Our LLM program meets the needs of foreign-trained lawyers seeking knowledge of U.S. Law and to improve their legal skill set.
The Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University is a top-tier law school, with the number one faculty in terms of scholarly downloads. It offers international lawyers unparalleled education in the U.S. legal system. Students may choose from a comprehensive list of elective courses, to include those of personal interest or required to sit for a bar examination in the U.S.
Program Highlights
- Improve legal skills.
- Enhance ability to meet the academic qualifications required to take a U.S. bar exam. (Our U.S. Law LLM curriculum meets the requirements for California, Washington, and Washington DC Bar exams.)
- Bolster academic credentials and stand out to prospective legal employers.
- Improve career opportunities with law firms and corporations handling U.S. legal matters.
- Effectively handle legal work outsourced from the U.S.
- Earn a degree in as little as one year, or as long as three years.
Admissions
For information see: https://www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/llm/llm_uslaw/.
Policies
Standard & Online LLM in U.S. Law
All students must finish the degree requirements within five years of matriculation and be enrolled in at least two courses each fall and spring semester, unless granted a waiver or leave of absence. In order to remain in the LLM program, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.33 on a 4.33 scale at the end of each spring semester.
Please note: students on a F1 visa need to maintain a minimum of 9 credits in the fall and spring semesters to comply with visa requirements.
Flex-LLM in U.S. Law
The streamlined 28-credit program breaks classes into manageable 8-week increments and includes concurrent bar preparation services that are specifically designed to prepare you for the D.C. Bar exam.
Degree Requirements
Total credits: 26 or 28
LLM in U.S. Law (Residential)
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete 7 credits of required coursework: | 7 | |
| Intro to US Law | ||
| Economics for Lawyers | ||
| Professional Responsibility | ||
| Total Credits | 7 | |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 19 credits from the following: | 19 | |
| Administrative Law | ||
| Business Associations | ||
| Civil Procedure | ||
| Conflict of Laws | ||
| Const Law I-Structure of Gov't | ||
| Const Lw II:14th Amendment | ||
| Contracts I | ||
| Contracts II | ||
| Corporate Tax | ||
| Criminal Law | ||
| Crim Procedure: Investigation | ||
| Evidence | ||
| Family Law | ||
| Immigration Law | ||
| Income Tax | ||
| International Law | ||
| Jurisprudence | ||
| Intro to Lgl Res Writ | ||
| Legislation Statutory Interp | ||
| Perspctves on Regulation | ||
| Property | ||
| Sec Fin Insol I | ||
| Sales | ||
| Torts | ||
| Trusts Estates | ||
| Total Credits | 19 | |
LLM in U.S. Law (Online)
In order to graduate from the Online LLM in U.S. Law program, students must complete at least 26 credit hours, comprised of the core curriculum and electives.
There are 3 required courses for the Online LLM in U.S. Law. In addition to the 3 required courses, there are 13 elective options available to students. These courses also match-up with courses that provide eligibility for sitting for a bar examination in the United States. The footnotes below indicate the courses in the Online LLM in U.S. Law that are required to qualify for the Bar exams in Washington, California, and Washington, D.C.:
Required Courses
Students must complete ALL of the following required courses in order to earn their LLM degree; however, every required course may not be part of the qualification requirements for each state's Bar exam. The coursess required to qualify for each state's Bar exam are marked below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete 6 credits of required coursework: | 6 | |
| Intro to US Law | ||
| Economics for Lawyers | ||
| Professional Responsibility 1,2,3 | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Electives
Students must complete at lesat 20 credit hours' worth of the courses below in order to graduate from the LLM program. The courses required to qualify for each state's Bar exam are marked below. In the case of Washington, D.C., students will need to take an excess of 20 credit hours of electives in order to qualify for that district's Bar exam.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 20 credits from the following: | 20 | |
| Business Associations 2,3 | ||
| Civil Procedure 1,2,3 | ||
| Conflict of Laws 3 | ||
| Contracts I 2,3 | ||
| Criminal Law 2,3 | ||
| Evidence 2,3 | ||
| Income Tax | ||
| Intro to Lgl Res Writ 1 | ||
| Property 2,3 | ||
| Sec Fin Insol I 3 | ||
| Torts 2,3 | ||
| Trusts Estates 2,3 | ||
| Total Credits | 20 | |
- 1
These courses are required to qualify for the Washington state Bar exam. Students interested in qualifying for the Washington bar examination should familiarize themselves with the Washington requirements.
- 2
These courses are required to qualify for the California state Bar exam. Students interested in qualifying for the California bar examination should familiarize themselves with the California requirements. LAW 298 should be one of those four courses.
- 3
These courses are required to qualify for the Washington, D.C. bar exam. Students interested in qualifying for the Washington, D.C. bar examination should familiarize themselves with the Washington, D.C. requirements.
Flex-LLM in U.S. Law
Required Courses
The Flex-LLM in US Law makes you D.C. Bar eligible quickly. The streamlined 28-credit program breaks classes into manageable 8-week increments and includess concurrent bar preparation services that are specifically designed to prepare you for the D.C. Bar exam.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete 28 credits of coursework: | 28 | |
| Introduction to United States Law Professional Responsibility | ||
| Economics for Lawyers | ||
| Professional Responsibility | ||
| Course Pathway | ||
| Torts | ||
| Criminal Law | ||
| Property | ||
| Business Associations | ||
| Sec Fin Insol I | ||
| Civil Procedure | ||
| Evidence | ||
| Family Law | ||
| Constitutional Law (LLM only) | ||
| Contracts (LLM Only) | ||
| Trusts Estates | ||
| Intro to Lgl Res Writ | ||
| Total Credits | 28 | |
Practical Skills Track Option
Students enrolled in the U.S. Law LLM program at Scalia Law School may choose the Practical Skills Track to enhance their professional development and acquire hands-on practical legal experience. This skills-based program develops students’ workplace skills through the practical application of the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom.
Degree Requirements
In order to graduate with a U.S. Law LLM degree in the Practical Skills Track, students must be ready to complete a total of 28 credit hours (26 credits composed of the required and elective courses as listed in the U.S. Law LLM degree curriculum, plus 2 credits for the supervised externship seminar required of this track).
All LLM students in the Practical Skills Track shall complete a legal externship supervised by a licensed attorney in the United States in the second semester of LLM studies. Students are required to enroll in Law 320, Supervised Externship.
Student Rights & Responsibilities
- Students wishing to pursue the Practical Skills Track in their second semester of study must obtain a minimum 3.1 GPA in their first semester of study.
- No compensation may be received for work performed during the course of the supervised externship required by the Practice Skills Track.
- Externship work must be done under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney or judge (the “site supervisor”) and assignments must be substantive and legal or law-related in nature. Placements that do not meet these requirements shall not be approved.
- The student must work a minimum of 120 hours, which hours shall be structured in consultation with the site supervisor.
- Externship opportunities must be approved by both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Supervised Externship Professor in advance of the externship start date.
- The student must attend two of the four tutorials offered by the Supervised Externship Professor over the course of the semester.
- Prior to the start of the externship, a “Supervised Externship Volunteer Agreement” must be signed by the student and site supervisor and submitted to the Supervised Externship Professor. The agreement is available on the web or from the Office of the Director of Graduate Studies. If the person who initially signs the agreement does not act as the student’s primary supervisor, the student must get a new volunteer agreement signed by the primary supervisor and submitted to the professor as soon as feasible. Students who do not comply with these requirements may be dropped from the course.
- Each student must have a mid-semester consultation with the Supervised Externship Professor to discuss the externship and work being accomplished.
- At the end of the externship, the student must submit the following:
- time sheet showing the hours worked;
- sample of their written work product of any length (with the supervising attorney’s permission; redactions are acceptable to preserve confidentiality);
- written summary of the legal skills enhancement resulting from their field experience. The summary should be 2-3 pages in length and must include a description of: i. how the student found the externship opportunity; ii. the work accomplished in the program; iii. the skills developed through the program; iv. the extent and nature of the student’s interaction with and feedback from supervisors and other attorneys; v. any recommendations to future students interested in the same or a similar opportunity;
- The student must ensure that their site supervisor submits a timely evaluation by the end of the semester. An “incomplete” will remain on a student’s transcript until all of the above requirements have been met and the documents reviewed by the professor.
Procedure
Students are responsible for finding their own internship placement. The Director of Graduate Studies offers career counseling and support for students seeking these types of opportunities.
Students should schedule an appointment to meet with the Director for counseling during their first semester of LLM studies so that the externship search can be timely and potentially yield an offer by the end of the first semester.
Students interested in pursuing this track need to submit (1) their internship offer letter and (2) transcripts reflecting their first semester grades to Brian Benison, Director of Graduate Admissions and International Initiatives by email to bbenison@gmu.edu by the first day of classes of their second LLM semester at Scalia Law.
Students who meet the necessary requirements will be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies to register for the LLM Externship Seminar. Once approval has been granted by the Director of Graduate Studies, students shall obtain the approval of the Supervised Externship Professor. Students may not register for the LLM Externship Seminar without both permissions.
International students (F1 visa holders) who don’t have permission to permission to work in the United States will need to seek the necessary permission from OIPS (Office of International Programs and Services) in order to pursue this track.