Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology

The information on this page was provided by the law school.

Official Guide to LLM, Master’s, and Certificate Programs

Introduction

Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology is distinguished by its history of excellence in teaching and legal scholarship. Its faculty is one of the most productive groups of legal scholars in the country, publishing leading texts and articles across a wide array of subjects.

The Chicago-Kent curriculum emphasizes professional responsibility in the broadest sense, encompassing intellectual discipline, careful analysis, comprehensive research, and sensitivity to the needs of clients and to the context in which the law operates. Drawing on its distinctive affiliation with Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent is at the vanguard of exploring new frontiers in the law raised by biotechnology, cyberspace, environmental regulation, intellectual property, international business transactions and trade, and much more. Chicago-Kent is located in downtown Chicago, the heart of the city’s commercial and legal communities. The law school is within walking distance of one of the world’s largest integrated court systems and a full range of city, county, state, and federal agencies, as well as Chicago’s famous financial center. The law school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and the Order of the Coif.

Physical Facilities

Chicago-Kent’s modern, 10-story building features a three-story atrium, three-level library, technologically advanced classrooms and courtrooms, an auditorium, student lounges, and a cafeteria. A game room on the fifth floor gives students a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a wide variety of board and table games.

Chicago-Kent has an outstanding collection of library materials related to law, business, and international relations. Through the library’s website, students have direct access to more than 170 database collections and electronic journals. The library offers group study rooms for collaborative work and features a reading room on the 10th floor, which is a modern interpretation of a traditional 19th-century reading room. Balconies on the 9th and 10th floors of the library provide an opportunity to study outdoors and enjoy views of the city. Puzzles, chess games, and art books provide an opportunity to relax during study breaks.

Chicago-Kent’s courtrooms are among the best trial advocacy training facilities in the nation and set the stage for the law school’s hands-on litigation technology course. The Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Courtroom, named for one of our most distinguished alumni and the former senior judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, is a teaching facility as well as a working courtroom. The Bruce M. Kohen Courtroom, named for an acclaimed alumnus and litigator, incorporates emerging computer and audiovisual technologies, including 90-inch video walls and document cameras.

Housing

Affordable housing is available in nearby urban and suburban neighborhoods. Dormitory housing is available on the university’s main campus, approximately five miles south of the law school. A free shuttle runs between the two campuses. The law school is close to all public transportation downtown.

LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization

Family Law

The LLM Program in Family Law is designed to equip graduates for practice in the increasingly sophisticated and rapidly evolving field of family law. This program offers a unique mixture of cutting-edge practice training and legal theory to prepare students for a variety of family law-related careers.

Family law is unique in modern law practice because it remains a general practice career. Beyond basic divorce and family law, practitioners must know tax law, real estate law, partnership law, contract law, child psychology, and other topics. As each of these sub-areas has ballooned, so has the expertise that a family law practitioner must bring to his or her practice. Effective education in both the technique and substance of modern family law practice is necessary for success in this competitive, dynamic field. Chicago-Kent’s LLM in Family Law provides this education.

Candidates for admission to the LLM Program in Family Law may apply at any time, but are encouraged to submit application materials by early July for the fall semester and by mid-November for the spring semester. Applications are available from the Office of Graduate Admissions or online at the Graduate Program in Family Law website.

Students wishing to take one or more courses in the program without becoming candidates for the LLM degree may do so with permission. Students may be eligible for CLE credit based upon their LLM coursework.

Application Requirements (Degree-Seeking)

application for admission
$60 application fee
personal statement
résumé
official law school transcript

Application Requirements (Nonmatriculant)

application for nonmatriculant admission
$60 application fee
résumé
official law school transcript

Tuition

Tuition and Fees

Degree Requirements

24 credit hours of coursework, including an externship requirement of at least 9 credit hours (Part-time students may not have to complete the externship.)

Contact Information

Office of Graduate Admissions
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Illinois Institute of Technology
565 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661-3691
USA

Phone: 312.906.5360
Fax: 312.906.5274
Email: admissions@kentlaw.iit.edu
Website: www.kentlaw.iit.edu/prospective-students/llm-family-law

Financial Services Law

Deregulation of financial services, tax reforms, globalization, technology, the financial crisis beginning in 2008, and revolutionary market forces have created an environment in which attorneys must broaden their knowledge and sharpen their skills to handle the range of legal and related issues arising in the new and evolving financial services industry. Chicago-Kent’s innovative and unique LLM Program in Financial Services Law educates legal professionals to be effective in this rapidly changing environment. It emphasizes the global nature of financial markets and takes advantage of Chicago’s location as a critical node in the global financial services industry.

Candidates for admission to the LLM Program in Financial Services Law must hold a JD, LLB, or other non-US first law degree. Domestic students may begin in either the fall or spring semester. International students may only begin in the fall semester. Students may pursue the degree on either a full- or part-time basis. The suggested application deadline for fall admission is February 1. Applications are available from the Office of International Law and Policy or online at the LLM in Financial Services Law website.

Application Requirements

application for admission
$75 application fee
personal statement
two letters of recommendation
official transcripts of all prior legal study and prelegal study and officially certified English translations
TOEFL or IELTS (for nonnative speakers of English)

Tuition

Tuition and Fees

Degree Requirements

24 credit hours of coursework, including one independent research course leading to a paper suitable for publication

Contact Information

Office of International Law and Policy
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Illinois Institute of Technology
565 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661-3691
USA

Phone: 312.906.5134
Fax: 312.906.5355
Email: intllm@kentlaw.iit.edu
Website: www.kentlaw.iit.edu/prospective-students/llm-financial-services

International Intellectual Property Law

The LLM Program in International Intellectual Property Law was the first of its kind in the United States, and its success reflects the increase in demand for rigorous education in this rapidly changing area of law. Chicago-Kent is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of both international law and intellectual property law, and the law school’s faculty, students, and graduates are helping define IP law for the 21st century through their research and scholarship.

As the importance of IP law has expanded nationally and internationally, the program has grown to reflect and anticipate the constant challenges of contemporary IP practice. Whether your interests lie in scientific and technological innovation, marketing and advertising, or entertainment and the arts, Chicago-Kent’s Program in International Intellectual Property Law offers an educational experience that emphasizes both academic excellence and a commitment to training the top IP lawyers and thinkers of tomorrow.

Students enrolled in the program attend courses and seminars with JD students and can take advantage of the school’s cutting-edge expertise in such areas as information technology law, e-commerce, and corporate and financial services law. They also receive personalized instruction in a graduate thesis-writing course limited to students in the program. The one-year, full-time program offers students the flexibility to choose particular courses of interest as well as the rigor of a directed writing requirement.

Candidates for admission to the LLM Program in International Intellectual Property Law must hold a JD, LLB, or other non-US first law degree. The suggested application deadline is February 1. Applications are available from the Office of International Law and Policy or online at the LLM in International Intellectual Property Law website.

Application Requirements

application for admission
$75 application fee
personal statement
two letters of recommendation
official transcripts of all prior legal study and prelegal study and officially certified English translations
TOEFL or IELTS (for nonnative speakers of English)

Tuition

Tuition and Fees

Degree Requirements

24 credit hours of coursework, including International Intellectual Property Law or International Patent Law, Introduction to the American Legal System, and a graduate seminar with thesis

Contact Information

Taxation

The Graduate Program in Taxation, which leads to an LLM degree in taxation, is designed for both full-time students and practicing attorneys who want to keep pace with developments in tax law and deepen their understanding of this field. The program, created and taught by full-time tax attorneys who are partners in major law firms and leaders of the national tax bar, takes a rigorous in-class approach to the problems that tax practitioners confront on a daily basis. The program is designed to meet the needs of students seeking the best theoretical and practical graduate tax education. Each course is structured to immerse students in the theory, analysis, and planning that real-world tax practice demands.

The program has benefited from significant contributions of time and resources by leading members of the tax bar. The Graduate Program in Taxation Advisory Board, which oversees the tax program, includes Chicago’s most respected tax lawyers.

Applicants for admission to the LLM Program in Taxation may apply at any time, but are encouraged to submit application materials as early as possible in the summer for fall-semester matriculation and in the fall for spring-semester matriculation. Candidates for admission to the LLM Program in Taxation must hold a JD from an ABA-accredited law school. In special circumstances, international students may be considered for admission if they hold a JD, LLB, or other non-US first law degree. However, international applicants should be aware that the program focuses primarily on US tax law. Applications are available from the Office of Graduate Admissions or online at the Graduate Program in Taxation website.

Application Requirements (Degree-Seeking)

application for admission
official law school transcript
two letters of recommendation from law school professors or from attorneys with whom you have worked who can assess your capacity for advanced legal study in taxation

Application Requirements (Nonmatriculant)

application for nonmatriculant admission

Tuition

Tuition and Fees

Degree Requirements

12 courses (24 credit hours of coursework), including an independent research course

Contact Information

Trial Advocacy for International Students

The LLM Program in Trial Advocacy offers a unique program to international students who are interested in pursuing a master’s degree in trial advocacy. Focusing on persuasive and effective courtroom litigation skills and advocacy, this program is open to full-time international students. The 24 credit hours required for this master’s program include the courses Trial Advocacy 1, Trial Advocacy 2, Litigation Ethics & Professionalism, Evidence and the Art of Advocacy, Litigation Technology, and Introduction to American Legal Systems, with the remaining seven credit hours consisting of an externship in litigation vis-à-vis a governmental agency, such as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, or Cook County Public Defender’s Office; a dispute resolution/mediation practice; or a civil litigation practice.

The master’s program invites foreign students with divergent trial practice backgrounds to gain exposure to the US adversarial trial system—a system somewhat similar to newly revised “oral trials” being adopted by many other countries. Chicago-Kent’s reputation in trial advocacy as well as its physical location in Chicago provides a distinctive master’s degree in trial advocacy in a world-class setting.

Candidates for admission to the LLM in Trial Advocacy must have completed their basic legal preparatory studies outside of the United States. Students may only begin in the fall semester. The suggested application deadline is February 1. Applications are available from the Office of International Law and Policy or online at the LLM in Trial Advocacy website.

Application Requirements

application for admission
$75 application fee
personal statement
two letters of recommendation
official transcripts of all prior legal study and prelegal study and officially certified English translations
TOEFL or IELTS (for nonnative speakers of English)

Tuition

Tuition and Fees

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 24 credit hours of coursework, which includes required courses in Trial Advocacy 1, Trial Advocacy 2, Litigation Ethics & Professionalism, Evidence and the Art of Advocacy, Litigation Technology, and Introduction to American Legal Systems. The remaining seven credit hours consist of an externship in litigation vis-à-vis a governmental agency, such as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, or Cook County Public Defender’s Office; a dispute resolution/mediation practice; or a civil litigation practice.

Contact Information

US, International, and Transnational Law

The LLM Program in US, International, and Transnational Law is a one-year, full-time program for attorneys trained outside of the United States who wish to gain a broader understanding of the American legal system and to develop skills for engaging in transnational legal practice. The program is not open to attorneys holding a JD degree from an American law school. The program offers flexibility in the choice of law courses as well as the opportunity to conduct independent research. Students enrolled in the program attend courses and seminars along with JD students and can take advantage of the school’s cutting-edge expertise in such areas as information technology law, e-commerce, international trade, and financial services law.

Complementing Chicago-Kent’s wide-ranging course offerings is the law school’s strong international faculty. With recognized scholars in international and comparative law, the faculty as a whole strongly believes in the importance of international legal studies to the development of law in the United States. The LLM programs at Chicago-Kent have attracted participants from all over the world, and recent classes have included students from Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Brazil, China, Columbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Macedonia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Candidates for admission to the LLM Program in US, International, and Transnational Law must have completed their basic legal preparatory studies outside the United States. Students may only begin in the fall semester. The suggested application deadline is February 1. Applications are available from the Office of International Law and Policy or online at the LLM in US, International, and Transnational Law website.

Application Requirements

application for admission
$75 application fee
personal statement
two letters of recommendation
official transcripts of all prior legal study and prelegal study and officially certified English translations
TOEFL or IELTS (for nonnative speakers of English)

Tuition

Tuition and Fees

Degree Requirements

24 credit hours of coursework, including required courses in Comparative Law and Introduction to the American Legal System
In addition, all students must meet their writing requirement through a seminar, a drafting course, or independent research supervised by a faculty member

Contact Information

Student Services and Organizations

Chicago-Kent students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that enhance their academic and social lives through approximately 50 student organizations that are active on campus each year. The Office of Student Services acts as a liaison and advocate in academic, administrative, and personal matters. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Multicultural Affairs and Professional Development ensures that the needs of all members of Chicago-Kent’s minority constituencies are met, while the Safe Space Program provides resources and support for students who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, as well as any students who have questions about gender and sexuality.

Career Services

Chicago-Kent’s Career Services Office, with five full-time staff, assists JD and LLM students and alumni in planning or enhancing their careers and mapping out their job search strategies. Available resources include individual counseling, résumé and cover letter reviews, mock interviews, career awareness programs, a job-posting service, and a well-stocked resource center.

The Career Services Office also works closely with the Office of Alumni Relations to introduce students to alumni in the Chicago area and beyond. Through the Alumni Advisor Network, students can search for alumni by practice area and geographic location.

Contact Information

565 West Adams Street,

Chicago, IL 60661-3691,

United States

Phone: 312.906.5020

School Website

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