Degree Requirements

The LL.M. in American Business Law curriculum provides foreign-trained lawyers with the foundations for practicing law in the United States. Students in the program gain grounding in the basic principles of American law and American business law, while tailoring the degree to their own areas of practice by selecting an area of concentration within our curriculum. The curriculum is designed to meet the New York Court of Appeals requirements for foreign-trained lawyers who wish to sit for the New York State bar exam.

Time to Completion: The LL.M. degree can be earned in one year of full-time study, or up to two years of part-time enrollment. Note: Student visa regulations specify that only students with non-student visas, such as those working full-time in the U.S. while enrolled, will be permitted to study part-time. U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents are also eligible for the part-time program.

Credit and GPA Requirements. Candidates for the LL.M. in American Business Law must earn at least 24 credits for approved course work with a minimum cumulative grade point average of B- (2.67).

Required Courses. The American Business Law LL.M. degree has 4 required courses: Introduction to American Law (2 credits), American Business Law: Sources and Methods (2 credits), Corporations (4 credits) and a course in professional responsibility or ethics (2 or 3 credits). Students are also required to complete a substantial research and writing project by taking at least one seminar graded primarily on the basis of a research paper or by taking a drafting or or advanced legal writing course.
 

• Students begin the program with the required Introduction to American Law. This 2-credit course is designed to teach the basic principles of American law, while preparing American Business Law LL.M. students for their American law school experience.

• In the first semester students are also required to take American Business Law: Sources and Methods. This course focuses on the basic skill required for a U.S. legal practice. These include the sources and methods for researching, analyzing, and communicating about U.S. law. The course is tailored to the business law curriculum. Research exercises will be coordinated with the required course in Corporations.

• Students are also required to take Corporations, the foundational course for an understanding of American Business Law, and to select a course from our curriculum with a focus on professional responsibility or ethics.

• Students will complete a substantial research and writing project before the end of the program. This requirement may be satisfied by a seminar or independent research project guided by a faculty member or drafting or advanced legal writing course and provides the students an opportunity to work closely with a member of the faculty and to tackle sophisticated legal issues in American law.

Concentrations. American Business Law LLM students are able to take advantage of the rich collection of business law courses offered at New York Law School. From among these courses students are required to select one specialization, by taking 3 courses (at least 10 credits) in a specific area of law. Students are able to choose this concentration from among a wide variety of and will work with the Program Director and the Office of Academic Affairs to construct a carefully individualized curriculum.

Concentrations for students in the American Business Law LLM program include:
 

• Corporate and Securities Law
• Administrative Law and Practice
• Business and Commercial Law
• Business Tax Law
• Intellectual Property
• International Business Law
• Labor and Employment Law
• Media and Entertainment Law
• New York Business Law and Practice

New York Law School also offers 3 specialized LL.M. degree programs.
 

• Financial Service Law
• Real Estate Law
• Taxation

Students in the American Business Law LL.M. may choose to concentrate by taking 3 courses (or 10 credits) from one of these LL.M. specializations. Students may also choose to spend an additional semester or year at New York Law School to complete a second, specialized LL.M. degree program and may count some credits toward both LL.M. degrees.

Students who are particularly interested in sitting for the NY Bar Exam will work the Program Director and the Office of Academic Affairs to ensure that they have met all requirements for the Bar Exam.

Other Requirements and Policies. The requirements for the LL.M. in American Business Law and all New York Law School and program policies are subject to change without notice. Candidates for the LL.M. in American Business degree must satisfy any other requirements for that degree that are in force when the degree is conferred.