375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Phone: 312.503.8465 | Website: www.law.northwestern.edu
Introduction
Located in downtown Chicago, Northwestern Law is an innovative institution that empowers students to meet the challenges of the complex, competitive, and ever-changing legal and business worlds. Northwestern Law offers a number of different degrees and programs of study.
Renowned Students, Faculty, and Curriculum
Renowned for recruiting students with exceptional academic ability, strong interpersonal skills, and substantial work and leadership experience, Northwestern Law's faculty is among the nation's most interdisciplinary and focuses on a team-oriented curriculum inspired by an employer-focused strategy built within a supportive community.
An Emphasis on Global Enterprises and Practical Learning
Northwestern Law places a heavy emphasis on global enterprises (including international opportunities) and practical learning, with some of the most highly regarded study abroad, clinical, and interdisciplinary programs in the country. The Law School's Bluhm Legal Clinic includes 12 centers and programs and offers one of the best clinical experiences of any law school. Nearly ninety percent of Northwestern Law JD students participate in clinical work in some capacity while obtaining their degree.
Preparing Great Leaders for the Changing World
The Law School recently completed a major strategic planning initiative called Plan 2008: Preparing Great Leaders for the Changing World, designed to enhance student quality and programs. Based on feedback elicited from focus groups with law firm, corporate, and governmental leaders, Plan 2008 identifies an additional set of foundational competencies that law schools need to instill in their graduates, which are now being introduced through various innovative new classes and programs.
Law School Enrollment
- Total law school enrollment: 1,000 (approximate)
- Total LLM enrollment: 150 (approximate)
Physical Facilities
With more than a half million volumes and access to a wide range of electronic resources, the Pritzker Legal Research Center is one of the country's largest law libraries. It also provides students access to the 3.7 million volumes of the combined Northwestern University libraries.
Our modern facilities and recent additions support collaboration and interaction. Wireless technology is available throughout the law school, and recent renovations include a new 22,000-square-foot clinic center, more than 10 state-of-the-art classrooms and seminar rooms, and upgraded lighting.
Housing
LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization
Northwestern Law offers six distinct LLM programs.
LLM
The nine-month general LLM program offers outstanding graduates of foreign law schools an opportunity to expand their knowledge of American law and legal processes, continue their studies in international law, and engage in comparative legal research.
Graduates of the program represent more than 50 countries and hold prominent positions in many areas of practice. They include attorneys, professors, judges, corporate counsel, consultants, human rights workers, bankers, and civil servants.
Curriculum
Students must take at least 20 law credit hours to earn the LLM degree. LLM students may take up to two co-listed Kellogg courses if space is available. Co-listed courses are Kellogg courses taught by Kellogg faculty and offered through the Law School.
LLM students are free to design their own program of study from the Law School's many upper-level courses and seminars, including commercial and corporate, international, constitutional, and human rights law.
A written thesis is not required, but students with well-defined topics may pursue individual research projects.
During their first semester in residence, students enroll in two mandatory courses. The Common Law Reasoning course focuses on the fundamental research, analysis, and drafting skills expected of US-trained lawyers, and the American Legal History course introduces students to the history and principal characteristics of the American public and private law systems. With the exception of these two courses, LLM students are completely integrated with American JD students.
For further information on planning your curriculum, see Plan Your Academic Career.
Contact Information
For additional information, please visit the LLM Programs website, or contact:
Sam Kwak
Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
375 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
USA
Phone: 312.503.8465
E-mail: sam.kwak@law.northwestern.edu
LLM in Taxation
Through the Tax Program at Northwestern Law, students gain a firm foundation in the principal areas of tax law and learn how to deal with complex real-world transactions. Living and learning in a supportive community at the center of one of the world's leading cities, students have access to extensive resources, an innovative curriculum, and an outstanding faculty.
Individuals who already hold a JD degree can enroll on either a full-time or part-time basis to receive the LLM degree. Practicing attorneys may also take courses on a nondegree basis to refine their knowledge in specialized areas of the tax law. Current law students can participate in the joint JD-LLM program and receive a JD and LLM in only six or seven semesters.
With one of the lowest student-faculty ratios of any graduate tax program, students at Northwestern Law establish strong one-on-one relationships with our nationally recognized, in-residence, full-time tax faculty. In addition, the program is designed for students who value studying with a professor who wrote the book. Of the seven required substantive courses, 100 percent are taught by a professor who has written or is writing a treatise, a casebook, or both on that topic. Of the 20 elective courses, nearly a third are taught by a practitioner or professor who has authored a text on the subject matter.
The tax faculty at Northwestern Law is committed to preparing students to excel as tax professionals in a changing world. Students will come away from the Tax Program at Northwestern Law with an unparalleled understanding of the intricate dynamics of tax law and the skills to thrive in its practice.
Contact Information
For additional information, please visit the Tax Programs website, or contact:
Jacqueline Reise
Assistant Director, Tax Program
375 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
USA
Phone: 312.503.3300
E-mail: taxlaw@northwestern.edu
LLM in International Human Rights
The Program in International Human Rights Law is designed for students with American JDs or law degrees from other countries who wish to undertake an in-depth study of the norms and methods of international human rights law and international criminal law and their implementation by international courts and organizations and in domestic legal systems. The degree program provides an excellent grounding in international human rights law and international criminal law for individuals with career interests in the field.
The structure of the program affords unique advantages for educational and social interaction. Students are assured of a close working relationship with the professors, all of whom have had hands-on legal practice and academic experience in the field, and access to the programs of the Center for International Human Rights. The Center is led by Professor David Scheffer, a former US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues in the Clinton Administration who played the key US role in the creation of and support for the international and hybrid criminal tribunals. Other leading faculty members in this field are Professors Sandra Babcock, who directs the clinical projects, Bridget Arimond, who directs the LLM degree program, and Stephen Sawyer, who teaches several seminars. Students in the program benefit from participating in small group seminars with other LLM students and joining JD law students in core and elective courses of the program. In addition, the program encourages international students to study not only relevant law, but its application to the circumstances of their home countries.
Individuals who wish to complete the LLM Program in International Human Rights must apply specifically to that program by checking the appropriate box on their application for admission. It is anticipated that most applicants to this program will already have completed a JD or first degree in law in their home countries. Applicants who have not done so, but who have significant relevant work experience, will be considered for the Master of Legal Studies (MSL) Program in International Human Rights. This program is identical to the LLM Program in all respects except the degree conferred upon completion of the program. MSL applicants should complete the application form for the LLM Program in International Human Rights.
Contact Information
For more information, please visit the Center for International Human Rights website, or contact:
Bridget Arimond
Clinical Professor/LLM Director
375 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
USA
Phone: 312.503.5280
E-mail: b-arimond@law.northwestern.edu
Graduate Program in Law and Business (LLM/Kellogg)
Designed for business lawyers educated outside the United States, the Graduate Program in Law and Business (LLM/Kellogg program) offers students a unique opportunity to study both business law and management techniques at two of America's leading schools in the fields of law and business—the Northwestern University School of Law and the Kellogg School of Management. Graduates of this program are awarded an LLM degree and a certificate in business administration.
All classes meet on Northwestern's Chicago campus.
The intensive curriculum consists of upper-level course work at both schools. The law courses emphasize corporate, commercial, and transactional studies, while the Kellogg courses cover introductory and more advanced principles of management, marketing, and finance.
Contact Information
For additional information, please visit the LLM Programs website, or contact:
Sam Kwak
Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
375 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
USA
Phone: 312.503.8465
E-mail: sam.kwak@law.northwestern.edu
Accelerated Summer LLM
The Accelerated Summer LLM (ALLM) program is a 15-week degree program that will bring together law graduates from diverse non-US jurisdictions to study at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. ALLM students will spend the summer (May through mid-August) studying the legal issues relating to business law, with particular focus on transnational matters. The ALLM program is interested in attracting candidates with experience in practice or other settings, who bring an appreciation of their home country's legal system, as well as an interest in learning in a truly global setting. Potential candidates include law graduates working in law firms, the judiciary, business organizations, government, non-profit organizations and NGOs, and others interested in the governance of business organizations. Applicants to the ALLM degree program must hold a first degree in law from a university or college whose law degree requirements are comparable to Northwestern's.
The Accelerated Summer LLM program is intended for candidates whose personal or professional obligations limit their ability to spend an entire year studying in the United States in a traditional LLM program. ALLM students earn an LLM degree in an intensive 15-week summer session comprised of class course work (two 6-week sessions), online coursework, as well as two exam periods (1 1/2 weeks each). Students may choose to earn the degree in one or two summers. However, all students must begin with the first six-week session.
Specifically designed for graduates of non-US law schools working in their home countries, the ALLM program emphasizes the importance of the role of the lawyer as a strategic advisor in business. Classes will involve lively discussions, with problems and case studies as well as the use of leading educational technologies.
Courses are taught by full-time Northwestern Law faculty, and students will attend class daily. There will be sufficient time to prepare for class, as well as to engage in professional development and social activities with classmates and others. In addition, students will have time to enjoy the city of Chicago.
Chicago is home to many world-class law firms and multinational corporations, and we will draw on these resources to expose students to the ways in which transnational issues related to law arise outside the classroom. Regular discussions with practitioners and business executives will facilitate bridging classroom discussions with the real world.
Contact Information
For additional information, please visit the Accelerated Summer LLM Program website, or contact:
Janet Garesche
Director, Executive LLM and Tax Programs
375 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
USA
Phone: 312.503.3672
E-mail: j-garesche@law.northwestern.edu
Executive LLM Programs in Seoul, Madrid, or Tel Aviv
Northwestern Law continues to expand its international reach by offering Executive LLM Programs for working legal and business professionals in Europe, Korea, and the Middle East. The programs, designed specifically for professionals who cannot or do not wish to undertake a full-time Master of Laws (LLM) degree in the United States or elsewhere, are made possible through partnerships with the KAIST Graduate School of Management in Seoul, South Korea; IE Law School in Madrid, Spain; and Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Scholars of distinction, including Northwestern Law faculty members, teach the courses, which are scheduled to allow students to continue to work while they study. As they learn, students can apply the broad range of legal and analytical skills they have mastered toward their everyday work. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will receive a LLM degree from Northwestern University School of Law.
Most applicants are practicing lawyers who have at least five years of experience in a company legal department or law firm and are poised to seek positions of maximum responsibility in the near future. Other legal professionals, as well as executives and managers whose work brings them into frequent contact with legal or regulatory situations, would also benefit from participating in the Executive LLM Program.
Contact Information
For more information, visit the Executive LLM in Korea website, the IE Executive LLM Program website, or the Tel Aviv University website. Additional information is also available at the Executive LLM Programs website, or by contacting:
Janet Garesche
Director, Executive LLM and Tax Programs
375 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
USA
Phone: 312.503.3672
E-mail: j-garesche@law.northwestern.edu
Student Services and Organizations
Northwestern Law students take an intense and energetic interest in their community and education. Six scholarly journals are available for research, writing, and editing. Students automatically belong to the Student Bar Association, which gives them a voice in curriculum and administration, and they have an opportunity to participate in more than 50 student organizations. Our students also enjoy Chicago's sophisticated yet friendly atmosphere, along with its world-class cultural, sports, and entertainment offerings. Northwestern's 20-acre Chicago campus is nestled between the shores of Lake Michigan, the energy of Michigan Avenue's "Magnificent Mile," and the elegant Gold Coast residential area.
Career Services
LLM students have a dedicated full-time Career Advisor in the Center for Career Strategy and Advancement ("Career Center"). The LLM program does not prepare students for permanent employment in the United States, rather the Career Center will assist students who wish to seek internships, visiting or foreign attorney positions in the US, as well as enhanced employment opportunities at home. We provide training and workshops on all aspects of a job search in the US including "Preparing a US-style Cover Letter and Résumé," "Researching and Networking," and "Interviewing." In addition, we allow students to develop their practical skills through a Mock Interview Program and Etiquette dinners.
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