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Master of Laws

llm shields

This degree focuses on international law and international lawyers.

The LL.M. degree has been an important part of American legal education for over 100 years. Advanced law degrees serve as recognition of formal legal education beyond the J.D. degree. Monterey College of Law is the first California Accredited Law School (CALS) to be authorized to grant the LL.M. degree.

The LL.M. degree requires successful completion of 24 graduate law units. Transfer credits will be allowed for certain graduate and law courses that meet MCL’s academic standards. If approved, transfer credits may be applied towards up to one-half of the 24-unit graduation requirement.

Applicants to the LL.M. Program must have received their first degree in law at either an American Bar Association (ABA) approved law school, a state accredited law school, or at a law school approved by the appropriate authority in a country other than the United States. In addition, MCL will consider any applicant, domestic or international, who is licensed to practice law and is currently in good standing in the jurisdiction in which they are licensed.

The philosophy of the LL.M. program is to offer students a broad platform to design their own course of study within parameters set by the MCL law faculty. For international students, the program emphasizes exposure to U.S. law, a comparison of U.S. and other legal systems, and advanced legal theory and policy. Subject to criteria established by the State Bar of California, the LL.M. may qualify a foreign-educated graduate to sit for the California Bar Exam. For U.S. students, the program provides an opportunity to utilize the resources of MCL to pursue advanced study in areas of specific interest. Within this framework, LL.M. students have considerable latitude in planning their course of study.

The LL.M. degree program will be under the academic direction and supervision of the MCL Dean or his designee. The regular departments of MCL will provide all other administrative services.