The number of U.S. graduate programs open to foreign attorneys has blossomed in recent years. Currently, 493 programs are offered by 125 law schools.
That’s a lot of options for prospective students. And while options are good, they also make the selection process more challenging.
Which LL.M. programs are best? That’s always been hard to answer because the American Bar Association doesn’t monitor LL.M. programs as closely as it does J.D. programs.
So, The National Jurist editors sought to make the selection process easier by collecting information from law schools, assessing the data and compiling it in a meaningful way.
The result is our honor roll of LL.M. programs for foreign attorneys. Our goal was not to rank the programs from best to worst but to identify the ones that go beyond LL.M. students’ reasonable expectations and offer the most resources.
“LL.M. students [are] interested in a vibrant, rich academic program offering wide-ranging opportunities inside and outside the classroom,” said George Edwards, a professor at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Edwards knows what he’s talking about. He is the author of “LL.M. Roadmap: An International Student’s Guide to U.S. Law School Programs.” When creating the criteria for what makes a great LL.M. program for foreign attorneys, we relied heavily on his book.
Not surprisingly, Edwards’ school, IU McKinney Law, is on our honor roll.
To identify the best LL.M. programs, we asked law schools with LL.M. programs open to foreign attorneys to provide data on resources and offerings. We based our analysis on 23 data points, all designed to measure the opportunities available to receive a high-quality legal education and be immersed in U.S. culture.
Our analysis does not factor in prestige or a law school’s reputation. Instead, we focused on what the law schools have to offer.
We gave the greatest weight to the student experience (25.25%). This includes mentorship programs, efforts to help students adjust, whether students take classes with U.S. students, off-campus excursions, student groups and journal participation.
Academics was second at 22.5%. We assessed the number of professors, the percentage of courses taught by tenured professors, the percentage of faculty who have studied or worked overseas and the number of courses offered.
This was followed by career support and services (18.75%) and oversight of the program (15%).
Financial aid (11.25%) and practical training opportunities (4.75%) rounded out the analysis, with 2.5% reserved for any additional special features offered by a school.
Overall, 23 law schools made our honor roll.
Best LL.M. programs honor roll
Schools are listed in alphabetical order.
Brooklyn Law School
Florida State University College of Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law – Bloomington
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
LMU Loyola Law School
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Northeastern University School of Law
Saint Louis University School of Law
Southwestern Law School
Syracuse University College of Law
Temple University – James E. Beasley School of Law
The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Tulane University Law School
University of Cincinnati College of Law
University of Hawai’i at Manoa – William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Minnesota Law School
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
University of St. Thomas School of Law – Minneapolis
University of Texas School of Law
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Wake Forest University School of Law
Widener University Delaware Law School
Honor roll grading methodology
Student Experience
Mentors for foreign students 7.50
Do foreign students take classes with U.S. students? 7.50
Efforts to helps students adjust 3.75
Off-campus excursions 3.75
Student groups 1.75
Journal participation 1.00
Academics
Percent of courses taught by tenured professors 11.25
Number of courses offered 3.75
Number of professors 3.75
Percent of faculty who studied or worked overseas 3.75
Career
School tracks employment 3.75
Percent employed 3.75
Alumni who stay in U.S. 3.75
Dedicated career counselor 3.50
Networking opportunities 2.00
Recruitment programs 2.00
Oversight of program 15.00
Financial aid
Financial aid available 7.50
What percent get financial aid 3.75
Practical Training
Live client guarantee 1.75
Externships 1.00
Simulation courses 1.00
Moot court 1.00
Other 2.50
