Boston University School of Law (BU Law)

The University

Established in 1869, Boston University is one of the world’s premier institutions of higher education and research. With more than 30,000 students from 50 states and 40 countries, BU is the fourth largest independent university in the United States. And with one of the largest international student populations, BU embodies the diversity that characterizes the best in U.S. education.

The Law School

Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is one of America’s most distinguished law schools. The core of the BU Law learning experience is superior teaching and a supportive, dynamic learning environment in which teachers guide, inspire and challenge. BU Law professors are nationally acclaimed for their legal skills and scholarship, on the cutting edge in research, writing and advising to both the public and private sectors. But what uniquely defines them is their devotion to students -- academically, professionally and individually. This explains why the school is ranked #1 in America in Teaching Quality, according to the Princeton Review and the Leiter Report. The school is also within the top 10 percent of American law schools in U.S. News and World Report – and in the top ten in the specialty areas of intellectual property, tax and health law.

The Program

The school’s roughly 250 LL.M. students bring an astounding mix of backgrounds and interests to campus. In any given year, they come from over 40 law schools throughout the United States and from more than 35 countries worldwide. BU Law offers foreign-trained and domestic lawyers four leading LL.M. programs:

LL.M. in American Law (for foreign-trained lawyers)
The LL.M. in American Law program is a one-year, full-time graduate law program designed to introduce jurists trained outside the United States to American law and the U.S. legal system. Fully integrated into the school’s J.D. classes, LL.M. in American Law students select topics from over 150 courses available at BU Law. These include such important fields as intellectual property and corporate law, and such fundamental topics as contracts, civil procedure and constitutional law. By taking classes with full-time American J.D. students, LL.M. in American Law Program students learn first-hand about how American lawyers are trained to analyze and address legal problems. Students can pursue specialized “concentrations” in the important areas of International Business Practice and Intellectual Property.

LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law
For lawyers with focused interests in banking and financial services, BU Law’s Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law offers a course of study leading to an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law degree. The program – the first and only one of its kind in America – prepares U.S. and foreign-trained lawyers for leadership positions in both the American and international financial markets. The program’s faculty consists of industry practitioners who are dedicated to sharing their wealth of experience. The 1,300 plus graduates form a cohesive professional network that is unmatched in the financial services industry.

LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law
Our LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law program builds upon our national reputation in intellectual property law and enables U.S. and foreign-trained students to study not only the core topics of copyright, patents and trademark and unfair competition – but also explore advanced, specialized topics through an expansive range of electives in such cutting-edge fields as Internet and biotechnology law, all offered through the school’s J.D. curriculum. In a year of full-time study, students also complete a faculty-supervised analytical research paper on an intellectual property law topic.

LL.M. in Taxation
Now in its forty-eighth year, the LL.M. in Taxation is designed for U.S. and foreign-trained lawyers specializing in tax law. Consistently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top tax schools in the country, BU Law provides a rigorous study of current tax law taught by both full-time academicians and nationally recognized practitioner/scholars. The extremely broad curriculum allows students either to undertake a diverse tax program or to concentrate in a subspecialty area such as business organizations and transactions; personal, family, and estate tax; or international tax. Students may attend on either a full- or part-time basis.

Application Procedure

Candidates for admission may submit their applications either online or by mail. Instructions for applications are available on our website at www.bu.edu/law/prospective/apply/llm/. Applicants may submit an online application or send their application in by mail. The application requirements include a completed application form; an application fee; official academic records; two letters of recommendation; a personal statement and a résumé or CV. International applicants must also submit proof of English language proficiency and an international student data form. All qualified applicants will also be interviewed by phone (or in person, if practical) by the program Director or Assistant Director.

Location

Long recognized as the country’s academic capital, Boston offers one of the world’s greatest settings for advanced study. Over 50 colleges and universities make the greater Boston area their home. The city’s unique blend of educational, cultural, financial and high-tech scientific activity attracts thousands of students and scholars each year from all over the world.

Nestled between the Charles River and the bustling Back Bay district, the campus of Boston University offers a unique combination of urban excitement and peaceful relaxation. You can immerse yourself in city life or take a break along Boston’s famed Esplanade, a walkway adjacent to BU’s campus that winds all the way to downtown Boston. Spread a picnic, rent a sailboat, launch a kayak, cycle for miles, feed the squirrels, enjoy a rock concert – or just clear your head between classes. As a BU Law student, Boston is your campus. You’ll be part of a city whose professional and cultural breadth has few rivals.

Student Life

At BU Law we believe a great deal of learning happens outside the classroom — we encourage students to enjoy their legal studies, to expand intellectually and personally and to participate in extracurricular activities, student organizations, community service and other activities that enrich student life. To help encourage this, BU Law organizes a wealth of activities to help students connect with their fellow LL.M. and J.D. classmates. As an LL.M. student at BU Law, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in receptions, a fall foliage hike, an international potluck dinner, Red Sox games, internationally-themed dinners, and much more.

Summer Program

Boston University’s Summer Legal Institute in London provides lawyers and advanced law students trained outside the U.S. with intensive preparation in legal English and writing, and exposure to substantive American law topics in key areas of international business practice. The Summer Institute is open to graduates of law faculties outside the United States and to advanced, non-U.S. law students who are about to complete their law studies in their home countries.

The Summer Legal Institute in London is divided into two three-week parts, beginning in July and ending in mid-August. Part A course offerings typically include courses in Legal English and Legal Writing. Part B course offerings typically include topics such as U.S. Corporate Law, U.S. Contract Law, International Business Agreements and other areas of interest to the international practitioner. For more information about Boston University’s Summer Legal Institute in London, visit www.bu.edu/law/londonlaw.

Pre-LLM Course

For LL.M. students seeking advanced preparation for their upcoming graduate studies in America, Boston University’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) offers a six-week Summer Program in Legal English designed to provide international jurists with the language and academic skills needed to succeed in a demanding LL.M. program. Through small-class instruction led by CELOP's distinguished faculty and through carefully selected law-related materials and assignments, students:

• Build their legal English vocabularies and strengthen their legal English writing skills
• Receive exposure to fundamental aspects of the American legal system and several substantive doctrines central to American Law
• Become acquainted with the materials, methodologies and culture of American law school instruction

The program, which runs from early July to late August, is open to all foreign jurists who have been admitted into an LL.M. program at an American law school in the following fall semester. For more information about the Pre-LLM course, visit www.bu.edu/celop.