Thomas Jefferson School of Law Set to Officially Offer
Two Additional LL.M. Programs To U.S. and Foreign Students
Thomas Jefferson School of Law here has announced that the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education has given its acquiescence for two new LL.M. (Master of laws) programs the law school has added to its curriculum for 2008.
Thomas Jefferson’s two newest programs will offer an LL.M. in International Trade and an LL.M. in American Legal Studies. In addition, the law school began offering an innovative on-line LL.M. and J.S.D. (juris scientiae or Doctor of Jurisprudence) program in International Tax & Financial Services in 2007, which currently has 54 students enrolled.
“These programs draw on the expertise and experience of our faculty members, as well as our connections with a number of foreign law schools,” according to Rudy Hasl, Dean of Thomas Jefferson School of Law. “As we work to internationalize the program of legal education and prepare our students to deal with the kinds of legal issues that cross international borders, these programs will provide considerable enrichment opportunities. The ABA acquiescence enables us to move forward with these important programs.”
Standard 308 of the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools says that an ABA-approved law school such as Thomas Jefferson may not establish a degree program in addition to its J.D. (juris doctor) degree program unless the school is fully approved, and the additional degree program will not detract from a law school's ability to maintain a sound J.D. degree program. The school must obtain acquiescence from the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar prior to commencing such a program.
“The LL.M. in International Trade and Investment as well as the LL.M. in American Legal Studies will enable American lawyers to work and study with foreign lawyers in a productive and cosmopolitan educational atmosphere at Thomas Jefferson,” said Professor Susan Tiefenbrun, the director of the two new programs. “International trade and investment is an area of expertise for many experienced law professors at Thomas Jefferson and this advanced law degree will provide a special edge to graduates in the program seeking a career in international law.”
More than one-quarter of Thomas Jefferson’s 40-member, full-time faculty has expertise in various areas of International Law. The law school also offers two international summer study abroad programs in Hangzhou, China, and Nice, France as well as exchange opportunities in Canada, France, Kosovo and Russia, which enrich its international law curriculum.
The new LL.M. program in International Trade allows candidates with either a foreign or U.S. law degree to take advantage of Thomas Jefferson’s growing international law curriculum and world-class faculty. The International Trade LL.M. candidates also may take courses offered online through the International Tax & Financial Services LL.M. program, as long as the students fulfill the requirement of at least one-semester residency on the TJSL campus.
The new LL.M. in American Legal Studies is a one-year degree program for candidates seeking a U.S. law degree. It is designed for attorneys, judges, government officials, prosecutors, corporate legal counsel, bankers and recent law graduates who have received their basic law degree outside the United States. These LL.M. students will be introduced to the U.S. legal system and, with advice from Thomas Jefferson faculty advisors and staff, will be allowed to choose their own course of study from the extensive law course offerings at Thomas Jefferson.
Foreign law graduates will study together with Thomas Jefferson’s J.D. students in order to promote a truly international and cultural exchange. Professor Tiefenbrun says immersion into Thomas Jefferson’s rich J.D. curriculum and the low faculty-to-student ratio will prepare the foreign law graduates earning an LL.M. in American Legal Studies to deal effectively with U.S. attorneys in their home countries as well as those serving foreign governments and international organizations.
An LL.M. in American Legal Studies will appeal to foreign law graduates who wish to obtain comprehensive training in American legal practice and eventually use this training to find a job with one of the many competitive U.S. law firms operating in foreign countries. In addition, every LL.M. student who has completed a minimum of 20 credits may be eligible for admission to practice law in some states like New York, after passing the New York State Bar examination.
For more information about Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s LL.M. programs, contact: llmprograms@tjsl.edu or call 800.936.7529.
Posted: 2/4/2008