American Legal Studies LLM

About the Program

About the Program American Legal Studies LLM

Program Curriculum

The LL.M. program is designed to be completed in one academic year of full-time study. Students enter in the fall semester, which begins in mid-August and ends in mid-December, and finish in the spring semester, which begins in January and ends in mid-May. There are no spring admissions. All students enrolled in the LL.M. program must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours within two years to obtain the LL.M. degree. Please see the Academic Calendar.

Curriculum Requirements 

The LL.M. curriculum requires that students take four courses: Fundamentals of American Law, U.S. Legal Discourse 1, U.S. Legal Discourse 2 and Professional Responsibility. The LL.M. program was designed exclusively for LL.M. students to learn legal analysis, writing, research, and presentation skills. The remainder of the required 24 credits will be made up from the courses already offered at the School. The student and the student’s adviser will meet to assess a student’s individual interests and needs. The program is designed so that most of your course work will be done in classrooms with U.S. law students.

If you want an LL.M. that will qualify you to sit the New York bar exam, additional requirements must be met, including taking at least two courses in basic American law. The New York bar regulations list 14 courses — such as business relationships, contracts, evidence, professional responsibility, property, remedies, torts, and wills – which fulfill this requirement. If you have no interest in sitting for a bar exam in another state because, for example, you intend to return to your home country after completing the LL.M., then the selection is yours to make with your advisor. Based on the strengths of our faculty, possibilities for study in the areas of Environmental, Immigration, and Family Law exist.

Sample LL.M. Sequence

Fall:

  • Fundamentals of American Law (Required) (2)
  • U.S. Legal Discourse 1 (Required) (3)
  • Professional Responsibility (Required) (3)
  • Property Law (4)

Spring:

  • U.S. Legal Discourse 2 (Required) (2)
  • Tort Law (3)
  • Law of Corporate Finance (3)
  • Business Organizations (4)

You can download a list of courses offered at Barry.

Description of Required LL.M. Courses

  • This course introduces the fundamental principles of the U.S. legal system and the common-law method of case analysis. It focuses on crucial doctrines that underpin U.S. governance, including federalism and separation of powers, as well as individual rights in the Constitution. It examines the structure of the U.S. court system, the lawyer's role in the system, and the culture of the law in this country. The course introduces techniques associated with the common law, particularly the close reading of legal opinions in the context of prior precedent as well as the organization of legal analysis.

  • This course introduces students to the primary sources of legal research, such as case law and statutes, administrative rules, legislative history, and secondary sources of legal research, such as law review articles and legal encyclopedias, traditionally utilized in the United States. It provides students with instruction and practice on how to access these sources through books, databases, and the Internet. The course also instructs students in the principles and conventions of basic writing and objective legal writing and in the rules of legal citation and writing skills by drafting office memoranda, receiving instructor feedback, and rewriting these memoranda.

  • This is an intensive course that builds on the foundation laid in the first semester course and allows students to strengthen their written and oral advocacy skills. Students will learn to better understand the intricacies of practice in the United States through oral advocacy, client skills, and an overview of alternative dispute resolution techniques.

  • Professional Responsibility introduces students to ethical considerations and disciplinary standards governing the practice of law. The Rules of Professional Conduct articulate basic guidelines for the conduct of lawyers. Setting minimum standards for professional conduct, the Rules are subject to interpretation. Professional discretion is guided by various approaches to lawyering, which give content to individual lawyers sense of values, justice, and fair play. Professional Responsibility endeavors to provide students with a working understanding of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct, and the ABA Model Rules of Judicial Conduct. The course encourages students to explore their approach to lawyering and to continue their professional development by examining ideas and values of professionalism.

Orientation

Students must attend a mandatory orientation during which students will receive a comprehensive introduction to the School of Law and to the LL.M. program. LL.M. students will have the opportunity to join entering J.D. students in various workshops and presentations, as well as meet separately with J.D. students. Other sessions created specifically for the LL.M. students will round out these mandatory sessions. Each student will also receive a Welcome Packet as part of their orientation.

Financial Information

Students in the LLM program pay the same tuition and fees as those in the JD program. For the 2023-2024 academic year, tuition and fees are $43,150.

In addition to tuition, you should also consider the entire cost of living in Orlando. These additional estimates are provided for your consideration. The numbers include the estimated living expenses without tuition and fees.

Estimated Living Expenses

  • Housing/Food $15,700
  • Books $2,400
  • Personal/Miscellaneous $5,200
  • Transportation $5,000

Total $28,300

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