The Catholic University of America (CUA) - Columbus School of Law

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) program at the Columbus School of Law is a program of advanced legal study that is tailored to the needs of the individual student. LL.M. candidates, mentored by expert faculty members, first choose a course of study from the following concentrations: Law and Technology, Securities Law, or Comparative and International Law. LL.M. candidates are then able to enhance their knowledge within their chosen concentration by acquiring significant expertise through the law school's extensive curricular offerings and opportunities for experiential learning.

The Columbus School of Law offers admission to its LL.M. program to qualified graduates of both U.S. and foreign law schools.

The Catholic University of America is a national research university with 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 180 academic programs on a residential campus in the heart of the nation's capital.

The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law, located in Washington D.C., is committed to providing the highest quality legal education in an increasingly global society. The Columbus School of Law has been welcoming students and faculty of all faiths since its inception in 1897. For over one hundred years, The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law has trained many of the nation's most distinguished lawyers and judges. In line with our Catholic mission, the Columbus School of Law instills in its students a quest for social justice and a profound duty to utilize their legal knowledge and skills for the promotion of the common good.

The Columbus School of Law occupies a state-of-the-art facility completed in 1994 which is situated amidst the university's main campus in Washington, D.C. The skyline of the university's 193 tree-lined acres is dominated by the largest Catholic church in the United States, the majestic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Located just north of Capitol Hill, the campus provides students with easy access to the wide range of educational, cultural and political opportunities that D.C. has to offer. The School of Law has been accredited by the Association of American Law Schools since 1921 and the American Bar Association since 1925.

The faculty members at the Columbus School of Law include legal experts who are well-recognized for their teaching and scholarly excellence. Many of them currently hold high-level positions in government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, or senior positions in private law firms. The law school also takes full advantage of its strategic location in Washington, D.C., by hiring acclaimed adjunct faulty members and distinguished lecturers who are recognized as national and international decision-makers.

Apply on-line through LSAC.org. You will be asked to submit the following documents:

• Official Law School Transcripts: Applicants holding a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school must submit a complete and official law school transcript. The transcripts should be sent directly to LSAC.

For international applicants: If you earned your first degree in law from an institution outside of the United States, Canada or Australia, you will need to provide a translated copy of those transcripts from an organization such as WES, ECE to LSAC's LL.M Credential Assembly Service.

•  Applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate education was received in a school located outside the United States, Canada or Australia, must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The minimum TOEFL score required is 100, the minimum IELTS score required is 7.0. Further instructions regarding submission of your applicable test scores may be found here. Applicants from ABA-accredited law schools are not required to take the TOEFL or IELTS tests. The TOEFL/IELTS requirement can be waived on a case-by-case basis should the applicant have appropriate documentation of successful completion of one of the following:

CUA's Intensive English Program
Level 112 in the intensive English program offered by an ELS Language Center
A complete Intensive English program at an accredited institution of higher education
A college-level English Composition class determined to be the equivalent of or more advanced than CUA's English Composition 101 course, with a grade of B or above. (for applicants to undergraduate programs)
A graduate degree, a Bachelor's Degree (B.A. or B.S.), or an Associates Degree (A. A.) from an accredited U.S. institution of higher education or a high school diploma. (Graduates from a U.S. high school are required however to submit SAT/ACT scores.)

• Applicants must provide at least 1 but no more than 2 letters of recommendation, preferably from a member of your law school faculty. The letters must be submitted directly to LSAC. 
• A two-page personal statement (not to exceed two pages) indicating why you desire to pursue an LL.M. and how your legal education and employment preparation has led you to make this choice.
• On a separate page, please select a concentration from the law school’s concentration offerings and discuss how your legal training and any legal professional experience has influenced this interest.
• You are required to submit a personal resume or curriculum vitae listing education in law, professional employment, publications, community service, honors, and other achievements you believe should be brought to the attention of the Admissions Committee.

All materials should be sent directly to LSAC.

LSAC 
LLM Credential Assembly Service 
662 Penn Street 
PO BOX 8511 
Newtown PA 18940-8511 
USA

Should you require assistance with the admissions process, please call us at (202) 319-5151.

Scholarships in the amounts of $ 5,000 - $ 30,000 U.S. dollars per year are available depending on the strength of individual applications.

The Columbus School of Law is situated in our nation's capital, the legal and political center of the United States. Home to countless federal agencies, trade associations, public interest groups, corporations, and hundreds of private law firms, Washington, D.C., makes the school an ideal setting for the study of law.

Our location close to the nation's capital, affords our students unique opportunities to view lawmaking processes firsthand. For example, students may observe and apply for internships with the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and various regulatory agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. The United States Supreme Court and numerous federal and local courts provide insight into the American judicial system. Furthermore, close proximity to the Library of Congress and several other special collections offer students some of the best research resources in the world.

The School of Law has over 30 student organizations, representing both professional and social interests. Additionally, our Moot Court program trains students in the art of appellate advocacy. Students may also compete for a place on one of our student-edited specialty journals.

St. Mary's Basilica, Cracow

The Catholic University of America in cooperation with Jagiellonian University offers a year-long curriculum for ambitious foreign-trained attorneys hoping to earn an LL.M. in American Law degree. Taking students to two beautiful cities, Krakow, Poland and Washington, D.C., this program is designed to provide lawyers educated outside the U.S. with a foundation in American law and the American legal system.

This program is particularly useful for lawyers who represent American clients doing business abroad and those who deal with American entities in other regards. The LL.M. with Jagiellonian University is also applicable for those with a scholarly interest in comparative or the international dimensions of work with non-profit organizations.