Remote programs deliver the educational edge needed to excel in today’s legal job market.
Remember Vicky Datsova? She was featured in the Spring 2023 issue of The National Jurist. A 2022 LL.M. grad from University of Dayton School of Law, Datsova recently passed the Washington, D.C., bar exam.
During the holidays, she got together for lunch with Margaret Ioannides, assistant dean for online LL.M. programs at University of Dayton. Ioannides reports that Datsova expressed her gratitude for the school’s online LL.M. program in American and Transnational Law.
Vicky Datsova started her LL.M. online in 2020 with the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The program was put online temporarily because of COVID-19. Datsova spent her first two semesters studying law while working full-time from home. The next year, the school announced it was switching back to in-person classes, meaning Datsova would have to take more time off from work.
But then she found the University of Dayton School of Law’s online LL.M. program. It is fully online and the prerecorded lectures are followed by quizzes, assignments and chat discussions. Great for people who work full time, Datsova said.
“It’s great to see past students who have benefited from the fully online LL.M. program,” Ioannides said. “Online legal education has come a long way in a short time.”
Of the more than 400 LL.M. programs in the U.S., only about 80 are offered online, but more are being added.
The growth in online programs is being driven by demand and an increasing understanding that they provide an education comparable to in-person classes.
In 2014, University of Southern California, Gould School of Law launched its first online program, an LL.M. for foreign attorneys. It has seen steady growth every year since.
“In terms of academic rigor, there is no difference between our online and on-campus LL.M.s,” said Sarah Gruzas, director of graduate and international programs at the school.
In 2022, the Association of American Law Schools conducted a survey regarding how the pandemic changed legal education. More than 400 law school deans responded. Many of them said online learning was a boon to their students. They praised the flexibility and accessibility of online classes, as well as the benefit of not having to cancel classes because of inclement weather or other setbacks.
Many schools have seen increased student interest in LL.M. programs and have expanded their offerings accordingly.
At Texas A&M University School of Law, enrollment in online LL.M. programs tripled from Fall 2019 to Fall 2021, and it almost tripled again in 2022, said Heather Miller, assistant director of LL.M. programs at the school.
Texas A&M Law offers online LL.M. programs for working professionals with a J.D. degree or a first degree in law from a foreign university in International Tax Law, Risk Management and Wealth Management.
“An online LL.M. is a great option for current lawyers in the United States or international attorneys who cannot come to the United States for an in-residence degree program,” Miller said.
Specialty online degree advantage
In the fall of 2019, Lewis & Clark Law School put its Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Law LL.M. program online.
“Our environmental program is one of the best in the county,” said Janice Weis, associate dean and director of the Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Law Program at Lewis & Clark. “Our residential program began in 1988. We had been getting inquiries about whether we would offer an online version for a number of years.”
Lewis & Clark’s online Environmental Law LL.M. program is open to domestic and international students. They are required to complete 26 credits and 28 credits, respectively. The law school strongly recommends that international students take Administrative Law to gain an understanding of the U.S. environmental regulatory and enforcement system.
Jennifer Harder, director of online learning at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, said her school’s online courses use an interactive learning approach. The online LL.M. in Water and Environmental Law is modeled after an online water law course that was developed for the in-person J.D. program’s water and environmental concentration.
The 24-credit online LL.M. program offers two distinct options: a U.S. track, which focuses on issues affecting this nation, and an international course of study for those interested in pursuing careers that deal with international water and environmental issues.
“Most of our students are required to take water resources law and environmental law, and we offer many other courses that dive into the law-making process,” Harder said.
At Lewis & Clark, already having an online program made it easier for the school to expand its remote learning options when the pandemic began.
The law school’s Center for Animal Law Studies launched its Animal Law LL.M. program in 2012 and put it online in the fall of 2021.
“We took animal law education to the next level,” said Pamela Byce, assistant dean and executive director of the center. “Our LL.M. alumni were already doing transformational work to improve the lives of animals around the world. Yet, specializing in animal law remained out of reach for advocates who could not relocate to Portland, Oregon, to study with us in person and full time.
“With alumni now from 28 countries, the online degree option has had an instrumental role in advancing animal protection around the globe.”
In 2013, Stetson University College of Law in Florida started its Advocacy LL.M. program. Katherine Donoghue, assistant director of the school’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy, said the program averages 12 students.
“Offering the program fully online gives students from all over the country, and even internationally, the ability to get their degree without having to disrupt their daily professional practice or personal lives,” Donoghue said.
To help promote camaraderie between among students, Stetson Law uses Zoom sessions for discussions, debates and other class exercises.
“Stetson’s online LL.M. is designed so students can go at their own pace,” Donoghue said. “The convenience of
being able to complete the course modules based on their own schedules makes way for the working professional to complete the degree.”
Online LL.M. programs
We reached out to every law school in the fall for updates to their LL.M. programs. Click here for the digital article to view the list of programs available fully online or as a hybrid option. Please be sure to reach out to the law schools for the most up-to-date information and/or any program changes.
— Julia B. Johnson and Sherry Karabin contributed to this story.
