Courses

LL.M. students have full access to the School of Law's 170 J.D. courses to craft a curricula tailored to their backgrounds and interests.

The program also offers courses specifically designed for and only open to LL.M. students. The LL.M.-specific courses include:

Foreign Graduate Seminar

(4 credits) Prof. Katz.
This seminar is the required introductory course for foreign students enrolled in the Graduate Program in U.S. Legal Studies. It begins with a series of lectures introducing students to American legal education; American government, courts, and culture; various common law subjects; and professional responsibility. Throughout the year seminar sessions are held with legal practitioners from law firms and corporations in the Cleveland area who are involved in an international practice. Requires a paper.

U.S. Contract Law for LL.M.

(3 credits) Prof. Levenson.
In subject matter and coverage this course is similar to the first-year J.D. course (Contracts, L123), but it is abbreviated and modified to reflect that it (a) is taught exclusively to students in the international LL.M. program and (b) uses its subject matter to introduce students to American legal systems.

Doing Business in the U.S.

(3 credits) Prof. Petras.
The course is designed to introduce foreign students to many areas of U.S. domestic law through consideration of a transnational business transaction. Examples of areas of law covered include restrictions on foreign investment, regulatory agencies, banking and finance, importing and exporting, business entities, litigation and alternative dispute resolution, labor relations, immigration law, and taxation. Grade is based on two short written assignments.

Business Association for LL.M.

(3 credits)
This course is an introduction to the law of business associations including general and limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations tailored to their specific needs.

U.S. Legal Writing

(3 credits) Prof. Turner.
This course is designed to teach English compositional skills and grammar for legal studies. With an English-as-a-second-language focus, this course will seek to teach students the various steps of the writing process, English grammar, and certain aspects of legal composition. The main goal of this course is to enable students to write clearly and correctly within U.S. legal studies and the U.S. legal work place. The course will meet twice a week for one hour. Students will be required to take this course based on a written exam administered at the beginning of the semester. Students must receive a grade of at least a C to pass out of the course.

Evidence for LL.M.

(3 credits) Prof. Levenson.
In subject matter and coverage this course is similar to the J.D. Evidence courses, but it is abbreviated and modified to reflect that it (a) is taught exclusively to students in the international LL.M. program and (b) uses its subject matter to introduce students to American legal systems.

Professional Responsibility for LL.M.

(2 credits) Prof. Turner.
This course examines and explains to foreign LL.M. students the responsibilities of the American lawyer, as a professional, to self, society, client, and the profession. A focal point of the course will be mastery of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct to prepare LL.M. Students for the Professional Responsibility portion of the Bar Exam.