WashULaw offers several specialty LLM programs to meet the particular academic and professional goals of individual students. Students can pursue an LLM in Intellectual Property and Technology Law (described below) or an LLM with a Concentration in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. This is in addition to the general LLM degree designed for international lawyers, a two-year LLM with a focus on legal English, or the Juridicae Scientiae Doctor (JSD) degree.
LLM in IP & Technology Law
The LLM degree in Intellectual Property and Technology Law is a one-year graduate degree program that responds to the demand for knowledgeable and skilled intellectual property professionals who have already earned a basic law degree. The IP/TL curriculum allows students to study introductory and advanced intellectual property law and to scrutinize the politics affecting those areas of the law under the guidance of leading scholars in the field. Students participate in practical skills courses taught in small groups by teams of experienced intellectual property lawyers.
The IP/TL LLM student body is drawn from two distinct sources. First, we admit JD graduates from across the US who desire to focus their legal expertise through one year of intensive study of intellectual property law. Second, we admit experienced intellectual property attorneys from abroad who want to broaden their IP knowledge to include US and international intellectual property. WashULaw offers students a wide range of opportunities to explore the many facets of intellectual property law including conferences, symposia, speaker programs and involvement in related student organizations and competitions.
To earn the LLM in Intellectual Property and Technology Law, a student must successfully complete 24 credit hours of courses, 15 credits of which must come from the IP/TL curriculum.
Application Requirements
Candidates for the LLM degree must have graduated from an accredited US law school or have earned a law degree from a foreign country. Students holding an LLB from a non-US law school are required to take a two-semester course: Introduction to US Law and Legal Methods.
Candidates must submit:
- An application;
- One recommendation letter;
- Official academic transcripts, in notarized English translations, if not provided in English by your university.
- Confirmation of English-language proficiency, as in a recent TOEFL, IELTS or other standardized test scores. (WashULaw TOEFL code: 6929) NOTE: Your TOEFL score must be less than two years old at the time you begin classes at WashULaw.
Once admitted, you will be required to present a letter of credit from a bank or other lending institution showing you have sufficient financial support to study in the US. This is part of the visa process.
Candidates must submit all materials by May 15 and are encouraged to submit an application as early as possible.
Need-based and credit-based loans are available to full-time students who meet the federal requirements. Merit-based scholarships are also available.
Special Information Concerning Eligibility for a U.S. Bar Exam:
The eligibility for a student to sit for a bar exam in the U.S. is determined by each state, and requirements vary. It is possible to meet the course requirements for a bar exam (for example, New York) while pursuing a specialty LLM degree. Students should carefully review the bar exam requirements during the degree and course selection process. See ncbex.org for bar information by state.
Special Information Concerning the US VISA Process:
WashULaw works closely with all of our admitted students to ensure timely and correct filings of visas. Be forewarned, however, that the process of applying for and receiving a US student visa is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. We urge you to get your applications in early, and we promise to work on your visa documents early.
For more information, contact:
E-Mail: gradlaw@wustl.edu
Phone: (314) 935-3346
Fax: (314) 935-7961
