LLM

Graduate Legal Studies, 100 Law Center, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-6060, USA
Phone: 713.743.2890 | Fax: 713.743.2194
E-mail: llm@uh.edu | Website: www.law.uh.edu/llm

Introduction

Located in the fourth-largest city in the United States, the University of Houston Law Center offers six distinct LLM programs. Students interested in a specialized area of study can apply to programs in energy, environment, and natural resources; health law; intellectual property and information law; international law; and tax law. Non-US educated lawyers can also apply to the Foreign Scholars LLM program, which is a general course of study that allows students to select from almost all courses offered at the Law Center.

Earning a Master of Laws degree from the University of Houston Law Center offers a number of advantages, including

• a faculty of recognized leaders in their fields who recognize their LLM responsibilities as an important part of their commitment to the advancement of law;
• two nationally renowned Law Center programs, Health Law and Intellectual Property and Information Law;
• an extensive LLM curriculum that combines legal theory with practical application;
• located in Houston, a global leader in health care, energy, international business, and other disciplines;
• a vibrant campus that combines high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds with successful alumni who are deeply involved with their school; and
• like Houston itself, the LLM program is diverse, with more than 16 countries represented in the current class.

Law School Enrollment

• Total law school enrollment: 850
• LLM students: 133

Physical Facilities

• O'Quinn Law Library, 24/7 library access for law students.
• Law library services include reference, electronic, and interlibrary loan support. The library houses special library collections in foreign and international law, admiralty and maritime law, and the Frankel Rare Books collection. Thirteen professional and support staff provide services to students and faculty.
• State-of-the-art Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

Housing

Housing options include on-campus options such as the Calhoun Lofts, student apartments adjacent to the campus, and apartments located throughout the city. Upon admission to the LLM program, students receive a packet of information that includes housing options and contact information.

LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization

The LLM degree is a mark of academic achievement that distinguishes a lawyer as a highly skilled practitioner. At the University of Houston Law Center, students can earn an LLM degree in one of six programs.

For more information, contact:

Peggy Fortner
Administrative Director
100 Law Center
University of Houston Law Center
Houston, TX 77204-6060
USA

Phone: 713.743.2890
Fax: 713.743.2194
E-mail: llm@uh.edu
Website: www.law.uh.edu/llm

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law

Houston is the energy capital of the world—and it is the perfect setting in which to pursue an LLM in Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law. The Law Center trains lawyers to handle the complex legal and policy issues that surround three areas: energy production, transportation, and use; pollution prevention and biodiversity protection; and natural resources exploitation and conservation. Students can focus on one area or pursue broader studies of the interrelationship between energy development and policies that protect the environment. Faculty with international reputations in energy law and domestic and international environmental policy teach the courses, and they are aided by a corps of skilled adjunct professors. Law Center students produce the Environmental & Energy Law & Policy Journal and coordinate an annual symposium. Students must complete 24 credit hours, including a minimum of 15 credit hours in energy, environment, and natural resources courses, and write a 50-page thesis of publishable quality. LLM students who earned their law degree outside the United States must complete two courses—Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing—as a part of the 24-credit-hour requirement.

Courses

• Advanced Oil and Gas Contracts
• American Indian Law
• Clean Air Act
• Climate Change Law and Litigation
• Coastal and Ocean Law
• Emerging Energy Markets
• Energy Law and Policy
• Environmental Law
• Environmental Regulation of Emerging Technologies
• Environmental Criminal Enforcement
• Federalism and Environmental Law
• Hazardous Waste Law
• International Commercial Arbitration
• International Environmental Law
• International Petroleum Transactions
• International Risk Management
• Land Use Management
• Law of Biodiversity Conservation
• Legal History of Gasoline
• Natural Resources Law
• Nuclear Law
• Oil and Gas
• Oil and Gas Tax
• Practice of Environmental Law
• Project Finance
• Regulated Industries
• Toxic Torts
• Water Law

Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change.

• Current Course Offerings

International Law

The growth of the global marketplace and its interdependence among nations places a premium on lawyers who understand the international implications of various public, private, and commercial activities. Houston holds a commanding international presence—and the Law Center's LLM program in International Law capitalizes on the city's substantial global connections. Our LLM students gain an in-depth understanding of international and comparative law and their roles in our domestic legal process. The program allows concentrations in both public and private aspects of international law, and it provides an opportunity for lawyers to structure their LLM curriculum to meet individual interests and needs. LLM candidates may choose to focus their studies in a particular area of international law, or they can select from a wide variety of courses to achieve a broad understanding of public and private aspects of international law. Students must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours, including 15 credit hours in international law courses, and they have the option of writing a 50-page thesis of publishable quality. LLM students who earned their law degree outside of the United States must complete two courses—Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing—as part of the 24-credit-hour requirement.

Courses

• Asylum Law
• Import and Export Regulation
• Comparative Law
• Conflicts of Law
• European Union Law
• Human Rights Seminar
• Immigration Law
• Immigration Law and Business
• International Business Transactions
• International Commercial Arbitration
• International Contracting
• International Criminal Law
• International Petroleum Transactions
• International Law
• International Law and the Use of Force Seminar
• International Litigation and Arbitration
• International Tax
• International Trade
• International Trade Seminar
• Introduction to European Law
• Introduction to Mexican Law
• Law and International Economic Relations
• Law of Biodiversity Conservation
• Law of International Organizations
• Maritime Cargo and Collision
• Maritime Cargo, Collision, and Ocean Pollution Seminar
• NAFTA
• Problems in International Trade and Investment Seminar
• Space Law
• US Export Regulation

Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change.

• Current Course Offerings

Intellectual Property and Information Law

Intellectual Property and Information Law have emerged as mainstays of the global economy. These disciplines are combined at the Law Center in the Institute for Intellectual Property and Information Law, which holds an international reputation for excellence and is recognized as one of the top 10 programs in the United States. LLM students benefit from the Institute's active involvement in promoting research and scholarship in the field. Students have the opportunity to study both traditional and emerging areas of intellectual property law (patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret) and information law (Internet, software, electronic commerce, and databases). Many students typically have some intellectual property or information law experience obtained after earning their first degree in law. As a leading center for the exchange of ideas in these fields, the Law Center's LLM program fosters international cooperation among scholars and practitioners. Students must complete 24 credit hours, including a minimum of 15 credit hours in intellectual property and information law courses approved by their faculty advisor, and have the option of writing a 50-page thesis of publishable quality. LLM students who earned their law degree outside of the United States must complete two courses—Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing—as part of the 24-credit-hour requirement.

Courses

• Communications Law
• Copyright Law
• Copyright Seminar
• Digital Transactions
• Entertainment Law
• Entrepreneurship
• Franchising and Distribution
• International Intellectual Property
• Internet Law
• Intellectual Property Seminar
• Intellectual Property Strategy and Management
• Intellectual Property Survey
• Licensing and Technology Transfer
• Patent Law
• Patent Prosecution
• Patent Remedies and Defenses
• Privacy and Data Protection
• Property Crime in the Information Age
• Special Research in IP or IL
• Trade Secrets
• Trademarks and Unfair Competition
• Transactional Clinic
• Virtual Worlds

Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change.

• Current Course Offerings

Health Law

The University of Houston Law Center is home to one of the nation's top health law programs. In 1978, the Law Center launched its Health Law and Policy Institute to advance the understanding of health law issues and provide guidance for significant policy decisions affecting every element of health care. The Institute's faculty govern the LLM health law program, which emphasized interdisciplinary studies in all areas of health law and policy. The institute is known for its association with academic and health institutions locally and around the world—specifically with institutions in the nearby Texas Medical Center, where ready access to the world's largest medical complex adds an important dimension to the LLM program. Students are encouraged to take active roles in Institute activities, including assisting with academic publications such as the Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy. Students must complete 24 credit hours, including a minimum of 18 credit hours in health law courses, and write a 50-page thesis of publishable quality. LLM students who earned their law degree outside of the United States must complete two courses—Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing—as part of the 24-credit-hour requirement.

Courses

• Advanced Health Law
• Public Health Law and Ethics
• Biotechnology and the Law
• Children's Health and the Law
• Disability and the Law
• E-Health Law Seminar
• Elder Law
• Food and Drug Law
• Health and Human Rights
• Health Law Clinic I
• Health Law Clinic II
• Health Law Survey: Introduction to Health Law
• Health Law Transactions
• Health Regulatory Process
• HIV and the Law
• Hospital Law and Ethics
• Law and Bioethics Seminar
• Law and Psychiatry
• Law, Ethics, and Brain Policy Seminar
• Life and Health Insurance
• Medical Malpractice Litigation
• Poverty, Health, and Public Policy Seminar
• Regulation of Health Care Professionals Seminar
• Rural Health Law

Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change.

• Current Course Offerings

Tax Law

Tax law is always changing—and the Law Center's LLM program in Tax Law provides lawyers with the enhanced practical skills they need to meet the challenge of integrating these ongoing changes into their practice. The program helps students identify issues and plan solutions to problems within the tax arena, and hone the skills needed to assimilate new tax rules in future years. The program emphasizes professional responsibility and a thorough understanding of the tax system and how it affects individual, commercial, and financial affairs. In addition to the regular LLM degree requirements, the Tax program mandates completion of the Federal Income Tax course. (Note: The Federal Income Tax course cannot be credited toward LLM degree requirements and must be completed before LLM students can enroll in advanced tax courses.) Two additional courses—Tax Research and Tax Ethics—are required of all students, and both courses may be credited toward LLM degree requirements. Students must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours, including 18 credit hours in tax law courses, and have the option of writing a 50-page thesis of publishable quality. LLM students who earned their law degree outside of the United States must complete two courses—Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing—as part of the 24-credit-hour requirement.

Courses

• Advanced Corporate Tax
• Bankruptcy Taxation
• Business Planning
• Corporate Taxation
• Estate Planning
• Federal Income Tax
• Federal Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates
• Oil and Gas Tax
• Partnership Tax
• Postmortem Estate Planning
• Real Estate Tax
• State and Local Taxation
• Tax Accounting
• Tax Ethics
• Tax Fraud and Money Laundering
• Tax Policy Seminar
• Tax Procedure
• Tax Research
• Taxation of Compensation
• Taxation of Exempt Organizations
• Taxation of Financial Instruments
• Taxation of Sales and Exchanges
• US International Tax

Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change.

• Current Course Offerings

LLM for Foreign-Trained Lawyers—Foreign Scholars

The LLM program from the University of Houston Law Center holds a worldwide reputation for excellence—and our Foreign Scholars LLM Program attracts lawyers from every corner of the globe. Many of our graduates return to their country of origin after earning their LLM degree, and many hold positions of high rank within government agencies and private industry. A key feature of our Foreign Scholars program is the opportunity it affords to study and collaborate with JD and LLM students with a diverse range of backgrounds and interests. Foreign Scholars work closely with their faculty advisor to design a general course of study that touches on multiple subject areas, or a customized curriculum built around specific interests. Students also have the option of earning a certificate of specialization in one of three areas: Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law; Health Law; or International Law. As part of their 24-credit-hour LLM requirement, Foreign Scholars must enroll in two required courses: Introduction to American Law, which builds an important foundation for legal studies; and Legal Research and Writing, which provides an overview of vital skills to be used as a student and practitioner.

Courses

The Law Center offers one of the largest course selections in the United States. Foreign Scholars can pursue specific interests by selecting courses in a variety of practice areas.

• Business and Commercial Law
• Constitutional and Criminal Law
• Employment and Labor Law
• Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law
• Family Law
• Government Regulation
• Health Law
• Intellectual Property and Information Law
• International and Comparative Law
• International Law and Admiralty
• Law and Society
• Procedure and Practice
• Real Property, Trusts, and Estates
• Taxation

Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change.

• Current Course Offerings

Student Services and Organizations

Each student has a faculty advisor who works with the student to ensure that course selections are appropriate to the student's academic goals, objectives, and background. During the first semester, a tutor works with members of the class to develop strong class and test preparation skills. Individual tutoring is also available through the Law Center's Legal Research and Writing office and university resources. At the Law Center, the Student Services Office houses the Graduate Legal Studies Office, the registrar who assists students applying for a bar examination, and a financial aid advisor. Campus resources include services for students with disabilities, a student health center, counseling services, child care, and the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

LLM students can participate in more than 30 student organizations at the Law Center. The student organizations coordinate guest speakers, lectures, and networking activities. The Graduate Legal Studies Office works closely with the International Law Society to provide mentors for incoming students and to organize social activities that integrate foreign LLM students into the life and culture of the Law Center.

Career Services

Each year the Law Center participates in the International Student Interview Program sponsored by New York University. An LLM counselor in the Career Development Office assists LLM students to develop networking and job-search strategies. LLM students are invited to participate in that office's programs and activities scheduled throughout the year.

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