Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law - Yeshiva University (New York City)

Cardozo School of Law offers Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees in General Studies, Comparative Legal Thought, Dispute Resolution and Advocacy, and Intellectual Property Law (on campus and online). The program welcomes graduates of law schools from more than 70 countries, including the U.S. The program enrolls both full-time and part-time students; on campus and online. Full-time students complete the program in one year, and part-time students may have up to three years to complete their studies. LL.M. students may begin their studies in mid-January or late August.

Master's candidates study in the company of other talented and diverse LL.M. and J.D. students, under the guidance of world-renowned professors. Cardozo's worldwide reputation brings leading academics, judges, and practicing lawyers to lecture, engage in research, participate in symposia, and meet with students, thus contributing to the law school's global impact.



Cardozo's LL.M. students benefit from the support of the Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs who offers guidance throughout their academic career, a dedicated LL.M. career counselor, and invitations to a wealth of extracurricular and networking programs specific to their academic and career goals. It's important to note that no matter what degree specialization students choose to pursue at Cardozo,  they call all meet the New York bar requirements if this is one of their goals in the LL.M. program.  (See Section 520.6 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law.) Cardozo offers a flexible, varied, and challenging curriculum with four programs for diverse interests:

The Intellectual Property Law LL.M. Program is the capstone of Cardozo's renowned intellectual property (IP) law program, recognized as one of the strongest in the United States. Cardozo's depth of offerings are unsurpassed and include basic and advanced offerings in copyright law, trademark law, and patent law, as well as broad offerings in technology, cybersecurity, data law & privacy, art, fashion, media, sports, music and entertainment law.  The IP faculty is a prestigious and dedicated group of professors known worldwide for their expertise and scholarship. They are supplemented by accomplished First Amendment scholars and adjunct professors working on cutting-edge issues in the IP field. 

The Dispute Resolution and Advocacy LL.M., offers the opportunity for domestic and international lawyers to enhance their skills and to develop their proficiencies in the fast-growing fields of advocacy and alternative dispute resolution. Through the prominent Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution and the wide variety of practical litigation skills training courses that distinguish a Cardozo education, our LL.M. program offers a unique choice for developing an understanding and vision of the role of the lawyer as a counselor, problem-solver, and advocate.

The General Studies LL.M. Program is distinctive in its flexibility and breadth of offerings. Students design their own curriculum in keeping with their specific goals and interests, pursuing a cohesive and focused program of study developed with the help of at dedicated Program Director. Optional concentrations are offered in seven areas:

• Corporate, Commercial and Securities Law
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Intellectual Property Law
• Fashion, Arts, Media & Entertainment Law (FAME)
• Compliance
• International and Comparative Law
• Real Estate Law 

The Comparative Legal Thought LL.M. Program is the first of its kind in any U.S. law school. The program capitalizes on Cardozo's longstanding reputation in legal theory and jurisprudence and its faculty's interdisciplinary work, which provides a more diverse and broader approach to the law than one might receive in traditionally constituted law environments. The program is designed primarily for students interested in preparing for the teaching market and for lawyers who want to study legal theory and interdisciplinary approaches to the law. With a strong faculty and distinguished visiting international scholars, Cardozo offers many courses in jurisprudence, law and philosophy, critical legal studies, religion, comparative constitutionalism, and law and literature. Students may pursue an optional concentration in Jewish Law as part of this program.

Cardozo offers many courses designed specifically to help international students prepare for the challenges of graduate law study in the United States. LL.M. students consistently find Introduction to U.S. Law and Advanced Workshop in Legal Research and Writing an invaluable part of their graduate legal education. In addition, many optional new courses added to our curriculum are designed to help prepare foreign-educated lawyers for the New York Bar exam.
Take a virtual tour and see our campus today!

Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University was founded in 1976 and has become famous for its innovative programs, outstanding faculty, diverse attitudes, rigorous scholarship, and spectacular location in the heart of New York City. There are almost 1,200 law students at Cardozo, including approximately 70 LL.M. candidates each year. Since 1998 when the graduate program began, more than 700 graduate students from over 70 countries have studied here. Click here to view a video and learn more about our students' experience.  

Yeshiva University is one of the U.S.'s leading research universities and includes a medical college, school of social work, and a graduate program in psychology.

Cardozo has a network of more than 14,000 alumni, who hold respected legal, governmental, and corporate positions, live throughout the United States and abroad, and provide support as mentors and prospective employers.

Cardozo School of Law, a leader in law and business, intellectual property, public interest, and clinical legal education, has innovative programs that prepare you to succeed in your legal career. Our 16,000-member alumni network is an invaluable resource during and after your law school years. Our professors are renowned scholars and practitioners—experts who shape the study and practice of law. Our location in New York City—a global hub of business, culture, and the law—offers unparalleled options and opportunities.

Cardozo offers four distinct LL.M. degrees for students who have already received their first law degree from an institution in a country outside the United States or from an ABA.-approved law school. The Intellectual Property LL.M. program is recognized as one of the strongest in the United States. It offers theoretical and practical training to students from all backgrounds, who thrive on developing answers that meet current legal problems. The school’s focus on emerging technology, data, privacy, fashion and entertainment law demonstrates its commitment to remain at the forefront of legal issues that arise as innovation continues to shape the intellectual property world. Practical opportunities include the Indie Film Clinic, the Tech Startup Clinic, and the Cardozo-Google Patent Diversity Project.

The General Studies LL.M. program is distinctive in its flexibility and breadth of offerings and it is valuable to lawyers from abroad as well as to J.D. graduates of U.S. law schools who wish to broaden their academic and professional horizons. LL.M. students choose courses from all the curriculum, including core doctrinal courses (known as “first-year” courses because they are required during the first year of J.D. study) that lay the foundation of legal concepts along with upper-level courses that provide variety and depth and allow for specialization in specific areas of the law. General Studies LL.M. students are free to choose courses from both the first-year and upper-level curricula, provided course prerequisites have been met.

Cardozo's Comparative Legal Thought LL.M. program, the first of its kind in any U.S. law school, is designed for students interested in preparing for the teaching market as well as for lawyers who want to study legal theory.

The Dispute Resolution and Advocacy LL.M., which offers a unique combination of practical and theoretical training to develop an understanding of the role of the lawyer as counselor, problem-solver, and advocate. Cardozo is ranked #5 in the nation in the dispute resolution category in U.S. News & World Report, and #1 in New York City. The Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution was one of the first alternative dispute resolution programs in the country. The Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution is the top ADR journal in the country.

The Cardozo faculty has been recognized as among the most prolific and well-regarded of all law schools in the United States. Cardozo professors are vibrant, intellectually curious, and committed to the twin goals of teaching and scholarship. They are accessible and dedicated to an educational collaboration with their students. Cardozo boasts an interdisciplinary faculty, serious about how the law relates to other expressions of the human spirit such as philosophy, literature, economics, politics, and history. More than half hold advanced degrees in addition to a law degree, one dozen hold Ph.D.'s, and many of their publications are required reading in law schools across the country and the world. Members of the faculty have testified before Congress, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, influenced legislation, advised corporations, and worked in large international law firms.

Faculty are engaged in, and responsive to, every aspect of Cardozo's vibrant intellectual community. They are passionate about the law and dedicated to the classroom experience. They are serious scholars engaged in the most important issues of our time. Ranked No. 32 in the nation for scholarly impact by the Leiter Report and No. 22 in the country by Heald & Sichelman's academic impact rankings of 100 American law schools, Cardozo professors are cited frequently by their peers and by judges around the country.

Learn more about our fantastic alumni by visiting our dedicated page here. 

Graduates from U.S. law schools must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university or its equivalent and a degree from an ABA-approved law school. International law school graduates must have a degree that entitles them to practice law in a country outside the United States.

The Admissions Committee considers many factors of a candidate's application including undergraduate and graduate school academic performance, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, professional experience, writing ability, English-speaking ability, and the personal statement. The Committee will also take into consideration any marked improvement in grades, extra-curricular activities, and demonstrated leadership and/or entrepreneurial skills. The goal of the Admissions Committee is to admit a group of students who will contribute to the energy and life of the law school community by bringing differences in culture, perspective, and experience. Cardozo is looking for students who have not only demonstrated academic and professional excellence but who will also bring Cardozo's progressive and multi-disciplinary approach towards the law to the global legal community as ambassadors upon their graduation.

To submit an application for admission to Cardozo's LL.M. program, please visit our website. Applications may be completed online directly to Cardozo, or via LSAC. 

LL.M. applications and all supporting documents must be postmarked by June 15 for August entry and December 1 for January entry. Materials received after the application deadlines may be considered if space permits. Applicants are advised to apply early.

Cardozo's LL.M. program offers an institutional merit-based scholarship to full-time LL.M. students. This award is called the Dean's Merit Scholarship. More information can be found at: https://cardozo.yu.edu/admissions/llm-admissions/tuition-and-expenses-llm.

Cardozo does not provide need-based financial aid. Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to apply for federal loans. The majority of LL.M. students fund their education through private loans or federal assistance. Applicants needing financial aid are strongly encouraged to investigate funding sources early in the application process.

Cardozo School of Law is in beautiful and historic Greenwich Village in the heart of New York City -- the cultural, economic, and legal capital of the world. Cardozo students can take advantage of the city's offerings by attending lectures and symposia by leading figures in the legal, business, and political worlds, and by pursuing a rich variety of internship opportunities at thousands of law firms, businesses, financial institutions, government offices, and courthouses. Cardozo is located in a newly renovated 11-story building on lower Fifth Avenue, just south of Union Square Park, the epicenter of one of the city's newest entertainment and shopping hubs. Fashionable restaurants, bars, clubs, movie houses, and stores surround the park, which is home to musical events, a famous farmer's market, and a transportation hub that makes all areas of New York City readily accessible.

Each year, approximately 75 students begin LL.M. studies at Cardozo joining over 1,100 diverse and dynamic J.D. candidates. Graduate students are encouraged to utilize and enjoy the full range of Cardozo's resources and programming and to join student organizations. LL.M. students also enjoy special programs that foster collegiality, shared learning, and professional contacts. The Office of Graduate and International Programs, in conjunction with the Graduate Law Society, sponsors guest lectures, social events featuring the food, music, and culture of different nations, and trips to local sights of interest, including federal courts and the United Nations. A mentoring/buddy program that pairs incoming students with returning LL.M. and/or J.D. students eases the transition to Cardozo and life in New York City. Formal and informal connections with LL.M. alumni are encouraged through networking events.

See pictures from some of our recent events at the Cardozo LL.M. Photo site: http://cardozollmprogram.shutterfly.com/

The Cardozo graduate program has already welcomed students from Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, PR China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, U.K., Ukraine, U.S., Uzbekistan, former Yugoslavia, Venezuela, and Vietnam.