Chapman University - Fowler School of Law

Chapman's Global Citizen's Plaza

The LL.M. in Taxation appeals to both U.S. and International students and continues Chapman's advance in the field of tax law. Our JD Tax Program is ranked among the Top 100 in the United States by 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.

For more information, free to call the LL.M. Offices at (714) 628-2535, 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.

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

Chapman's main campus in Orange, California.

Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a non-profit, private institution ranked as one of the Best National Universities by U.S News & World Report. Chapman's overall student body consists of approximately 10,000 students, including 450 students at the law school. The school offers 65 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 is ranked among U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Law Schools” and has been consistently named one of the “Best Schools for Practical Training,” one of the country’s “Most Diverse Law Schools,” and a “Top School for Tax Law” by preLaw Magazine.

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 Taxation in LL.M. program, Chapman offers JD emphasis (certificate) programs in 7 different concentrations and 6 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 student lounge, outdoor study areas, a one-stop student services center, and both trial & appellate courtrooms. The building is ADA compliant and is fully equipped with WiFi. Kennedy Hall was named one of the “Best Law School Buildings” in the U.S. by preLaw Magazine, making the Fowler School of Law a fantastic choice not only for the quality of our faculty and programs, but for our wonderful facilities.

The Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library features more than 300,000 print volumes and access to over 2 million electronic resources, and has been ranked as one of the Top 5 technologically advanced law libraries in the country by National Jurist magazine. The library's reference staff includes several 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, three former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and professors who hold degrees from Harvard, Stanford, Yale, 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.

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.

Admission is limited to those who are either: (1) members in good standing of the Bar of any State or the District of Columbia; or (2) 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.

Foreign students who have not studied or received a degree at either an English language law school or university must demonstrate proficiency through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please contact the LL.M. Programs Office for more information regarding scores.

These are the minimum requirements for us to consider a candidate for admission. Meeting these minimum criteria in no way guarantees your admission. Please consult the program catalog and Chapman's website for more detailed information about our admissions standards.

The LL.M. in Taxation accepts applications for both fall and spring admission.

We required from all LL.M. applicants:
- An official, signed, application form either in paper form or electronically through the Law School Admissions Council
- The application fee ($75). 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.

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 2021-2022 tuition for all LL.M. programs is $1,920 per credit (unit) hour. This is subject to change. Visit the Graduate Financial Aid website for the most current and complete information on 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.

LL.M. students 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.