 3. NYU 4. Stanford 5. Berkeley 6. Penn. 7. Chicago 8. Georgetown 9. Duke 10. UCLA 1. Harvard 2. Columbia 3. Stanford 4. Penn 5. NYU 1. NYU 2. Harvard 3. Columbia 4. Georgetown 5. Berkeley 1. NYU 2. Florida 3. Georgetown 4. Northwestern 5. Miami 6. Boston Univ 7. Loyola-LA 8. San Diego 9. Villanova 10.Michigan
- 10. Nine months: August to May Twenty-two (22) units of credit, over two semesters, are required to obtain the LL.M. degree. Students may enroll in a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of fourteen (14) units per semester. Yes. LL.M. students create their own program of study from our selection of advanced course offerings, and take these classes alongside the Law School's Juris Doctor (J.D.) students. Yes. Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Law. International and Comparative Law. Four Business-related tracks: Bankruptcy. Business Law, Securities Regulation, Tax. Critical Race Studies. Law and Sexuality. Public Interest Law. $52,862.37 Substantial financial aid available Duration Minimum course load Will I study with JD students? Are there specializations? Cost? The UCLA LLM
- 11. Application Process Visa When? Applying Online application: http://www.law.ucla.edu/prospective-students/admission-information/llm- program/Pages/llm-application-procedures.aspx If you are an international student and accept UCLA's offer of admission, you will be subject to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regulations prior to entering the United States. You will be required to comply with health insurance and health coverage clearance rules and must be found eligible for a U.S. student visa before being permitted to register as a student in the LL.M. Program. Most international students enter the U.S. on an F-1 student visa. The application period for admission to the 2014-2015 LL.M. Program is now closed. The application for admission to the 2015-2016 LL.M. Program will be available in September 2014. • Admission decisions will be issued on a rolling basis through April 2015.
- 12. World Class Faculty • US News JD ranking: 16th • LLM Program: 10th World Class University • Times of London Higher Education World Reputation Rankings: 8th overall • # 2 Public University You get to live in Los Angeles Why UCLA?