LLM in International Law and Justice

This program offers students the opportunity to gain an advanced understanding of human rights protection and promotion on international, regional, and domestic levels. The degree is designed primarily for lawyers and students who work or intend to pursue a career in the public sector, including high-level government attorneys, leaders in nongovernmental organizations, and academics.

This LLM program was created under the auspices of Fordham Law’s Leitner Center for International Law and Justice, one of the largest and most dynamic human rights programs in the nation. The Center’s Vivian Leitner Global South LLM Scholars Program offers generous scholarships and stipends to enable select graduate students from the developing world to enroll in this program.

CREDIT HOURS

Each student is required to complete a minimum of 24 credits of approved courses; the maximum number of credits permitted is 27.

PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIRED COURSES

The 24-credit minimum must include 12 credits of Specialization Distribution Courses approved for the International Law and Justice program.

The 12-credit Specialization Distribution Course requirement must include the following Core Course:

International Law

Remaining credits needed to fulfill the 12-credit Specialization Distribution Course requirement must be chosen from among the wide selection of Specialization Distribution Courses approved for the International Law and Justice program.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED COURSES

For students who do not hold a degree from a U.S. law school, the following courses are also required:

• Introduction to the U.S. Legal System*
• Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students*
• Introduction to the U.S. Legal Profession†
• At least 6 credits of Content Outline courses
• Students are required to take Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students during their first semester of study in the LLM program.

Note: If a course can fulfill both a Specialization Distribution Course requirement and a Content Outline requirement, the course may count toward both requirements. For example, Family Law (3 credits) counts toward the Specialization Distribution Course requirement and will also count toward the Content Outline requirement, leaving 3 credits of Content Outline Courses and 9 credits of Specialization Distribution Courses to be fulfilled.

Scholarship Applicants

Prospective students applying for the Vivian Leitner Global South scholarship for the LLM in International Law and Justice must submit their application directly to the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School. For application instructions and deadlines, visit the Global South LLM Scholars Program webpage.

Scholarship applicants who are not awarded the Vivian Leitner scholarship will be given the option to transfer their application to the LLM program office to be considered for regular admission. Applicants will be asked to submit the $70 application fee at that time.

Program Applicants

Applicants who do not wish to be considered for the Vivian Leitner Global South scholarship are welcome to apply for the LLM in International Law and Justice directly through the LLM program office.

A Note Regarding Course Selection for Part-Time Students

The LLM program strives to ensure that there is a wide range of courses available in the evening in each of our LLM areas of specialization and to ensure that students will be able to meet their program requirements within their desired time frame for completion. However, it would be impossible to ensure that any specific course will be offered at a time that is convenient for all students. We encourage you to look at the schedules from past semesters, available on the registrar's website, to get a sense of what courses may be offered in the future (noting, of course, that the schedule varies from one semester to the next).

A leader in American legal education, Fordham Law School has provided a complete education in the law for more than a century. While the legal profession has changed during that time, the core mission of a Fordham Law education has not. We value academic excellence, the pursuit of justice, and the ethical practice of the lawyer’s craft. We impart the warmth of community within the School and wherever Fordham Law alumni are found around the globe. Fordham lawyers are dedicated to the highest standards of the legal profession and using the law “in the service of others.”

The School’s student journals are some of the most cited in the legal profession: the Fordham Law Review is the 7th most-cited review in judicial opinions, and all six of Fordham's journals are among the top ten most-cited journals of their respective fields.

The Fordham Law alumni community is a global network. Graduates can be found in all 50 states and 74 countries around the world. Our graduates hit the streets running, joining an ever-growing alliance of doers and thinkers, organizers and inspirers, justice-makers and jury-swayers, movers and shakers. We’re at the front of courtrooms and classrooms. Deep inside the ranks of law firms of every size and specialty. We’re transacting big business. Defending the underdog. Addressing cutting-edge theoretical issues. Solving real-life legal problems. Creating leaders. Making the world a better place. In short, we’re doing everything possible to connect Fordham Law graduates to the people, places, ideas, and career opportunities that matter most.