Is it possible to get into Columbia LLM with no work experience?

Or just 1 year of work experience?

How strict are they with the work experience requirement?

Hi ipanima. It appears that most Columbia LL.M students have some work experience. In that respect Columbia's LLMs seem slightly older than some other US LLMs like Pen students (for example). That's anyway what I was told. However, if your academic achievments are outstanding this should be sufficient to get in CLS. I do not think that their selection process would be so rigid as to overlook outstanding students...I hope that I answered your question.

If I read it correctly columbia does not necessarily require work experience. I know few people getting into Columbia with no work experience. Anyway when are the applications for Columbia opening? Do they give TOEFL waiver if your first degree was in English?

from the columbia law website (http://www.law.columbia.edu/llm_jsd/llm/standards), it says:
Admission Standards
Strong preference is given to applicants who have at least one year of work experience after earning their first law degree. Only in exceptional circumstances are applications from candidates who are in their final year of law school considered. Applicants who have not yet graduated must demonstrate that their admission to the program would enable them to realize an immediate and specific career objective that would not otherwise be attainable.

also, from an interview with the dean of graduate legal studies, it seems work experience is important --- http://www.osvita.org/usbtaa/paldoc/PAL_report_Ouziel.html

re TOEFL, the same page says that if:

(a) your native and working language is English, or
(b) you earned your first law degree entirely in English in an English-speaking country,

then you don't need TOEFL. you just have to indicate this in the online application by ticking a box.