Master of Laws

The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. It is commonly abbreviated LL.M. (also LLM or LL.M) from its Latin name, Legum Magister. (For female students, the less common variant Legum Magistra may also be used.)

Requirements

LL.M. programs are usually only open to those students who have first obtained the professional law degree. Thus, it is an advanced degree for persons who are already lawyers, rather than for persons wishing to become lawyers.

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LL.M. programs usually last one year. LL.M. programs are varied in their graduation requirements. Some programs require students to write a thesis, others do not. Some programs are research oriented with little classroom time, while others require students to take a set number of classes.

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In the United States, the professional law degree discussed above is called the Juris Doctor (J.D.). Persons in the United States who obtain a LL.M. sometimes do so after they receive their Juris Doctor. Thus, they receive a "Doctorate" degree first and their Master's degree second, which is the reverse of how degrees are typically awarded. (The J.D. is not actually true doctorate, but rather a postgraduate degree.

Related Topics:
Juris Doctor - Doctorate

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The professional law degree in the United States was originally called the Bachelor of Laws, abbreviated as LL.B. Though some U.S. law schools had granted the Juris Doctor to graduates holding a bachelor's degree, it wasn't until the late 1960's that the American Bar Association approved the change for all of its affiliated law schools. However, the LL.M. name was never changed, resulting in a situation where a Master of Laws degree is actually a more advanced degree than a J.D. for U.S.-educated lawyers.)

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LL.M. degrees in the United States are often earned by foreigners who have previously obtained a foreign law degree abroad. U.S.-educated lawyers, before proceeding to obtain an LL.M., generally have a total of seven years of education: four as an undergraduate and three to obtain a J.D. Foreign lawyers (who may have been trained in undergraduate institutions, giving the traditional name for the basic law degree, the LL.B.) generally have a total of five years of education: four in their home country, and one in the United States as an LL.M. Although foreigners may obtain an LL.M. after fewer total years of academic training than their U.S. colleagues, it represents a greater degree of achievement in legal education.

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