Master of Laws Courses (LLMLW)

To develop a good foundation for the LL.M. student's other course work, this course introduces the United States court system, the role of the Constitution in the United States legal system, and other foundation materials in United States law. The goal is to introduce students to distincitive aspects and/or fundamental principles in U.S. law. Enrollment in this course is limited to LL.M. candidates.

This course explores U.S. common law analytic methods and discourse. Students will analyze cases and statutes to solve client problems. Students will draft objective memoranda and other documents to communicate their legal analysis in writing. Students will also learn the basics of U.S. legal research.

Building on the LL.M. Legal Analysis, Writing and Research course, students will develop common law communication and research skills in the persuasive writing/advocacy context. Students will also develop effective client letter writing skills in a U.S. legal setting. The final portion of the course will contract drafting.

This course introduces students to fundamental concepts of U.S. common law analysis and methods. The course will explore the role cases play within a common law system, including how they interact with other sources of law, as well as the methods common law lawyers use to analyze cases. Students will apply this knowledge to solve real legal problems while at the same time building language skills for clear legal communications.

This course provides LL.M. students with the framework for developing a thesis, conducting research and producing a significant scholarly paper. In an interactive workshop setting, students will discuss progress, and receive feedback from faculty and fellow students on: (1) identification and refinement of a thesis; (2) developing and implementing a research plan; (3) appropriate use of authority, including legal citation form; (4) developing and refining a critical perspective and scholarly argument. Exemplary papers selected by faculty may be published in the law school's digital repository.

This course will examine the roles of the U.S. executive, legislative and judicial branches in determining the limits of individual and civil rights under the U.S. Constitution. It will also introduce LLM-level international students to analytical methods commonly used by U.S. lawyers with a focus on U.S. constitutional law. The goals of the course are to introduce students to U.S. constitutional law and to provide them with the analytical and English language skills necessary to succeed in a U.S. law school.

This course will examine common forms of businss entities in the U.S. and the legal structure in which the entities operate. The course will introduce commercial law frequently encountered in business, including sales, negotiable instruments, and secured transactions. The course will require analysis of case law and statutory interpretation.

Students will address a hypothetical investment scenario from beginning to end. Various stages of client counseling will attach to the proposed facts. Lawyers will consult with clients and among themselves. The transborder character of the deal will yield a strong need for arbitration. Students will be asked to draft an arbitration agreement and organize an arbitral proceeding. Students will be assigned to competing groups.

A class in which students will eventually write a statutory framework for the legal regulation of arbitral proceedings, contracts, and awards. The major phases of the arbitral process will be addressed in all of the statutory frameworks: contract freedom, the arbitrator's adjudicatory powers, the right of arbitrators to rule on the validity of their own jurisdiction, and the function of courts in terms of arbitration. The groups will assess existing laws on arbitration: the UNCITRAL Model Law, the 1996 UK Arbitration Act, the French statutory provisions on arbitration, and the Federal Arbitration Act. Discussions among groups will focus upon the drawbacks of existing regimes and the means of perfecting the regulation of arbitration.

This course is designed to teach students to think, write and speak like a lawyer and to introduce them to legal practice through field trips to courts, etc.

This course introduces students to a framework for pre-writing and analyzing a client problem. The course will assist students in developing reading comprehension skills, case briefing skills, legal analysis and synthesis skills, increased proficiency in Legal English, and basic research and citation skills.

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts of U.S. legal analysis and helps them develop essential skills for success in case analysis courses. The course is structured as a companion course to Criminal Law, introducing students to the use of case briefs, exam-writing skills, and outlines while helping students develop faster reading speeds and techniques for focusing their reading and listening. The course uses hypotheticals and client problems to build students' legal analysis skills gradually over the course of the semester.

This course introduces students to fundamental concepts of U.S. common law analysis and methods. The course will explore the function of case law within a common law system. Students will consider how judicial opinions interact with other sources of law, and the methods common law lawyers use to analyze cases. Students will apply this knowledge to legal problems and build English language skills for clear legal communication.

The course is structured as a companion course to Constitutional law, introducing students to the use of case briefs, exam-writing skills, and outlines while helping students develop faster reading speeds and techniques for focusing their reading and listening.

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