LL.M. in Asian and Comparative Law
Program Description
The Asian & Comparative Law LL.M. program provides advanced, specialist courses for lawyers and policy makers who are pursuing careers in Asian, international commercial or development law. Admission to the program is highly competitive. Candidates are typically practicing lawyers, in-house counsel, international bankers, government officials, NGO staff and legal academics. We strive for geographic and cultural diversity. The program focuses on global and cross-jurisdictional issues in international governance, institution-building, regulation, commercial transactions and sustainability.
The LL.M. program lasts one academic year (three quarters). Entrance into the program is possible only at the beginning of Autumn Quarter.
Each year, approximately 15-25 students are accepted into the Asian and Comparative Law LL.M. program. Candidates admitted to this highly selective program are typically practicing lawyers, in-house counsel, and international bankers, trading company legal staff, government officials or legal academics.
We strive for geographic and cultural balance within the class and typically enroll students from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Indonesia and other Asian countries. In recent years students have also come to the program from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iceland, Russia, Sweden, Togo, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Students from the United States who have competence in an Asian language also enroll in the program.
LL.M. students may select from a broad menu of subjects and courses, including those offered in the J.D. program. Graduate students are encouraged to customize their study program to their career goals and pursue at least one area of individual specialization.
Collaboration
University of Washington Law School classes are unique because they are designed to team J.D. and LL.M./Ph.D. students and Visiting Scholars in the same classroom and often in teams working on practical problems. Students are able to collaborate with students from around the world in a valuable reciprocal learning experience. Courses that use this approach include International Contracting (video-conferenced with law students overseas); Comparative Corporate Governance; Comparative Law Seminar; and Law Reform in Transition Economies.
Paper Requirement
The University of Washington LL.M. program requires students to produce a paper that will be the basis for a published article, either in the Law School’s Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal, or in a law review or practitioner journal. This is a demanding requirement, but one that gives students an opportunity to master a comparative aspect of U.S. law and the law of their own jurisdiction.
Bar Preparation
Preparation for the Bar is part of the program for those students who plan to combine this with their LL.M. We expect many of our students to sit for the New York or California Bar as part of their preparation for the next stage of their careers. We team with a commercial provider of Bar preparation courses, so that New York Bar preparation classes are taught in the Law School as well as Washington State Bar courses.
Eligibility
We require LL.M. candidates to have outstanding academic records and at least two years of professional work experience. In general, we do not accept applicants immediately following completion of an undergraduate program. U.S. applicants must have completed their first degree in law (J.D. or equivalent) at a school accredited by the American Bar Association. International students must have a first degree in law (LL.B., B.Law) or equivalent. Students who do not have a first degree in law but who have passed the bar exam and are practicing lawyers in their own country are usually deemed to have J.D. or LL.B. equivalence for the purposes of admission to this program.
Applicants to the Asian and Comparative Law LL.M. from the United States, Europe or Australasia must be proficient in an Asian language or a language in which original research on Asian law can be conducted, at a level equivalent to that received in a third-year college course.
English Language Ability
A satisfactory command of the English language is required for admission. Applicants who are not citizens of the United States on the date of admission, must meet one of the English language ability tests and conditions:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)- 580 (TOEFL)
- 237 (TOEFLC)
- 70 (TOEFLiBT) - for the listening, writing and reading section (not the speaking section)
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS):7.0
Apply to the Asian and Comparative Law LL.M. Program
Asian and Comparative Law LL.M. Degree Requirements
Students must complete 36 hours of total credit in order to earn an LL.M. degree from the Law School.
a. Required Courses
Comparative Law Seminar (Law B551) (6 Credits)
The central requirement of the Asian and Comparative Law program is an independent research project that is satisfied by completing the Comparative Law Seminar (Law B551) for 6 credits, plus 6 credits of independent Graduate Research (Law 600A). Working closely with a faculty advisor, you will individually select your research topic. Classes in this course cover introduction to the legal systems of Europe and Asia; theories of comparative law and law and society; materials and comparative methods for analytical research; topic selection; research strategies; oral presentations and argument; and writing strategies. In the latter part of the course, you will make a formal presentation of your research and submit a major research paper.
Graduate Research (Law 600A) (6 Credits)
Students use time allocated for graduate research to plan and prepare a major research paper for the Comparative Law Seminar. During the writing phase of the research paper, you will consult regularly with faculty advisors and conduct independent research with the assistance of library research staff.
Legal Research and Analysis (Law B550) (3-4 Credits)
Entering students not trained in a common law system are required to complete this course. It provides a systematic and structured examination of the U.S. legal system and is designed to introduce students to the methods and materials for legal research and writing on U.S. law.
Asian and Comparative Law courses (2 courses, credit varies with student choice)
Students are required to take at least two courses from a prescribed list that provide a basic introduction to an Asian legal system or that deals with comparative law or law reform issues in Europe or Asia.
Examples of Asian and Comparative Law courses include:
- Asian Contract Law and Practice
- Comparative Corporate Governance
- Japanese Law
- Chinese Law
- Korean Law
- Southeast Asian Law
- Law Reform in Transition Economies
- Law, Globalization and Multinational Corporations
- International Trade and Commercial Law
- International Contracting
- International Trademark and Copyright
- International Civil Litigation
- Introduction to EU Law
- Islamic Law
- Tutorial in Comparative Law
- Seminar on Legal Problems of Economic Development
b. Optional Courses
Other J.D./LL.M. courses (Credits to total 36, depending on student choice):
Most courses offered in the regular J.D. curriculum are available to LL.M. candidates. LL.M. students are also usually permitted to take one or two courses from one of the other specialized LL.M. programs in the Law School, with the approval of both Program Directors.
See Courses in Asian and Comparative Law
Courses offered elsewhere at University of Washington:
With the approval of the ALC Director, students may also take courses offered elsewhere at the University of Washington that relate to their course of study e.g., in the Jackson School of International Studies, the Graduate School of Business Administration, the Law and Society Program in the Department of Political Science, the Evans School of Public Policy and the University’s other schools and colleges. Non-law courses for which a student seeks approval must be offered at the graduate level, i.e. have a numerical prefix of 400- or higher.
Summer Institute in Transnational Law and Practice
All international candidates in the Asian and Comparative Law program are encouraged to participate in the Summer Institute in Transnational Law and Practice at the University of Washington School of Law in preparation for the LL.M. program.
The Summer Institute is a two-week intensive non-credit program at the Law School specifically designed to introduce international law students and attorneys to the structure, culture and thinking of the American Legal System. The program focuses on three areas—Introduction to the American Legal System and Practice, Legal Skills and Methodology, and Legal English. Sample topics include the United States Constitution, government branches and sources of law, criminal and civil court systems and procedures, how to read and brief cases, and persuasive legal writing and argumentation. All classes will be taught by law faculty and practitioners who are experienced in cross-cultural communication.
Details about the Summer Institute, schedule, accommodation, registration and visa procedures are available at the Summer Institute for Transnational Law and Practice website at: http://www.law.washington.edu/AsianLaw/Teach/SI.html
