LLM Areas of Study

The General LLM program allows students to design their own courses of study. General LLM students may enroll in virtually any course, with the exception of certain experiential courses, such as our clinical programs and Trial Advocacy. Many students use the General LLM program as a way to pursue a combination of introductory and more advanced courses in a variety of areas. Because the typical first-year courses are open to our graduate students, some choose to take such courses as Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Property.

Students find that the General LLM program lends itself to the development of ad hoc concentrations. For example, students interested in Intellectual Property might take Copyright, Intellectual Property, Trademarks and Unfair Competition, Patent Prosecution and Litigation, one or more specialized courses in the area, a Directed Research project supervised by a faculty member who is an expert in the area, and even one or two unrelated courses. Students interested in international trade might take such courses as International Trade, Finance & Banking; Financial Institutions; International Tax; International Business Transactions; and a variety of related courses.

This program is intended primarily for international students who hold a first degree in law (JD or LLB or equivalent) from a non-U.S. law school and who wish to establish eligibility to take a state bar examination in the United States, where permitted by state bar authorities. The degree will give students from foreign jurisdictions a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of U.S. law and the American legal system, as well as an appreciation for law practice in the United States.

Degree Requirements: The American LLM requires, in addition to the general degree requirements, completion of at least 14 hours of coursework in the following subjects: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Corporations or Business Enterprises, Evidence, Intellectual Property, Federal Civil Procedure, Taxation, Uniform Commercial Code, Torts, or (if planning to take the Louisiana bar exam) Louisiana Civil Procedure or Louisiana Obligations Law. Students seeking this degree are also required to take either Common Law Property or Civil Law Property. Remaining hours of coursework for the degree may be selected from any other courses open to graduate students at Tulane Law School.

Tulane Law School is known internationally for its Admiralty and Maritime Law Program. The Maritime Law Center provides an umbrella for Tulane’s many activities in the field of admiralty and maritime law. The most prominent of these is Tulane’s Admiralty Law Institute, the oldest and largest continuing legal education program devoted to maritime law. Students interested in admiralty and maritime law have access to a variety of activities, such as the Maritime Law Journal, the Maritime Law Society, and others.

Degree Requirements: To qualify for the degree of LLM in Admiralty, candidates must complete at least 13 of the 24 hours required for the degree in admiralty courses. Students may enroll in this program on a full-time basis, completing it over one year. Attorneys practicing full-time in the New Orleans area may enroll on a part-time basis, completing the program over four consecutive semesters.

The Energy & Environmental Law Program has evolved over time from a program concentrating primarily on oil, gas, and energy issues, to one in which the environment holds center stage. Tulane seeks to graduate students who understand not only the theory, but also the practice and advocacy of environmental issues. Among the resources Tulane offers its students are an outstanding and dedicated faculty, the Environmental Law Journal, the Environmental Law Society, the Annual Summit in Environmental Law, and an Institute for Water Resources Law & Policy.

Degree Requirements: The LLM in Energy & Environment requires, in addition to the general degree requirements described earlier, completion of 16 credit hours (six courses). Students must enroll in the Graduate Seminar in Energy & Environment as well as two of the following three courses: Pollution Control, Natural Resources, and Energy Law.

Tulane’s International and Comparative Law Program provides unparalleled opportunities for both US and foreign lawyers to receive a basic foundation in international legal practice. The program offers courses in public international law, private international law including international business transactions, and comparative law. Tulane’s unique perspective in a historically mixed common law-civil law jurisdiction results in an unusually rich experience for students. Tulane offers its students a strong faculty with significant international experience and training, an outstanding collection of materials in the Tulane Law Library, and the resources of the Eason-Weinmann Center for Comparative Law, which brings together outstanding legal scholars from various countries and legal systems for seminars and lectures.

Degree Requirements: Candidates for the LLM in International & Comparative Law enroll on a full-time basis and complete the program in one academic year. In addition to the general degree requirements described earlier, students enroll in 13 credits. Each student’s course of study is at least somewhat dependent upon the background and previous legal education of the individual student and on the student’s objectives. For example, US students interested in European legal studies would need exposure to European legal sources, European Community Law, and the like. A student from Germany, however, might focus her studies somewhat differently, seeking exposure to common law subjects and to other areas which she would be unlikely to have studied previously. Each student designs his or her course of study with the assistance of a faculty advisor.