Chapman University - Fowler School of Law

Chapman's Global Citizen's Plaza

We have a variety of engaging programs that appeal to both U.S. and International students, including: Taxation, Trial Advocacy (with court residency), Business Law & Economics, Entertainment & Media Law and International & Comparative Law. Qualified candidates may also elect a General LL.M. with other specializations with special permission.

For each program, feel free to call the LL.M. Offices at (714) 628-2635, and you will be put into contact with a faculty member who can answer your specific questions about the specific program that you are interested in. You may also dial 877-CHAPLAW, toll free from within the United States.

LL.M. in TAXATION
Taxation is Chapman’s oldest LL.M. program and continues Chapman’s advance in the field of tax law. Our J.D. Tax Program has been ranked in the Top 25 (#17) in the United States by the U.S. News and World Report, which bolsters our graduate tax programs as well. Our full time tax faculty includes leaders in various Tax sections and committees of the American Bar Association and scholars including casebook authors. We are the only law school in the nation with both Trial and Appellate tax clinics (whereby students handle actual cases while in school.) Our graduates have been placed at leading law and accounting firms and at the IRS. In addition to the traditional Personal and Business related tax law courses, Chapman has made a particular effort to include an extensive array of advanced Estate Planning courses.

Of the 109 schools identified by preLaw magazine as offering concentrations or certificates in tax law, two received “A” grades, with nine additional schools, including Chapman, earning an “A-.” The publication based its rankings on the breadth of the schools’ tax programs.

Admission: Fall and Spring, Full-Time and Part-Time
Link: http://www.chapman.edu/gradtax
Email: gradtax@chapman.edu

LL.M. in TRIAL ADVOCACY (With Court Residency)
Chapman’s newest LL.M. program is different than most Trial Advocacy programs that you may find because it lets qualified candidates gain nearly unattainable civil or criminal trial experience while in school. Unlike other programs, Chapman’s LL.M. in Trial Advocacy gives students who are licensed by the California State Bar the opportunity to participate in a 15-week “residency” in a criminal agency or law firm, where they will routinely make court appearances and handle other pretrial matters. Most will also try at least one complete jury trial. Candidates not licensed by the California State Bar will still be able to receive hands-on trial training from Superior Court Judge’s and leading jurists, prosecutors, civil litigators, and criminal defense attorneys.

Admission: Fall Only; Full Time Only
Link: http://www.chapman.edu/law/academic-programs/llm/t...

Email: llm@chapman.edu

LL.M. in BUSINESS LAW & ECONOMICS
The field of Business Law includes many subjects that are vital to local and global businesses, like contracts, trade regulation, competition, finance, and banking. Earning your an LL.M. in Business Law & Economics from Chapman allows you a course of study in sophisticated areas of Business Law including International Business, Bankruptcy, and Mergers & Acquisitions. The LL.M. degree brings to light the myriad ways that business law is connected to other fields of law.

Admission: Fall and Spring, Full-Time and Part-Time
Link: http://www.chapman.edu/law/academic-programs/llm/b...

Email: llm@chapman.edu

LL.M. in ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA LAW
In a field like Entertainment Law, it is vital not only to develop and enhance one’s legal skills, but also to make lasting impressions and connections with those who have insight and experience in the entertainment industry. Chapman’s LL.M. in Entertainment & Media Law lets students access a complete film & television school at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts – and our close proximity to the “entertainment capital of the world” gives students a distinct advantage making these connections. Our LL.M. program lets students pursue not only traditional Entertainment Law courses, but also lets students take valuable, in-depth courses in our film school. A student who exploits this unique combination of curriculum may have a competitive edge in this field.

Admission: Fall and Spring, Full-Time and Part-Time
Link: http://www.chapman.edu/law/academic-programs/llm/e...

Email: llm@chapman.edu

LL.M. in INTERNATIONAL & COMPARATIVE LAW
The legal climate of the world is sophisticated and global. Whether you are involved in human rights, international trade, international relations, or a host of other fields, a good understanding of U.S. and International legal systems can benefit you and your firm or government agency. Chapman offers a wide variety of courses and is updated to reflect new developments in this dynamic field, giving our LL.M. students the most current selection of courses possible.

Admission: Fall and Spring, Full-Time and Part-Time
Link: http://www.chapman.edu/law/academic-programs/llm/i...

Email: llm@chapman.edu

Chapman's main campus in Orange, California.

Chapman University is a 156-year-old non-profit private institution currently ranked in the Top 10 of Western Master’s Universities by U.S News & World Report. Chapman's overall student body consists of approximately 7,000 students, including 550 students at the law school. The school offers 55 different majors at the undergraduate level, and confers degrees over 50 graduate fields of study.

The Fowler School of Law is part of a full university campus, which gives law students access to educational, cultural, and recreational activities that often cannot be replicated at a stand-alone law school. It also lets us offer cross disciplinary study in approved courses with other Colleges within our University.

Kennedy Hall. Home to Chapman's Fowler School of Law.

Chapman University Fowler School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).

Our school has been ranked a Top 10 law school for Quality of Life (a measure of overall law school community experience) by The Princeton Review in 11 of the past 12 years. The Princeton Review has also ranked us among the Top 5 law schools for Best Classroom Experience and as a Top 10 law school for "Diverse Faculty" in the last decade.

We compete exceedingly well against schools much older than us and are clearly an institution that is on the move. We are pleased to report that the US News 2017 Graduate School Rankings have Chapman in the "Top Schools" category of American law schools with many measures of our performance well into the Top 50. In the 2012 report, our J.D. Tax Program was ranked in the Top 25 (#21) in the country by US News.

Dean Matthew J. Parlow says, "At Chapman you will get the best of both worlds: a great quality of life and a top-notch legal education."  

In addition to our excellent LL.M. programs, Chapman offers JD emphasis (certificate) programs in 7 different concentrations and extensive clinical programs along with JD/MBA and JD/MFA joint degrees.

The law school building is Kennedy Hall, a state-of-the-art, $30 million dollar building, housing 130,000 square feet of space that includes classrooms intentionally designed to limit per-class capacity, a law bookstore, student lounges, and trial & appellate courtrooms. The building is ADA compliant and is fully wi-fi.  Chapman earned an “A” grade and a Top 25 ranking in the Best Law School Facilities list in the fall 2014 issue of PreLaw Magazine, making Fowler School of Law a fantastic choice not only for the quality of our faculty and unique programs, but for our wonderful facilities.

Our Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library has over 300,000 volumes & volume equivalents, and has been ranked as one of the Top 5 technologically advanced in the country by National Jurist magazine. The library's reference staff includes five duo-degreed lawyer-librarians, including published authors in their field.

Chapman has over 50 full-time faculty.

Chapman has over 50 full-time faculty including a Nobel Laureate, four former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and professors who hold degrees from Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, Georgetown, UCLA, and USC among others. In addition to our full-time faculty, we are very proud of our program adjuncts, who are respected practitioners in their areas of expertise and bring real world experience and a teaching dynamic to the classroom.

The Princeton Review has ranked our faculty in the Top 10 for "“Professors Rock - Legally Speaking"” (a measure of interesting and accessible faculty) several times - which speaks volumes about the supportive nature of our institution.

Courses in the LL.M. programs are taught by a mixture of experienced full-time professors and leading practitioners who bring extensive experience in very specialized areas of legal practice. Our curriculum is designed to provide each student with a background in the program areas most often encountered, while allowing each student to choose specialized courses according to his or her interest.

Biographies of the faculty teaching within the programs may be found on the Chapman Faculty Profiles page or in the program brochures for the respective programs.

Students studying on the law school patio.

The admission requirements may be slightly different for each LL.M. program. Please note the differences for each program. The information below lists the minimum requirements in order for us to consider a candidate for admission. Meeting these minimum criteria in no way guarantees your admission. Please consult the individual program catalogs and Chapman's website for more detailed information about our admissions standards.

LL.M. in TAXATION
Admission is limited to those who are either: (1) are members in good standing of the Bar of any State or the District of Columbia; or (2) are recipients of a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an ABA-accredited law school; or (3) an international applicant who has the equivalent of a U.S. law degree from an accredited institution outside the United States or be a practicing attorney outside the United States.

LL.M.'s in TRIAL ADVOCACY, BUSINESS LAW & ECONOMICS, ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA LAW and INTERNATIONAL & COMPARATIVE LAW
Admission to the LL.M. in these specialization areas is limited to those who: (1) are recipients of a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an ABA-accredited law school, or (2) if you are an international applicant, you should have the equivalent of a U.S. law degree from an accredited institution outside the United States.

The procedure to apply to our LL.M. programs varies slightly, so please note the instructions below carefully.

For all LL.M. programs we require:
- An official, signed, application form either in paper form or electronically through the Law School Admissions Council
- The application fee ($75 for 2017-2018)  To request a fee waiver, please call or email the LL.M. program offices at (714) 628-2635 or llm@chapman.edu
- Official copies of all undergraduate transcripts
- Official copies of all law school transcripts
- A personal statement outlining preparation, interests, and goals for graduate study
- Two letters of recommendation.
- A current resume

Further:
- International applicants must prove competency in English by completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and meeting our minimum score requirements. All college or university transcripts must be translated into English. Submit English and native language transcripts, as well as copies of your previous degrees. Any photocopies of transcripts or diplomas must be notarized.

For all LL.M. programs, your completed application package should be sent to:

Chapman University School of Law
LL.M. Program Offices
One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
U.S.A.

The 2016-2017 tuition for all LL.M. programs is $1,665 per credit (unit) hour. See: Tuition and Fee Information to learn more about tuition and other fees.

Merit scholarship is available for candidates with exceptional academic and/or professional records that clearly demonstrate an acumen for the program which they are applying to.

The Financial Aid Office at Chapman University School of Law is happy to discuss the general federal loan programs (Stafford, Perkins, and Graduate PLUS) as well as private and emergency loans. 

You may contact our Financial Aid Office directly at (714) 628-2510, or through Chapman's website: Chapman Financial Aid Office.

A view of Orange County, California.

With its beautiful campus near historic Old Towne Orange, California, Chapman University is conveniently located 40 minutes South of Los Angeles in Orange County, California. The campus consists of historically preserved buildings (often seen in major motion pictures), and new state of the art facilities.

Within a short walk of our campus you will find charming antique shops and boutiques, fantastic restaurants, and shaded, tree-lined streets full of unique historic homes. Within a short drive you will have access to beaches, mountains, major league sports team events, and a host of cultural and recreational opportunities including Hollywood, Disneyland, the Getty Museum, Catalina Island, and everything else that Southern California has to offer.  You can explore the area by map here.

Chapman is located near the Pacific Ocean and has very enviable California weather. Annual average temperature ranges from 75(F)/25(C) in the summer to 60(F)/16(c) in the winter with low humidity year round.

At Chapman University, students can seize numerous opportunities to enhance their experience outside the classroom - socially, spiritually, and physically. From Broadway-style performances and athletics to cross-cultural initiatives and student life activities, you will find your home with us.

A master calendar of events lists events campus wide - not just for the law school.  You can keep up with law school news at one of our news and events blogs.

LLM's are encouraged to explore all that Chapman has to offer including joining a law student organization (or starting new one), using our recreational facilities including a fitness center, swimming pool, and track & field.  

Our Fish Interfaith Center provides students of all religions a place to worship and to practice their beliefs in a safe, sacred space. Students of all faiths may utilize the facilities to study, meditate, and pray.

Graduate students also have the resources of the student run Graduate Student Council available to them.