An Overview for Foreign LLM Candidates

Studying Law in the United States

Undergraduate Degree

Law School Degree (J.D.)

3 years

Bar Exam2-3

days

Quick Overview of American Legal Education

Statistics

Law Schools: 201 Law Students: 139,260 Lawyers: 1,225,500 Lawyers per capita: 1 per 265 people

• District of Columbia: 277 lawyers per 100,000 people

• North Dakota: 4.4 per 100,000 Income (2012):

• Median: $113,530• Mean: $130,880• Mean income of partners @ 200 largest

firms: $681,000

Bar admission at state level• State requirements vary widely

– In most states, individuals without a U.S. J.D. do not satisfy the minimum educational requirements for bar admission and are ineligible to take the bar exam.

– In some, however, a foreign J.D.-equivalent is accepted, provided the student obtains a LL.M. degree from an accredited law school.– E.g., California:

– “Law Students who received their first degree in law from a law school outside the United States must establish their eligibility to take the California Bar Examination by showing that their degree is equivalent to a Juris Doctor (JD) degree awarded by an American Bar Association (ABA) approved or California accredited law school in the United States and that they have successfully completed a year of law study at an ABA approved law school or a law school accredited by the Committee in the areas of law as outlined in the Committee’s ‘Guidelines for Implementation of Chapter 2, Rule 4.30 of the Admissions Rules.’”

– In a few (esp. N.Y.), foreign law degrees from a jurisdiction whose law is “based upon the principles of the English Common Law” may sit for the bar without a LLM degree.

Practicing Law in the United States With a non-U.S. Law Degree

Legal Employment Before Financial Crisis: Growth Plateaus

6

Demand for Legal Services, 1960 = 1

19451948

19511954

19571960

19631966

19691972

19751978

19811984

19871990

19931996

19992002

20052008

20112014

20172020

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

Legal Services as % GNP Federal District Court Filings Per Capita

Source: Richard Sander, UCLA

7

Supply of Lawyers versus Demand for Legal Services, 1960-1

19451948

19511954

19571960

19631966

19691972

19751978

19811984

19871990

19931996

19992002

20052008

20112014

20172020

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

Legal Services as % GNP US Lawyers Per Capita Model of Licensed Lawyer Per Capita

Source: Richard Sander, UCLA

8

Client pushback on costs continues

Outsourcing to legal support service companies in low wage English-speaking countries (especially India)• Market growing at 30% per year

since 2009

Probably a Permanent Shift

19451950

19551960

19651970

19751980

19851990

19952000

20052010

20152020

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00Legal Services as % GNPUS Lawyers Per CapitaModel of Licensed Lawyer Per Capita

Overall Business Law Int’l Litigation Tax

Weston Ivy LLM Program Rankings

1. Harvard2. Columbia3. NYU4. Stanford5. Berkeley6. Penn.7. Chicago8. Georgetown9. Duke10. UCLA

1. Harvard2. Columbia3. Stanford4. Penn5. NYU

1. NYU2. Harvard3. Columbia4. Georgetown5. Berkeley

1. NYU2. Florida3. Georgetown4. Northwestern5. Miami6. Boston Univ7. Loyola-LA8. San Diego9. Villanova10.Michigan

Nine months: August to May

Twenty-two (22) units of credit, over two semesters, are required to obtain the LL.M. degree. Students may enroll in a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of fourteen (14) units per semester.

Yes. LL.M. students create their own program of study from our selection of advanced course offerings, and take these classes alongside the Law School's Juris Doctor (J.D.) students.

Yes. Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Law. International and Comparative Law. Four Business-related tracks: Bankruptcy. Business Law, Securities Regulation, Tax. Critical Race Studies. Law and Sexuality. Public Interest Law.

$52,862.37Substantial financial aid available

Duration

Minimum course load

Will I study with JD students?

Are there specializations?

Cost?

The UCLA LLM

Application Process

Visa

When?

Applying

Online application: http://www.law.ucla.edu/prospective-students/admission-information/llm-program/Pages/llm-application-procedures.aspx

If you are an international student and accept UCLA's offer of admission, you will be subject to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regulations prior to entering the United States. You will be required to comply with health insurance and health coverage clearance rules and must be found eligible for a U.S. student visa before being permitted to register as a student in the LL.M. Program. Most international students enter the U.S. on an F-1 student visa.

The application period for admission to the 2014-2015 LL.M. Program is now closed. The application for admission to the 2015-2016 LL.M. Program will be available in September 2014.

• Admission decisions will be issued on a rolling basis through April 2015.

World Class Faculty•US News JD ranking: 16th•LLM Program: 10th

World Class University•Times of London Higher Education World Reputation Rankings: 8th overall•# 2 Public University

You get to live in Los Angeles

Why UCLA?