LL.M. Students - New York

LL.M. Students - New York

International Legal Studies

Professor Benedict Kingsbury, Director
Vanderbilt Hall 314D
Telephone: 212.998.6710
benedict.kingsbury@nyu.edu

Alma Fuentes Roche, Assistant
Vanderbilt Hall 314
Telephone: 212.998.6710
fuentesa@juris.law.nyu.edu

The LL.M. in International Legal Studies is designed both to deepen knowledge of fundamental structures in international law, and to provide opportunities for students to undertake research and build expertise on cutting-edge issues involving global governance, cross-border transactions, and transnational legal strategies. Students are encouraged, through courses, research, and practical engagement, to develop innovative connections between traditionally separate spheres such as human rights, international economic law, transnational commercial law, the law and institutions of war and post-conflict reconstruction, and theories of international law and global justice. The program takes advantage of NYU’s unmatched faculty resources in these areas and its New York location. International law is now closely integrated with other areas of law and practice, so the program allows scope for students to take other courses in areas of their special interest.

IMPORTANT: Course Requirements for Students Graduating from the NYU LL.M. in Spring 2009
For full-time students graduating from the LL.M. in International Legal Studies in 2009 (that is, full-time students who complete the program in the normal way in the 2008-09 academic year), the specialized requirements for this LL.M. have been greatly simplified. To maximize flexibility for students, policies that have in the past been embodied as requirements are now framed as strong recommendations. A decision about continuing this flexible approach in future years will be made in light of student experience in 2008-09. For this reason, those students who for any reason are not planning to complete the LL.M. by spring 2009 (for example, part-time students beginning in fall 2008), should treat the recommendations below as requirements. All students are required to meet NYU Law School’s overarching LL.M. requirements; the requirements and recommendations below are the further special requirements of the LL.M. in International Legal Studies.

1. Credit Requirement
Students must complete at least 14 credits from the list of courses under “International Legal Studies” (L05) in the course schedule. Courses designated as “related courses” (see below) also count towards the required minimum of 14 credits in this field. This is a strict requirement of the program. It cannot be modified or waived. Please note that non-tax students may not register for more than 8 credits in Taxation courses.

2. Basic Courses and Distribution Recommendation
Students  are strongly advised to build expertise in several different areas of international, comparative, and global law.This will help equip students with the legal awareness and flexibility of thought to deal with cross-cutting issues that call for innovative approaches and pose some of the most exciting challenges in many careers. Unless students  have considerable academic background in the particular area, they are advised to take at least one basic course in Public International Law, one in International Economic Law, and one in Comparative or Global Law. Students who have taken basic courses such as International Law as part of their first law degree sometimes choose not to take them in the LL.M. However, the intellectual approach and material covered are likely to be different from similarly-titled courses in other countries; so many students find it valuable to take these courses at NYU.

3. Exam Courses Recommendation
Students are advised to complete at least 8 credits of the LL.M. degree in courses which are graded on the basis of examinations. Many prospective employers take a particular interest in proven examination ability.

4. Writing Recommendation
Students are strongly advised to take at least 2 credits in a seminar, course, or Directed Research which would require a paper of substantial length. A single substantial paper (at least 20 pages) should be a minimum objective. This provides valuable experience in research and in developing one’s own argument, as well as in building expertise. This objective cannot adequately be met by writing a series of shorter papers. Please note that some seminars offer the opportunity to register for an additional credit; if students choose to do so, they will be required to write a longer paper (30-35 pages) to earn that additional credit. If possible, students are urged to develop their paper for eventual publication.

5. Related Courses
All of the courses listed in the International Legal Studies (L05) section of the course schedule can be counted towards the 14-credit requirement. In addition, the following are related courses for the International Legal Studies degree (this preliminary list is subject to revision if course offerings change):

Fall 2008
Antitrust: Comparative Study of EU and US Law (L12.3542)
Climate Change Policy (L01.3578)
Conflict of Laws (L09.3010)
Financing Development (L03.3529)
Gender Issues in Islamic Law (L06.3037)
Intellectual Property & Globalization (L12.3522)
International Environmental Law Clinic (L02.2505)
International Tax 1 (L11.3071)
International Tax 1-2 (L11.3070)
Law and Development (L06.3554)
Maimonides Mishneh Torah: Jewish Law and Legal Theory (L06.3585)
Sociolegal Seminar (L06.3570)
Survey of International Tax (L11.3074)

Spring 2009
Admiralty (L03.3045)
Comparative Trademark Law (L12.3002)
Global Justice (L06.3722)
International Bankruptcy (L03.3048)
International Estate Planning (L11.3075)
International Human Rights Clinic (L02.2520)
International Human Rights Clinic Seminar (L02.2521)
International Intellectual Property Law (L12.3003)
Natural Resources Law (L01.3010)
Race and Law: U.S. and South Africa (L06.3542)
Regulation of the Conduct of Mergers and Acquisitions in the UK (L03.3545)
Survey of International Tax (L11.3074)
The Passion of the Christ: The Trial of Jesus (L06.3704)
Tax Policy: European Union (L11.3523)
Tax Treaties (L11.3551)
The Law of Democracy (L01.3010)
War, The President, and the Constitution (L01.3024)

6. Four-Credit Thesis Option (L05.3599)
This option offers students enrolled in the full-time LL.M. in International Legal Studies who are seriously interested in academic careers in international law, an opportunity to write a substantial high-quality thesis (24,000-32,000 words) on an international law topic. The number of places available is strictly limited, and students are selected by a committee after filing an application with a thesis statement during the fall semester. The students who are selected meet periodically during the spring semester to discuss issues in international law scholarship and the development of research agendas, and to present drafts of their work and constructive critiques of classmates' work. This course does not count towards the limit on the number of credits students may otherwise take as Directed Research. More information, including the application deadline, is available within the online course description.

7. Special Requirements for the J.D.-LL.M. Program
NYU Law School’s Institute for International Law and Justice (IILJ) runs a unique four-year J.D.-LL.M. program in international law. Students specially admitted to this program who have completed the NYU J.D. have special requirements for the LL.M. in International Legal Studies, which will be communicated to them separately. For detailed information, please visit the IILJ website.

8. Important Note for General Studies, International Legal Studies, Trade Regulation, and International Tax and Taxation Students
LL.M students in these programs (other than those who hold a US JD degree) planning for the fall semester can only register for U.S. Corporate Law and Theory (L03.4602) for 3 credits; are prohibited from registering for Corporations (L03.2010) for either 4 or 5 credits in the fall semester.

Corporations (L03.2010) and U.S. Corporate Law and Theory (L03.4602) as a prerequisite/corequisite
For International LL.M. students registering for either of these two courses, please note that both courses serve as a corequisite for any course requiring Corporations as a prerequisite. This information is not specifically listed in each course description. When registering for a course that has Corporations as a prerequisite, a prerequisite warning message will appear in Albert. If students have registered for either L03.2010 or L03.4602, they should disregard this warning.