St. John's University School of Law

SPORTS LAW STUDENTS AT THE METLIFE STADIUM

St. John's University School of Law offers three Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees primarily related to the globalization of legal practice.

The LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice is designed to train U.S. and foreign attorneys in the rapidly expanding cross-border practice of law, to educate global attorneys within the New York City legal community - the center of global legal practice - and to enhance non-native English speaking attorneys' skills in practicing law in English, the lingua franca of the global legal profession.

https://www.stjohns.edu/academics/programs/transnational-legal-practice-llm

The LL.M. in U.S. Legal Studies is a focused program of study tailored to prepare foreign law school graduates to pass the New York Bar Exam and succeed in practice in this important jurisdiction. LL.M. programs across the U.S. claim to qualify students to take the New York Bar Exam. But if passing the New York Bar Exam is your goal, why go anywhere but St. John's, a thriving law school in New York?

http://www.stjohns.edu/law/programs-and-majors/us-legal-studies-llm

The LL.M. in Bankruptcy. St. John's offers the only LL.M. in Bankruptcy degree in the nation. This highly successful program offers a wide array of specialized bankruptcy courses taught by leading practitioners, judges and academics. Our graduates practice with top firms and clerk for influential judges throughout the country. The LL.M. in Bankruptcy degree program is intensive and rigorous. It requires the completion of 24 credits. The program combines academic rigor with a practice-oriented approach that is designed to produce bankruptcy attorneys with the skills, the ambition and the knowledge to become leaders in the insolvency field. Students are permitted to take the program full-time (one year) or part-time (two to three years), entering in either the fall or spring semesters.

https://www.stjohns.edu/academics/programs/bankruptcy-llm

ST. JOHN'S QUEENS CAMPUS

Welcome to St. John's University. St. John's is one of America's leading Catholic universities recognized for its superb academic programs, diverse student life, BIG EAST sports excitement and New York vitality.

Founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Community, St. John's is known for giving students the knowledge, skills and confidence to serve others while achieving personal and professional success. Graduates become leaders in their professions, their communities and the world.

The Queens campus features broad lawns, handsome stone buildings, and state-of-the-art athletic facilities. Combining urban excitement with suburban tranquility, the campus is located in a leafy, residential area of one of the five boroughs, or counties, that make up New York City. Though students at St. John's often travel into Manhattan on weekends, they also enjoy shopping and fine restaurants within blocks of the campus.

ST. JOHN'S SCHOOL OF LAW

Celebrating over 90 years of excellence in legal education, St. John's University School of Law has produced lawyers who have distinguished themselves in practice, government, and the judiciary. Among its graduates are former New York governors Mario Cuomo and Hugh Carey, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Janet DiFiori, and the School's former Dean and Court of Appeals Judge Joseph W. Bellacosa.

The School currently boasts more than 13,000 living graduates and attracts students from over 200 colleges and universities throughout the country. The current student body represents students from many backgrounds, all of whom have excelled in undergraduate institutions, and many of whom have been employed prior to starting their law studies. Today, the School of Law's original vision has widened to include students from all parts of the nation and the world who share a mutual commitment to the pursuit of excellence. The law school plays a prominent role in the New York City legal community, imbuing all that it does with the University's Vincentian tradition.

MOOT COURT AT ST. JOHN'S

Some of our most experienced and highly regarded tenured faculty members teach in our LL.M. programs. New York is home to the world's preeminent law firms and to leading attorneys in every practice area.

LIBRARY

Admission to the St. John's LL.M. Programs is selective and based upon excellence in prior legal studies. Evidence of academic scholarship as well as professional achievements will be considered.

Eligibility

Any American or foreign law school graduate holding a first degree in law (J.D., LL.B. or equivalent) from an ABA-accredited law school or a foreign law school recognized in the country where the law school is founded and located.

See additional information on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

ST. JOHN'S MANHATTAN CAMPUS

APPLY NOW! Review Frequently Asked Questions Here

Rolling Admissions

We use a rolling admissions process and consider applications as they come in and make every effort to inform you of our decision as soon as possible after receipt of your completed application. An application is considered complete when the School of Law has received the following:

- Completed & signed application - Two letters of recommendation - Personal statement – Resume - Writing Sample - Transcripts from law school and undergraduate schools attended - English Proficiency Test or Assessment

Students will be expected to submit at least two letters of recommendation with the application, directed to the student's capacity to handle the intensive program contemplated, preferably from one faculty member and, where appropriate, one practicing professional with whom the applicant was employed. In addition, the student must submit a personal statement explaining why the applicant desires to enroll and how the applicant believes the program will advance his or her career goals and objectives. The statement should be written in a clear, concise manner, reflecting the applicant' s personal writing style, and be approximately 250 to 500 words. Students may supplement these materials with published or unpublished work written by the student or other information or material the applicant believes may be helpful in the selection process.

In order to complete the application process, prospective LL.M. students can apply using two convenient online options:

1. Apply directly through our website at https://grad.stjohns.edu/apply/, or,

2. Through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) www.llm.lsac.org. ;

Contact us at llm@stjohns.edu with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

All students are automatically considered for scholarships. See our Tuition & Scholarships page: https://www.stjohns.edu/law/llm-admissions/llm-tuition-and-scholarships

Scholarships

We offer a generous scholarships based on academic merit. Scholarship criteria include academic performance, experience in practice (where applicable), published and unpublished written work, and personal interview.

All applications are considered for scholarship, and scholarship decisions are included with the admissions decision letter.

NEW YORK CITY

The School of Law has the benefit of being on a campus located in a quiet, safe, inexpensive and suburban neighborhood in Queens, about 40 minutes from Manhattan. The Queens campus is located at 8000 Utopia Pkwy, Jamaica, NY 11439.

St. John's understands that many incoming students will need to relocate to the area and would like to provide you with the information to make this transition as smooth as possible.

There are several housing options for law students including: Living in the University-owned DePaul Townhouses; Living in Off-Campus Housing; and/or being placed on the Roommate List.

ST. JOHN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

Campus Life For more information about all that the Queens campus has to offer, please visit the Queens campus Student Life website.

https://www.stjohns.edu/life-st-johns/new-york-city-your-campus/queens-campus-life

Summer Study Abroad - Rome: 

• Students participating in our Summer Study Abroad program spend four weeks studying international and comparative law at St. John's Rome campus in June.
• For more information, please visit our website http://www.stjohns.edu/law/transnational-programs/summer-study-abroad-rome

Experiential Pathway
Students who have been at St. John’s for at least one semester will have the option of participating in the Experiential Pathway, through which they can work for academic credit.  There are two ways to do that, both described below.

• Student Externships:  Students who have been at St. John’s for at least one semester can participate in our Externship Program, which is a course combined with work placement that allows students to work for academic credit in a pre-approved legal environment.  This work can take place during the fall or spring semesters or during the summer term.  Students must work a minimum of 70 hours in a legal setting, for which they will receive one pass/fail academic credit.  In addition, students must attend a weekly seminar for which they will receive one additional graded credit.
• Lawyering Across Borders:   Lawyering Across Borders is a similar class to the Externship Program.  It allows students to earn one graded academic credit in a pre-approved legal setting in a country that is not their country of origin.  Students will also take a seminar in conjunction with their employment.  Students can accept payment for jobs worked through the Lawyering Across Borders class.
   

English for American Law School (EALS) is a short pre-semester program designed to help foreign-trained lawyers boost their knowledge of the U.S. legal system and its vocabulary before starting their regular LL.M. studies at St. John's Law or elsewhere. 

 Most students in the program will have a minimum English language evaluation of 95 (Duolingo), 6 (IELTS), 70 (TOEFL IBT), or B2 (CEFR). 
 
You will learn from lawyers who have extensive training and experience teaching non-native English speakers. They will guide you and your classmates through engaging and interactive coursework in: 

Fundamentals of the American Legal System  

Legal Writing and Argument  

Reading Legal Texts 

https://www.stjohns.edu/law/llm-admissions/english-american-law-school