2023-2024 Law School Catalog

Master of Laws Requirement

Overview

The LLM curriculum is primarily elective in nature. Students should meet with the assistant dean of graduate law programs to select courses to best fulfill their career objectives. International students are required to enroll in the seminar entitled, Introduction to US Law, Legal Reasoning and Writing in their first semester. The Legal English Institute is recommended for LLM students whose primary language is not English.

Twenty-four (24) credits are required to complete the Master of Laws degree. Students may select courses from this list to complete their 24 credits (JD graduates) or 22 credits (international law graduates).

You may also choose to take part in the LLM internship program, a unique opportunity to acquire practical experience for credit in the United States or abroad.

All LLM students must satisfy the LLM Legal Writing Requirement prior to graduation by completing a substantial legal research and writing paper in connection with a course, a Directed Study or an LLM thesis. Students must file the LLM Legal Writing Requirement form, signed by the supervising faculty member, with the Law Registrar before graduation.

Requirements

I. Degree Requirements

A candidate must satisfactorily have completed 24 credits in the Suffolk University Law School (SULS) LL.M. curriculum and have been a student at SULS for at least one academic year.

A candidate's complete LL.M. Law School record must show a cumulative weighted average of at least 2.00 in order to receive the degree of Master of Laws.

Degrees are awarded by the Trustees of Suffolk University on the recommendation of the Law Faculty. Recommendations may be withheld by the Faculty for good cause.

II. General Requirements and Rules

A. Part time LL.M. students must enroll in a minimum of 4 (and a maximum of -8) credits per semester. Full-time LL.M students must enroll in a minimum of 9 (and a maximum of 14) credits per semester. With the approval of the Director up to 6 credits earned in summer school may be applied to reduce these semester requirements.

B. A Part time LL.M. student may not register for less than 4 credits per semester without the prior approval of the Director. A Full-time LL.M. student may not register for more than 14 credits in a semester without the prior approval of the Director and the Associate Deans.

C. LL.M. students who wish to transfer between the Part-time and Full-time Divisions must obtain the written approval of the Director and Associate Deans. Approval must be obtained prior to registration for the semester the transfer will take effect.

D. Full-time LL.M. students are required to complete one Externship or Internship as approved by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Law Programs.

E. Transfer Credits and Waivers of Certain Requirements

  1. No more than 6 credits may be accepted as Transfer Credits from another similarly accredited LL.M. Program or Summer School towards the Master of Laws in Global Law and Technology at Suffolk University Law School. Such Transfer Credits must have been earned after the completion of a basic law degree, within a reasonable period of time before acceptance into the LL.M., and not already counted towards another program or degree. The award of Transfer Credits shall be at the discretion of the Director and the Associate Deans.
  2. Full-time LL.M students may petition for a waiver from the required Externship or Internship in Section II. General Requirements and Rules, Subsection D. The granting of waivers shall be at the discretion of the Assistant Dean of Graduate Law Programs and an Associate Dean.

F. Admission to the LL.M. Program does not entail admission to the J.D. degree program. Advanced Standing for the J.D. degree program is a separate decision to be made by the Dean of Admissions and the Associate Deans of the Law School.

G. The LL.M. degree alone will not normally suffice for eligibility to sit for the Massachusetts bar exam. Bar exam requirements vary from state to state. It shall be the responsibility of each student to determine for themselves their eligibility to sit for a bar exam or gain admission to practice law in any jurisdiction.

III. Course Requirements

A. All International LL.M. students must satisfactorily complete a Required Course, "Introduction to U.S. Law, Legal Reasoning and Writing."

B. Students must complete a substantial piece of written work for the LL.M., which must be certified as satisfactory by the Faculty member teaching the course or supervising the directed study for which it was written.The requirements for the Legal Writing Requirement, as prescribed by Regulation II. H of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. program shall apply.

Alternatively, LL.M. students may complete a Thesis for 2 credits, which must be of publishable quality. The Thesis must be directly supervised by a Faculty Member, approved by the Associate Deans and certified by the Director. The Thesis will be defended in an oral examination open to all Faculty.

IV. Credit Requirements

A. No more than 5 credits from any ungraded activities may be counted toward the LL.M. degree. Ungraded activities include an LL.M. Internship, Directed Study, Research Assistant, and participation on the Journal of High Technology Law.