Admissions Office, 701 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Phone: 734.764.0537 | Website: www.law.umich.edu
Introduction
The University of Michigan Law School, one of the United States' most renowned and oldest centers for legal study and research, has been welcoming LLM students from across the globe since the 1890s. Graduates of our programs teach, hold government positions, and practice law in more than 75 countries.
The Graduate Degree Programs offered include the Master of Laws (LLM), the Master of Laws in International Tax (International Tax LLM), and the Doctor of the Science of Law (SJD). These programs are intended primarily for lawyers trained overseas who wish to conduct advanced legal research, engage in comparative legal study, gain a better understanding of the United States legal system, or pursue a field of specialization.
The Law Faculty, consisting of leading scholars, contribute to cutting-edge legal scholarship and reform in a wide variety of areas. Many are multidisciplinary scholars in law and such fields as history, economics, political science, public policy, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and literature.
The Law School is situated in the heart of the University of Michigan campus, at the center of Ann Arbor, a city as diverse and sophisticated as it is pleasant and easy to live in. Ann Arbor has a welcoming community with the energetic atmosphere of a major cultural and educational center. It is located 30 minutes from Detroit airport with non-stop major service to Europe and Asia and one hour flights to New York, Washington, DC, and Chicago.
Law School Enrollment
Figures for 2012–2013:
- Total law school enrollment: 1,142
- LLM program enrollments: 36
- SJD students in residence: 5
(Figures vary slightly every year.)
Physical Facilities
Library
- Size: Over one million volumes (approximately 700,000 in print)
- Hours: 8:00 am–midnight (slightly shorter hours during holidays)
- Professional librarians, most of whom also hold JD degrees
- Free LexisNexis and Westlaw access
- Free campus-wide wireless network
- University recreational facilities (gyms, pools) within walking distance
- Lawyers Club Dining Hall
- Meal plan with 13 meals per week for residents
- Meal plan or individual meals also available for non-resident law students
Housing
- The Lawyers Club
- Student dorm for approximately 260 JD and LLM students
- Located on the beautiful Law Quad, across from classrooms and library
- Meal plan with 13 meals per week
- Includes laundry facilities, recreation room, elegant student lounge, etc.
- Northwood Community Apartments
- University housing for graduate students and students with families
- Located on North Campus, a short, convenient bus-ride away
Diverse off-campus housing options include co-ops, townhouses, apartments, and efficiencies, all within walking distance or on convenient bus routes.
LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization
The University of Michigan Law School offers one specialized LLM program for International Tax Law, a general LLM program within which students may tailor their curriculum entirely according to their own interests, and the SJD program.
The LLM
Our LLM degree consists primarily of courses and seminars, and requires students to complete a research paper under faculty supervision on a topic of their choice. They may also elect to do more than one research paper. The LLM degree is awarded upon completion of 24 credits with at least a 2.7 ("B-") average in two terms (eight months) of study.
- Great freedom to choose from entire curriculum of the Law School, and from graduate programs at other departments or schools of the university (up to 6 credits)
- All classes and seminar with JD colleagues, except
the following two courses designed for LLMs with a civil law background:
-
Introduction to Constitutional Law and American Legal Process
-
Research and Analysis in American Law
The LLM in International Tax Law
The International Tax LLM Program is designed for up to 10 or 12 select professionals and academics in tax law who wish to complement their legal knowledge and experience with in-depth studies of US and international tax law and policy.
The program is directed by Reuven S. Avi-Yonah and is taught by four professors from the Law School and two professors from the Business School, offering a full range of courses including basic tax, corporate tax, partnership tax, international tax, and public finance. In addition, tax scholars from other top US law schools present cutting-edge work in our tax policy workshop.
Michigan's Tax LLM program is kept intentionally small in order to make maximum individual attention from faculty and staff possible and to increase opportunities to interact with fellow students of different primary interests.
The International Tax LLM degree is awarded upon completion of 24 credits with at least a 2.7 ("B-") average in two terms (eight months) of study.
The SJD
The SJD program is intended for individuals who have exhibited outstanding scholarship and capacity for advanced legal research. SJD applicants are typically engaged in, or plan to pursue, academic law careers. The SJD candidate must have excellent academic credentials and demonstrate the capacity for completing an SJD dissertation of publishable quality, which will provide lawyers, scholars, or governmental officials with a useful understanding, not previously available, of a particular area of the law. SJD students devote their energies to researching and writing a doctoral dissertation under the close supervision of a dissertation committee comprised of three faculty members. SJD students benefit not only from expert faculty guidance and close mentorship, the library's extensive collections and other resources of the Law School and the university, but also from participating in a Law School colloquium organized for doctoral students. Supervision of doctoral research demands specialized faculty expertise and interest; therefore, some qualified applicants may be denied admission because an appropriate faculty member is not available to serve as dissertation supervisor.
Application Requirements
- Application deadline: January 31
- Completed application form, including
- 2 essays (as specified on the application form)
- At least two letters of recommendation
- All postsecondary transcripts
- All postsecondary degree confirmations
- Valid TOEFL scores (total at least 98 iBT, or 600 PBT) or
valid IELTS scores (total at least 7.0)
- Application fee of $75
- Additionally, for SJD applicants only:
- SJD thesis proposal, in sufficient detail to indicate its significance and originality. It should describe the nature of the topic, the questions to be explored, and the research methodology.
- At least one letter of recommendation from the applicant's law school commenting specifically on demonstrated capacity for advanced legal scholarship and prospects for an academic career. If an applicant has been enrolled in an LLM program at another US law school, one of the letters of recommendation must be from a faculty member at that law school.
- In the absence of these materials, applicants to the SJD program will be considered only for admission to the LLM program.
Contact Information
For more information about Michigan Law's graduate degree programs, please contact:
Dora-Maria Sonderhoff
Assistant Director of Admissions
The University of Michigan Law School
701 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI
48109
USA
Phone: +1 734.764.0537
Fax: +1 734.647.3218
E-mail: law.grad.admissions@umich.edu
Student Services and Organizations
Michigan Law students can choose from an enormous range of activities and organizations—from six student edited law journals to groups such as the Intellectual Property Students Association, the International Law Society, and the Women Law Students' Association. In addition, there are also numerous university student organizations for the greater community, including organizations of many countries around the world.
Career Services
Many of Michigan Law's most illustrious alumni are graduates of one of the school's advanced degree programs, and the Office of Career Planning (OCP) is frequently instrumental in helping graduates along the path to success.
Services include:
- Individualized counseling, specialized group seminars and programs
- Excellent career library, online career databases and Internet resources
- Overseas-Trained LLM Student Interview Program in New York
- Facilities for photocopying, facsimile, and telephone services
Additional Information
- Law School Tuition: Approximately $51,000 for the eight-month academic year.
For SJD students, starting in the second year of full-time studies in residence,
tuition is reduced to the lower SJD dissertation rate of approximately $6,100 per semester.
- Living Expenses: Approximately $18,900 for a single student, including mandatory health insurance and text books.
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