Emory University School of Law

Emory Law's LLM program offers graduates of U.S. and foreign law schools the opportunity to pursue the master of laws from a nationally ranked law school in the United States.

Students may design a course of study, drawing widely from Emory’s many areas of expertise — including intellectual property law, international law, global health/health law, tax law, transactional law, and labor and employment law — to align their coursework with their goals. All courses are taken at Emory Law. 

Whether you are a practicing attorney seeking to enhance your skill set or change directions in your career, a recent graduate hoping to build on your legal foundation and strengthen your network, or an individual with scholarly aspirations, Emory Law’s LLM program will empower you to take your legal career to the next level.  

Our resources include an extraordinary breadth of faculty expertise, theoretical and hands-on training opportunities, and a friendly yet ambitious student body. Many of our foreign-trained LLM students are preparing for careers at global corporations or law firms where knowledge of the US legal system is relevant and beneficial. Emory’s LLM program offers a solid grounding in US law and can serve as a significant differentiator for students upon return to their home countries.

Emory University Gates

Emory University, a top 20 research university located in Atlanta, is recognized internationally for its outstanding liberal arts college, superb professional schools and one of the Southeast United States' leading health care systems. The University is located on a beautiful, leafy campus in Atlanta's historic Druid Hills suburb.

Celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2011, Emory maintains an uncommon balance for an institution of its standing: it generates more research funding than any other Georgia university, while maintaining its traditional emphasis on teaching.

Distinguished faculty members include former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Booker Prize-winning novelist Sir Salman Rushdie, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff.

Emory alumni include one U.S. vice president, several U.S. senators and representatives, four governors, three ambassadors, one Supreme Court justice, several university presidents, five Pulitzer Prize winners and an astronaut.

Emory students are well represented among competitive academic honors such as the Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, Mellon, National Science Foundation, Rhodes, Rockefeller, Rotary and USA Today programs.

Emory Law's Gambrell Hall
and MacMillan Law Library

At Emory Law, we equip you with both a theoretical and practical understanding of the law. Consistently ranking among the top law schools in the country, we offer real-world experiences that expose you to diverse opportunities to help you determine where your passions lie -- whether it's fighting to protect a patent or a human life.

As an Emory Law student, you are encouraged to challenge the status quo and follow your mind and your heart. At Emory, we prepare you to challenge and change the world.

Professor Nicole Morris

At Emory Law, we strive to ensure our students have access to some of the leading legal scholars from the United States and from around the world -- providing you with numerous opportunities to work closely with experts both inside and outside the classroom.

Because of our excellent faculty-student ratio, we can foster closer interactions among students and faculty, creating a lively intellectual environment.

Emory Law faculty members come to the classroom with extensive, real-world experience. They have clerked for federal judges, practiced law for the government, the public interest sector and in private firms. They often are called upon to provide testimony and expertise in courtrooms, legislatures, Congress and before various agencies and organizations.

Our faculty members are renowned for their innovative and dynamic teaching, and they are published in leading law reviews, books and textbooks.

To be considered for admission into Emory Law’s LLM program, candidates must have received a first degree in law that allows them to practice law in their home country prior to LLM enrollment.

• US graduates: Applicants must have earned a JD degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Foreign-educated lawyers: First law degree designations vary by country. For a list of law degrees that meet this requirement, please refer to the Minimum Degree Requirements by Country chart found on the LSAC website »

Admission is based on the applicant’s academic training, professional background, personal statement, and professional and academic references. Strong candidates will possess an excellent academic record and serious interest in experiencing legal education in a superior American educational environment.

Additional information is available online: http://law.emory.edu/admission/master-of-laws/llm-admission-on-campus.html

Prospective LLM applications should complete the online application and submit all supporting documents through LSAC. If you are an international candidate planning to study on campus on a student visa, we encourage you to apply by the early application deadline.

A complete application for the LLM program must include the following:

1. Emory Law Application Form through LSAC: https://llm.lsac.org/login/access.aspx?appl=5187L1
2. $85 Application fee paid via credit card through LSAC: https://llm.lsac.org/login/access.aspx?appl=5187L1
3. Personal statement which describes your objective in pursuing graduate legal study at Emory and highlights any experiences, qualifications or other information you believe to be relevant.
4.  A resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
5. Undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts. Emory Law School requires the use of LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) for transcript and credential evaluation.
6. Two letters of recommendation submitted via LSAC’s document assembly service. These should come from individuals who can speak to your ability to succeed in a rigorous academic setting.
7. TOEFL or IELTS score submitted via LSAC’s document assembly service (Foreign applicants only)

Tuition for the LLM program is equal to the current tuition charged by Emory University School of Law for the full academic year.

2018–2019 Estimated Total Cost of Attendance

Fixed Costs

• Tuition $56,500
• Fees (1st year students) $848
• Fees (continuing students) $628

Estimated Variable Costs

• Living expenses $18,918*
• Books: $1230 for 1Ls, 2Ls, AJDs, and LLMs; $4042 for 3Ls.
• Emory Student Health Insurance $3,708
• Loan fees $220

For LLM students enrolled part-time in the LLM program, tuition will be charged on a per-credit-hour basis. The per-credit-hour tuition rate for the fall 2018 and spring 2019 semesters is $2,354. For international students requiring a visa, federal law requires full-time enrollment, and part-time options are not available.

* Estimated costs should be used for planning purposes. Your actual costs may be lower based on the choices you make for your expenses.

Emory Law has a limited number of scholarships available to highly qualified students. There is no separate application process for scholarships. Students will be notified about any scholarship offer as part of their letter of acceptance.

LLM students must demonstrate that they possess the financial means to pay for their education as a condition of their matriculation in the program. Foreign applicants are encouraged to contact the education attaché at the US Embassy or Consulate in their home country for assistance that may be available under the Fulbright or similar programs.

Emory Law is located in the historic
Druid Hills neighborhood just six
miles from downtown Atlanta.

Emory students, faculty and staff have access to all the resources of one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas -- Atlanta. Emory University is an active citizen in Atlanta, which naturally develops connections and opportunities for Emory community members to explore.

Georgia is home to a dozen Fortune 500 headquarters, including The Coca-Cola Co., Home Depot, UPS, CNN and Delta Air Lines. Emory maintains active partnerships with many of Atlanta's preeminent institutions, such as The Carter Center and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Emory students pursue internship and research opportunities both on and off campus in the Atlanta area. Part of the attraction for businesses and organizations is a technology infrastructure that led Forbes magazine to rate Atlanta No. 2 in its 2009 list of the nation's most wired cities.

Geographically, Emory is one of the southernmost top 20 universities. Atlanta offers four distinct seasons, with temperate weather most of the school year.

The busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport provides ready global access. Dozens of countries maintain consular, trade or chamber of commerce offices in Atlanta.