Vanderbilt University Law School

The University

Founded in 1873, Vanderbilt University comprises 10 colleges and schools, including one of the nation's top medical schools. Vanderbilt draws its 10,800 students from all 50 states and 45 foreign countries.

Vanderbilt's home is a particularly gorgeous 323 acre campus that is also a national arboretum, complete with paths that wind among magnificent magnolia trees. It offers quiet spaces for reflection but also crackles with new technology and connections to the global community. The Vanderbilt University Law School is located on the main campus.

The Law School

Vanderbilt Law School is a highly ranked law school with a top-caliber faculty, a small, but outstanding, student body, and a faculty/student ratio of 1:16. Our faculty includes nationally and internationally renowned scholars, whose influential scholarship and research is shaping the future of the legal profession.

There are more than 150 course offerings in such areas as corporate law, law and business, intellectual property, international law, health child welfare, cyberspace, constitutional law, criminal law and federal courts.

The Program

Each year, Vanderbilt's LL.M. Program accepts a small number of foreign lawyers and international professionals for a one-year master's degree program that enables them to explore American legal issues and method.

LL.M. students may choose from all courses offered during their year of study. In addition, during the fall semester, all LL.M. students take "Introduction to Legal Research and Scholarly Writing in the United States." The LL.M. program pairs each student with a faculty advisor with expertise in the subject area on which the student plans to focus. Working in close consultation with his or her advisor, each LL.M. student completes a research paper during their year of study at Vanderbilt Law School.

LL.M. students can earn a certificate of specialization in Law and Business by continuing their studies for two years through an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum created by the law school in conjunction with Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management. This program allows students to study U.S. business law, management techniques, corporate finance and accounting, and the legal principles that affect them.

The Faculty

Vanderbilt's faculty, headed by Dean Edward Rubin, includes top scholars in constitutional law, law and business, international law, criminal law, contract law, health law, intellectual property and other areas. Professor Randall Thomas, director of the LL.M. program, the law & business program, and the Summer in Venice program, is one of the nation's most well-regarded experts in corporate and securities law.

Vanderbilt's International Legal Studies Program is headed by Professor Larry Helfer, an expert in international human rights, intellectual property, and international dispute settlement. The program's faculty includes Professor Michael Newton, former Senior Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, who specializes in international humanitarian law; and James Bacchus, a former chairman of the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body. Professor Richard Nagareda, a nationally renowned expert in class actions and complex tort litigation, heads the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Program. A complete list of faculty and faculty profiles is located on our website.

Application Procedure

The LL.M. Application Form can be downloaded from our website. Please see our website for a complete list of items that must be submitted with your application file. The LL.M. application and all supporting documents must be postmarked by March 31 of the year in which you would like to enroll. Applications and supporting documents postmarked after March 31 will be considered upon availability. Enrollment is limited to the fall semester, which begins in August.

Location

The main campus is comprised of 333-acres and is approximately one-half mile southwest of Nashville's downtown business district. Therefore, the Vanderbilt community enjoys the advantages of its urban location, central to many fine restaurants and businesses, but also the broad lawns, shaded paths, and peaceful park-like setting of the main campus.

Students at the Vanderbilt Law School take advantage of many recreational, sporting, cultural, and academic activities available in Nashville and at Vanderbilt. As the capital city of Tennessee, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Titans football and the Nashville Predators hockey teams, and a minor league baseball team, the Nashville Sounds, as well as to the world-class Nashville Symphony. The Tennessee Performing Arts Center features Broadway productions year-round as well as a strong local theater company. On campus, Vanderbilt's noted Blair School of Music often sponsors professional concerts and recitals. The Sarratt Student Center, which houses a cinema, an art gallery and studios, a performance hall, and lecture rooms, is within a short walking distance to the law school.

Student Life

As an LL.M. student, you are fully integrated into the Vanderbilt community. You study alongside American and other international students in the three-year J.D. program and participate in student organizations.

VULS has an active network of LL.M. alumni living and working in positions of leadership around the world. If you woud like to hear from LL.M. alumni about their experiences at Vanderbilt, please contact the program coordinator by emailing llm.program@law.vanderbilt.edu.

Summer Program

LL.M. students have the option of beginnig their studies in Venice, Italy, through the Vanderbilt in Venice program. This program allows LL.M. students to study international law topics in a small classroom setting before entering the LL.M. program in the fall.

Pre-LLM Course

The Vanderbilt University English Language Center, in association with the Vanderbilt University Law School, offers the English for Legal Purposes Institute. In the Institute, you will learn what to expect in an LL.M. program in the U.S. This intensive summer program is designed to provide incoming LL.M. students with the language and academic skills needed to succeed in a demanding LL.M. program in the U.S.

You will visit courts and law offices in Tennessee to examine the U.S. legal system and discuss legal practice with real-world judges and law practitioners. Additionally, since law touches every aspect of life in the United States, we will visit local venues and hold follow-up discussions on related legal issues that arise from each visit.

When you finish the program, you will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Vanderbilt University English Language Center. You will also have a portfolio of relevant work to reference during your academic and professional endeavors.