Academics

Master of Laws (LLM) Requirements

Duke Law offers two year-long LLM programs — the LLM for International Law Graduates, and the LLM in Entrepreneurship and Law. The JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law is offered only as a dual-degree.

Duke Law also offers a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies, which takes place over two month-long summer sessions in two consecutive summers. Please see the Judicial Studies program website for degree requirements and program details.

LLM for International Law Graduates

Candidates for the LLM for International Law Graduates are expected in enroll in a minimum of 21 credit hours in law. Students may take more than 21 credits; those who wish to sit for the New York bar examination will be able to fulfill the bar examination's requirements at Duke Law. All students participate in the Distinctive Aspects of American Law course, and those with civil law training also will be asked to enroll in the U.S. Legal Analysis, Research and Writing for International Students course. Some international LLM students elect to take first-year courses, but the greater part of the curriculum consists of upper-class courses selected by the individual student.

Duke's LLM for International Law Graduates is not a research degree, but students can pursue their own areas of interest under faculty supervision, either by conducting an independent research project or by enrolling in a seminar. Students are required to produce two credits of written work for the degree in either a seminar or an independent research project. An un-graded elective course, the Legal Writing Workshop, is available to LLM students during the spring semester; it is designed to provide additional instruction in US legal correspondence and drafting, and to assist students in writing research papers and preparing for seminar presentations.

Candidates for the LLM degree for international law graduates must earn 21 law credits to graduate. (Students may take more than 21 credits.)

The program of study is normally completed in one academic year, which begins for all new students in late August. Additional requirements are as follows:

  1. Students are required to take Distinctive Aspects of U.S. Law.
  2. Students without extensive experience studying in English are required to take Legal Analysis, Research and Writing for International Students.
  3. Students are also required to produce a substantial piece of writing, which is usually satisfied by taking a seminar course or pursuing an independent research project supervised by a faculty member.
  4. Students who wish to sit for the New York bar examination will be able to fulfill the bar examination's LLM requirements.

Students are welcome to make selections from the large number of courses represented in the curriculum. With the exception of the required courses, all classes are taken with JD students. Students may also take courses in other parts of the university, such as the Fuqua School of Business or the Sanford Institute of Public Policy.

LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship

The Law and Entrepreneurship LLM Program is a two-semester, 23-credit program that builds on Duke Law's existing strengths in the fields of business law, intellectual property law, and innovation policy. It also takes advantage of strategic ties to entrepreneurial companies located in Durham and the surrounding Research Triangle Park region. The program provides a rigorous academic and experiential foundation for lawyers who plan to be involved with innovative businesses, either as advisers, or as CEOs or other executives. You must have received either a JD or an LLM from an accredited U.S. law school OR be a currently active member of a bar in at least one U.S. jurisdiction in order to be eligible to apply.

The program includes five required courses for a total of 15 credits; eight remaining credits must be taken as electives, and other electives may be taken if core course requirements have been met during the JD program.

First Semester

During the first semester all students will be required to complete a three-course core curriculum. This core includes the following: Entrepreneurship and the Law (2 credits); Advising the Entrepreneurial Client (3 credits); and Business Strategy for Lawyers (3 credits). Students must also take at least one elective from a menu of courses available through the program (see below). If students have already taken Business Strategy for Lawyers, or if they have an MBA, they can select additional electives from the courses available through the program.

Second Semester

During the second semester, all students will be required to take the following: Equity Valuation (3 credits) and the Entrepreneurship and the Law Practicum (5 credits). Students may then fulfill their remaining credit requirements via the electives listed below. If students have already taken Equity Valuation, they can then select an additional elective from the courses available through the program.

Sample Electives

Read more about the LLM in Entrepreneurship and the Law.