NEWS RELEASE
July 9, 2007
Thomas Jefferson School of Law Offers Unique Online LL.M. Degree
The Diamond Program Can Lead to a Master’s Degree in International Tax & Financial Services
SAN DIEGO – For the first time in its 38 year history, the Thomas Jefferson School of Law is now offering an online LL.M. degree (Master of Laws) through the Walter H. and Dorothy B. Diamond International Tax and Financial Services Program.
Established in 1998, the Diamond Program remains the first and only such program to offer graduate law degrees and certifications through an entirely online course of study at an ABA accredited law school. A prime distinction of the program is that the courses are taught by distinguished professionals in the international financial services arena.
“This is the first LL.M. program the school has developed,” said Thomas Jefferson School of Law Dean Rudy Hasl. “It foreshadows the development of much more sophisticated programming to meet the needs of the legal profession.”
Since its inception, the program has been under the direction of Professor William H. Byrnes, IV, a former associate director of international tax at the global tax and accounting firm now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Professor Byrnes has joined the administration at Thomas Jefferson as an Assistant Dean to direct the program at the law school. A pioneer of the online format, he has assembled an international faculty of individuals whose scholarly publications and years of practical experience have made them widely recognized leaders in their areas of expertise.
"Online interactive learning legal education is still a frontier, requiring a law school with a commitment to lead in uncharted waters, to be the creator of best practices for others to follow,” said Professor Byrnes. “Thomas Jefferson's innovative educational programming, combined with its number of well-published international faculty, several with Ph.D.s, and the robust understanding of technology by its Dean Rudy Hasl, created a compelling attraction for me to this law school."
Among the distinguished faculty who are instructors for the Diamond Program are: Marshall Langer, one of the top authors and speakers in the field of financial services; Dr. George Mentz, an attorney who holds an MBA in tax and financial services and is a consultant to Fortune 500 companies in several countries; and Kithsiri De Silva, a New Zealand revenue official who specializes in the taxation of multinational enterprises.
“The Diamond program is a natural extension of the offerings already available at Thomas Jefferson,” according to Associate Professor Richard Winchester, who teaches at the law school. “The program’s focus on international tax and financial services will permit the law school to fortify its position in business law by building on its existing strengths in international law.”
Walter H. and Dorothy B. Diamond, the benefactors of the program, are among the most renowned names in the international tax community. Between them, the Diamonds have authored more than 80 tax and trade books and over 100 investment booklets.
“The unique learning experience being offered through Thomas Jefferson School of Law honors the continuing work of these outstanding individuals for whom the program is named,” according Professor Byrnes. “The Diamond Program is producing future generations of leaders in a field that these two visionaries helped define.”
Current and former students of the Diamond International Tax and Financial Services Program work
for some of the most prominent law firms, accounting firms and businesses in America, including
Baker & McKenzie, Duane Morris, Lehman Bros, Deloitte Touche, Boeing, Texas Instruments, Motorola and Citigroup, among others.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law, located just off Interstate 5 in historic Old Town, is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, and the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California.
# # #
For more information and to enroll in the Diamond Program, please visit us online at: http://llmprogram.tjsl.edu/