Georgetown University Law Center (GULC)

Georgetown University is one of the world's leading academic and research institutions, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. We are a vibrant community of exceptional students, faculty, alumni and professionals dedicated to real-world applications of our research, scholarship, faith and service. Established in 1789, Georgetown is the nation's oldest Catholic and Jesuit university. Drawing upon this legacy, we provide students with a world-class learning experience focused on educating the whole person. With our location in Washington, D.C., Georgetown offers students a distinct opportunity to learn, experience and understand more about the world. Georgetown University Law Center began in 1870, and was the first law school established in the United States by a Jesuit institution of higher learning.

Georgetown University Law Center has one of the most well- established graduate programs in the United States and offers an unparalleled opportunity for lawyers to broaden and deepen their understanding of law through advanced study. Our extraordinary faculty combines leading scholars with sophisticated practitioners, nationally important judges, and key government officials. In this environment, American and international lawyers gather to challenge themselves to reach the next level of legal education through our LL.M., S.J.D. and certificate programs.

Offering more than 400 courses and seminars, the most comprehensive curriculum of any law school in the United States, the Law Center's curriculum covers everything from foundational issues in jurisprudence to cutting-edge issues of the most sophisticated legal practice. Close to 140 lecture classes and 90 seminars are specifically for graduate students. In order to foster interaction and exchange between J.D. and graduate students, graduate students may take upper-level courses with J.D. students.

Our diverse and highly qualified LL.M., S.J.D. and Certificate students bring exemplary academic credentials and practice experience from throughout the United States and around the world. Each year our program attracts attorneys from more than 60 countries and over 170 different law schools outside the U.S. The Law Center enrolls approximately 420 new LL.M. students each fall, about half of whom earned their first degree in law outside the U.S.

Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the Law Center's campus is within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Tax Court, and other government agencies and courts. Washington is a beautiful, international city that is the seat of the U.S. government and home to major international organizations such as The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of American States. The many governmental, international and nonprofit organizations located in the city also provide Georgetown LL.M. students with varied opportunities to do externships as part of their LL.M. study and develop professional contacts. Our location in Washington, D.C. facilitates the recruitment of our LL.M. students throughout the United States and abroad.

Graduate students can either design an individualized curriculum in our General or Individualized Studies LL.M. programs or choose to pursue a specialized degree, most of which are available to both U.S.-educated and foreign-trained lawyers. Students may pursue their LL.M. degree either on a part-time or full-time basis. There are specialized LL.M. degrees in:

- Taxation
- International Business and Economic Law
- National Security Law
- Global Health Law
- Environmental Law
- Securities and Financial Regulation
- International Legal Studies (foreign-trained only)
- General/Individualized

In addition, Georgetown offers a unique Two-Year LL.M. with a Certificate in Legal English, a joint LL.M. in Global Health and International Institutions in association with the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, and a dual LL.M./Master of International Affairs with Sciences-Po in Paris.

Graduate students may also enroll in a variety of Certificate Programs as well which offer students an opportunity to concentrate within a specific field of study. Students can earn certificates in:

- International Taxation
- Employee Benefits
- Estate Planning
- State and Local Taxation
- International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution
- WTO Studies
- International Human Rights Law
- Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies

The Certificates in International Taxation, Employee Benefits, Estate Planning and State and Local Taxation may be earned on a stand-alone basis; the others are awarded only in conjunction with an LL.M. degree.

Two-Year LL.M. with a Certificate in Legal English

Georgetown's unique Two-Year LL.M. with a Certificate in Legal English provides international lawyers the opportunity to obtain an LL.M. degree while improving and enhancing their English. It is a program of 4 semesters of full-time study at Georgetown Law, leading to both a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) and a Certificate in Legal English.

The intensive curriculum allows highly qualified applicants to develop their general and legal English language skills in a legal context. Students work closely with faculty members who have expertise in both law and linguistics, receiving feedback and individual attention that allows each student to work toward his or her individual goals. Students study both law and English to become better prepared to practice law in a global context.

In the first year of the program, students take a set of required courses taught by law faculty that focus on legal analysis, legal writing, and U.S. legal methods. Additionally, all students take several classes to improve and enhance their English language skills. These courses are taught by lawyers and Ph.D. linguists.

In the second year, students choose their LL.M. degree specialty (International Legal Studies, International Business and Economic Law, Securities and Financial Regulation, Taxation, or the General LL.M), take a minimum of 8 credits per semester.

According to Abdullah Alhoqail (Class of 2010), "What I like about the curriculum is that it is focused on essential skills that any law student needs. The curriculum gives individual attention to work on specific needed skills . . . with a focus on seeing the big picture of the legal system in the United States."

Independent Research and S.J.D.

Students who wish to produce a substantive writing project of publishable quality under the supervision of a Georgetown Law professor have the opportunity to do so, through either participating in a seminar or engaging in Graduate Independent Research.

Georgetown also admits a select and outstanding group of graduate students to our S.J.D. program, which culminates in a doctorate in law. Producing new knowledge and original legal scholarship, S.J.D. students write a dissertation under the supervision of a full-time faculty member and participate in a Fellows Collaborative - a collaborative program with Georgetown's clinical and research fellows who intend to pursue an academic career.

Professional Development and Career Services

Georgetown's graduate program is enhanced by our extensive administrative, academic and professional development staff exclusively for students in the graduate program and includes:

- A team of dedicated Career and Professional Development advisors who provide numerous services and resources for Georgetown's graduate students and assist them in finding employment in private law firms, international organizations, corporations and accounting firms.
- Georgetown's Graduate Language Center, which offers a variety of opportunities for LL.M. students to practice speaking and to enhance their writing skills in English through small group short-term non-credit conversation and writing groups.
- An extensive Externship Program for both U.S. and international students in which students earn academic credit. Because of Georgetown's location in the nation's capital, near major national and international organizations and government agencies, there are numerous externship placement opportunities for LL.M. students. Recent externship placements have included: The World Bank, Amnesty International, the Center for International Environmental Law, Human Rights First, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Securities & Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, Senate Finance Committee, FINRA, U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Commodities and Futures Trading Commission.

Representing an extraordinary range of professional and scholarly accomplishments, the more than 118 full-time members of the Law Center faculty have achieved national or international prominence and remain actively involved in their specialized field. Sharing a common commitment to teaching, Georgetown professors place a special value on accessibility and informal discussion while helping students view each legal issue from the broadest intellectual and social perspectives. Faculty are committed to helping every student develop the habits of mind that are characteristic of the best lawyers. Close to 300 adjunct faculty members - an extraordinary group of distinguished practicing lawyers, government officials and judges - augment the full-time faculty.

Applications are accepted to the Graduate Program to begin in the fall semester only. Please visit our website (http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions-financial-aid/graduate-admissions/llm-degree-programs/index.cfm) for the most up-to-date admissions information and detailed application instructions for the various graduate degree programs. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis (except for the S.J.D. program), meaning that files completed earlier are reviewed first. Both U.S. and foreign-educated candidates may apply under our Early Action admissions option. Early Action applications are the first reviewed in our rolling process and receive early notification of their admissions decisions. Once the Early Action program has ended, the Graduate Admissions Committee continues reviewing application files on a rolling basis.

Financial aid is available to graduate students in the form of loans. For more information about financial aid for U.S. citizens, permanent residents and international students, please visit our Financial Aid website at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/finaid/apply.

Several unique scholarship and fellowship programs are available to LL.M. students, some of which include full or partial funding as well as other programmatic components. These programs include:
- Institute of International Economic Law (IIEL) Fellowship
- Global Health Law Scholarships
- Taxation Scholarships
- Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa Program (LAWA)

Please visit this link for more information: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions-financial-aid/graduate-admissions/fellowships-scholarships-financialaid/index.cfm.

A small number of partial scholarships are awarded to foreign-educated lawyers in the LL.M. program. To be eligible for consideration for scholarship, applicants must submit a completed LL.M. application not later than the Regular Action deadline (although awards may be made on a rolling basis).

Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the Law Center's campus is within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Tax Court, and other government agencies and courts. Washington is a beautiful, international city that is the seat of the U.S. government and home to major international organizations such as The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of American States. The many governmental, international and nonprofit organizations located in the city also provide Georgetown LL.M. students with varied opportunities to do externships as part of their LL.M. study and develop professional contacts. Our location in Washington, D.C. facilitates the recruitment of our LL.M. students throughout the United States and abroad.

Georgetown Law's graduate students are part of an extraordinarily vibrant intellectual and social community. Students make the most of their time at Georgetown by developing lasting friendships with others in our diverse and global student body, seeking opportunities to expand their horizons by attending numerous events on campus by the Law Center's institutes and journals, taking up the Pro Bono Pledge to perform public interest service while at Georgetown, joining and taking leadership roles in student organizations, and by taking advantage of the Law Center's extensive student services. Georgetown's numerous institutes, law journals, and student organizations are constantly bringing together faculty, distinguished jurists from around the world, and leading practitioners to the Law Center to speak or participate in panels and symposia on cutting-edge legal issues. Recent and upcoming events of interest can be found at this link: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/index.cfm

Graduate Students can also participate in intramural moot court and alternative dispute resolution competitions to become members of Georgetown's Barristers Council and represent the school in moot and arbitration competitions. Public-interest minded students can both contribute to the community and earn a certificate in pro bono service by taking up the Pro Bono Pledge.

Enhancing the educational and social environment of the Law Center, over 75 active organizations provide all students with opportunities to participate in academic, political, ethnic, religious, community service and artistic interests. The two student organizations most popular with LL.M. students are Foreign Lawyers at Georgetown (FLAG), and the LL.M. Tax Council. Graduate students can also participate in student government by joining the Student Bar Association as LL.M. representatives.

Located near Capitol Hill, the Law Center campus includes two libraries, state-of-the-art classrooms, dining facilities, a student dormitory, a childcare center, and a fitness center with lap pool, basketball court and work-out facilities. Georgetown Law is home to the world-renowned E.B Williams library, one of the largest law libraries in the country, and the John Wolff Library of International and Comparative Law, which houses a renowned collection of international materials.

The LL.M. Summer Experience is an intensive summer learning experience for foreign-educated LL.M. students. It has three separate components that are designed to make it easier for students new to the U.S. to become comfortable in the U.S. law school environment and enroll in courses that count toward the LL.M. This early start is optional, but it is especially helpful to those students planning to sit for the New York Bar exam after graduation, and those hoping to meet the LL.M. degree requirements along with a specialized certificate during the academic year. The LL.M. Summer Experience begins in mid-July with the Foundations of American Law and Legal Education course, focusing on the basics of the U.S. legal system, especially the common law process, Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure. Students earn two credits for successful completion of this course. After Foundations of American Law and Legal Education, we offer the option of enrolling in a two-credit course on Professional Responsibility in the U.S. as well as a non-credit Legal English Program.