“Columbia Law School has a distinguished tradition of leadership in areas ranging from international trade and corporate law to human rights and climate change law. Our faculty and graduates shape law and policy at the highest levels, in the public and private sectors, in the United States and around the world.” GILLIAN LESTER DEAN AND THE LUCY G. MOSES PROFESSOR OF LAW
The LL.M. Program
A year at Columbia Law School. An education for a lifetime.
The Columbia LL.M. Program offers unlimited opportunities for intellectual, personal, and professional growth.
Learn from cutting-edge scholars engaged in real-world issues. Deepen your current areas of expertise, discover new interests, and broaden your perspectives. Connect with accomplished classmates who have practiced in the public and private sectors around the world. Experience New York, an international capital of law, culture, media, advocacy, and finance. Enjoy all the resources of a prestigious, world-class research university. Join a global alumni network of leaders in law, business, diplomacy, government, human rights, academia, and technology. Take the next step in advancing your career.
Columbia Law School: Your Future
A year at Columbia Law School. An education for a lifetime.
The Columbia LL.M. Program offers unlimited opportunities for intellectual, personal, and professional growth.
Learn from cutting-edge scholars engaged in real-world issues. Deepen your current areas of expertise, discover new interests, and broaden your perspectives. Connect with accomplished classmates who have practiced in the public and private sectors around the world. Experience New York, an international capital of law, culture, media, advocacy, and finance. Enjoy all the resources of a prestigious, world-class research university. Join a global alumni network of leaders in law, business, diplomacy, government, human rights, academia, and technology. Take the next step in advancing your career.
Columbia Law School: Your Future
Your LL.M., Your Way Areas of Study Administrative Law and Public Policy Civil Procedure and Dispute Resolution Commercial Law and Transactions Constitutional Law Corporate Law and Transactions Criminal Law and Procedure
“Before the LL.M., I worked at a financial law firm specializing in private equity, doing deals every day. I gained more knowledge of securities regulation here in ten months than I did in six years at the firm.”
Environmental Law
Each year, Columbia Law School welcomes a cohort of smart, intellectually curious LL.M. students with a broad range of views, backgrounds, and accomplishments.
Family Law
As an LL.M. candidate at Columbia, you will join nearly 300 classmates from more than 50 countries who have worked in practice areas that encompass all aspects of the legal profession. These diverse experiences illuminate conversations inside and outside the classroom.
Intellectual Property and Technology
The Columbia LL.M. Program is a general degree; no two students’ programs are alike. You may choose to further specialize in your current field, transition to a new practice area entirely, or use the LL.M. Program as a year of exploration.
Legal Profession and Professional Responsibility
At Columbia, you will discover new ways of learning. In addition to rigorous lecture courses taught using the Socratic method, we offer exciting seminars that provide an intensive focus on specialized areas and close interaction with faculty; clinics and externships that enable you to study lawyering in context by providing direct legal services to clients; and workshops and simulation courses that tackle hypothetical, real-world legal challenges in small group settings. All of these promote the development of your critical thinking, advocacy, and writing skills.
Gender and Sexuality Legal Studies Health Care and the Law History and Philosophy of Law Human Rights Interdisciplinary Legal Studies International and Comparative Law
AMANDA SOTTO FONTES ’18 LL.M., MEXICO CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER/CO-FOUNDER, PLAY BUSINESS
Labor and Employment Law National Security Law Property, Real Estate, and Trusts & Estates Racial, Economic, and Social Justice Taxation Torts
Centers and Programs, including Center for Chinese Legal Studies Center for Gender and Sexuality Law
Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration
Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought
Human Rights Institute Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts
National Security Law Program Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Your LL.M., Your Way Areas of Study Administrative Law and Public Policy Civil Procedure and Dispute Resolution Commercial Law and Transactions Constitutional Law Corporate Law and Transactions Criminal Law and Procedure
“Before the LL.M., I worked at a financial law firm specializing in private equity, doing deals every day. I gained more knowledge of securities regulation here in ten months than I did in six years at the firm.”
Environmental Law
Each year, Columbia Law School welcomes a cohort of smart, intellectually curious LL.M. students with a broad range of views, backgrounds, and accomplishments.
Family Law
As an LL.M. candidate at Columbia, you will join nearly 300 classmates from more than 50 countries who have worked in practice areas that encompass all aspects of the legal profession. These diverse experiences illuminate conversations inside and outside the classroom.
Intellectual Property and Technology
The Columbia LL.M. Program is a general degree; no two students’ programs are alike. You may choose to further specialize in your current field, transition to a new practice area entirely, or use the LL.M. Program as a year of exploration.
Legal Profession and Professional Responsibility
At Columbia, you will discover new ways of learning. In addition to rigorous lecture courses taught using the Socratic method, we offer exciting seminars that provide an intensive focus on specialized areas and close interaction with faculty; clinics and externships that enable you to study lawyering in context by providing direct legal services to clients; and workshops and simulation courses that tackle hypothetical, real-world legal challenges in small group settings. All of these promote the development of your critical thinking, advocacy, and writing skills.
Gender and Sexuality Legal Studies Health Care and the Law History and Philosophy of Law Human Rights Interdisciplinary Legal Studies International and Comparative Law
AMANDA SOTTO FONTES ’18 LL.M., MEXICO CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER/CO-FOUNDER, PLAY BUSINESS
Labor and Employment Law National Security Law Property, Real Estate, and Trusts & Estates Racial, Economic, and Social Justice Taxation Torts
Centers and Programs, including Center for Chinese Legal Studies Center for Gender and Sexuality Law
Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration
Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought
Human Rights Institute Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts
National Security Law Program Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Our faculty are leading scholars and experts in both foundational subjects and cutting-edge fields, from constitutional law to cybersecurity. Many have held leadership positions in government, NGOs, and international law firms, and their advice is regularly sought by influencers and policymakers around the world. Our faculty meld that expertise into their teaching and interactions with students. Your engagement with your professors—whether meeting with them during office hours, serving as a research assistant, writing a scholarly paper under their supervision, or simply enjoying a coffee together— will enrich your education. Columbia University is home to many world-renowned graduate schools, and as an LL.M. student, you also may take courses at those divisions, making your degree truly interdisciplinary. An environmental lawyer may take a course on global energy policy at the School of International and Public Affairs, for example, while a corporate lawyer may take a course on managerial negotiations at the Business School. Members of the Graduate Legal Studies team serve as your advisers during your LL.M. year and continue to counsel you after graduation. With more than 40 years of combined experience working with LL.M.s, we will help you tailor a program of study to your interests and experience. We look forward to advising you and watching your legal career flourish.
Real-world Learning From our extensive array of clinics and externships to new offerings in simulations, labs, and workshops, experiential learning is fully integrated into the curriculum.
12
Clinics, including
26
Externships, including
Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration
Bronx Defenders Holistic Defense
Environmental Law
Immigration Defense
Human Rights
Knight First Amendment Institute
Lawyering in the Digital Age
Law and Organizing for Social Change
Mediation
Pro Bono Practice and Access to Justice
Securities Litigation and Arbitration
United Nations
Copyright Dispute Resolution
“I find it fascinating to introduce a new legal system with a different philosophy and to be part of the LL.M. students’ learning process. When I travel the world and see my former students making a major impact in their home countries, I feel very proud.” ZOHAR GOSHEN JEROME L. GREENE PROFESSOR OF TRANSACTIONAL LAW DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ISRAELI LEGAL STUDIES
Our faculty are leading scholars and experts in both foundational subjects and cutting-edge fields, from constitutional law to cybersecurity. Many have held leadership positions in government, NGOs, and international law firms, and their advice is regularly sought by influencers and policymakers around the world. Our faculty meld that expertise into their teaching and interactions with students. Your engagement with your professors—whether meeting with them during office hours, serving as a research assistant, writing a scholarly paper under their supervision, or simply enjoying a coffee together— will enrich your education. Columbia University is home to many world-renowned graduate schools, and as an LL.M. student, you also may take courses at those divisions, making your degree truly interdisciplinary. An environmental lawyer may take a course on global energy policy at the School of International and Public Affairs, for example, while a corporate lawyer may take a course on managerial negotiations at the Business School. Members of the Graduate Legal Studies team serve as your advisers during your LL.M. year and continue to counsel you after graduation. With more than 40 years of combined experience working with LL.M.s, we will help you tailor a program of study to your interests and experience. We look forward to advising you and watching your legal career flourish.
Real-world Learning From our extensive array of clinics and externships to new offerings in simulations, labs, and workshops, experiential learning is fully integrated into the curriculum.
12
Clinics, including
26
Externships, including
Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration
Bronx Defenders Holistic Defense
Environmental Law
Immigration Defense
Human Rights
Knight First Amendment Institute
Lawyering in the Digital Age
Law and Organizing for Social Change
Mediation
Pro Bono Practice and Access to Justice
Securities Litigation and Arbitration
United Nations
Copyright Dispute Resolution
“I find it fascinating to introduce a new legal system with a different philosophy and to be part of the LL.M. students’ learning process. When I travel the world and see my former students making a major impact in their home countries, I feel very proud.” ZOHAR GOSHEN JEROME L. GREENE PROFESSOR OF TRANSACTIONAL LAW DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ISRAELI LEGAL STUDIES
Your Classmates, Your Community
85+
Student Organizations, including American Constitution Society Black Law Students Association Columbia Antitrust Law and Economics Association
Passionate. Accomplished. Entrepreneurial. Thoughtful. Columbia LL.M. students demonstrate any number of these traits, in the classroom and beyond.
Columbia Business and Law Association
You and your classmates will find ample learning opportunities outside the classroom, whether you join any of our more than 85 student organizations, attend lunchtime lectures hosted by our research centers, work on a student-run journal, or form study groups with your peers. Every day, Columbia University offers dozens of events—from panel discussions on the legal implications of advances in information technology to forums featuring world leaders in government and business—that reflect the university’s central role in domestic and global conversations.
Columbia League of Nations
One of the quintessential features of the LL.M. Program at Columbia is that most of our students choose to live either in Columbia University housing or in the neighborhood surrounding campus, enhancing both the social and the academic vitality of the LL.M. year. Living and studying together helps foster a strong sense of community. Your classmates will become not only your friends and extended family but also your lifetime professional network.
Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Being a Columbia Law School student means being fully engaged, in every possible way.
Columbia International Arbitration Association Columbia Law and Entrepreneurship Society
“I always knew that my LL.M. year was going to be the most memorable of my life, but little did I know about the gift of diversity that this experience would give me. I learned to step out of my comfort zone and allowed myself to meet wonderful people along the way.”
Columbia Law School Soccer Club Columbia Law Women’s Association Columbia Society of International Law Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Society Latino/a Law Students Association Legal Technology Association
MARIA CAMILA HOYOS CASAS ’18 LL.M., COLOMBIA GLOBAL VISITING LAWYER, COVINGTON & BURLING LLP, NEW YORK CITY
National Security Law Society OutLaws (LGBTQ+ students) South Asian Law Students Association Student Senate
13
student-run law journals in which LL.M. students participate, including
The American Review of International Arbitration
Columbia Journal of Asian Law
Columbia Journal of Gender and Law
Columbia Business Law Review
Columbia Journal of Environmental Law
Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts
Columbia Human Rights Law Review
Columbia Journal of European Law
Columbia Science and Technology Law Review
Your Classmates, Your Community
85+
Student Organizations, including American Constitution Society Black Law Students Association Columbia Antitrust Law and Economics Association
Passionate. Accomplished. Entrepreneurial. Thoughtful. Columbia LL.M. students demonstrate any number of these traits, in the classroom and beyond.
Columbia Business and Law Association
You and your classmates will find ample learning opportunities outside the classroom, whether you join any of our more than 85 student organizations, attend lunchtime lectures hosted by our research centers, work on a student-run journal, or form study groups with your peers. Every day, Columbia University offers dozens of events—from panel discussions on the legal implications of advances in information technology to forums featuring world leaders in government and business—that reflect the university’s central role in domestic and global conversations.
Columbia League of Nations
One of the quintessential features of the LL.M. Program at Columbia is that most of our students choose to live either in Columbia University housing or in the neighborhood surrounding campus, enhancing both the social and the academic vitality of the LL.M. year. Living and studying together helps foster a strong sense of community. Your classmates will become not only your friends and extended family but also your lifetime professional network.
Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Being a Columbia Law School student means being fully engaged, in every possible way.
Columbia International Arbitration Association Columbia Law and Entrepreneurship Society
“I always knew that my LL.M. year was going to be the most memorable of my life, but little did I know about the gift of diversity that this experience would give me. I learned to step out of my comfort zone and allowed myself to meet wonderful people along the way.”
Columbia Law School Soccer Club Columbia Law Women’s Association Columbia Society of International Law Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Society Latino/a Law Students Association Legal Technology Association
MARIA CAMILA HOYOS CASAS ’18 LL.M., COLOMBIA GLOBAL VISITING LAWYER, COVINGTON & BURLING LLP, NEW YORK CITY
National Security Law Society OutLaws (LGBTQ+ students) South Asian Law Students Association Student Senate
13
student-run law journals in which LL.M. students participate, including
The American Review of International Arbitration
Columbia Journal of Asian Law
Columbia Journal of Gender and Law
Columbia Business Law Review
Columbia Journal of Environmental Law
Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts
Columbia Human Rights Law Review
Columbia Journal of European Law
Columbia Science and Technology Law Review
Your Campus, Your City
Columbia Law School’s location in New York City offers LL.M. students unparalleled advantages for development. Situated in Manhattan’s historic Morningside Heights neighborhood, Columbia’s iconic campus reflects the university’s rich Ivy League tradition. Nestled between the serene Morningside and Riverside Parks and intersected by the energy of Broadway, the campus is at once an intellectual hub and a tranquil home. By studying in a truly global metropolis, you will find the entire city is your classroom. A short subway ride transports you from Columbia’s lecture halls to the halls of the United Nations, the headquarters of Fortune 500 companies, the New York Stock Exchange, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Whether you are studying private equity, arbitration, immigration, intellectual property, or human rights, you will have opportunities to see legal issues unfold in real time.
“I heard President Luis Guillermo Solís of Costa Rica speak on campus and General David Petraeus speak at a private equity conference at a major New York City law firm. I joined a student law journal and secured an internship at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. I networked at the United Nations. Those were my first three weeks at Columbia Law School.” SHEHRYAR BUTT ’17 LL.M., CANADA SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, HERJAVEC GROUP
Your Campus, Your City
Columbia Law School’s location in New York City offers LL.M. students unparalleled advantages for development. Situated in Manhattan’s historic Morningside Heights neighborhood, Columbia’s iconic campus reflects the university’s rich Ivy League tradition. Nestled between the serene Morningside and Riverside Parks and intersected by the energy of Broadway, the campus is at once an intellectual hub and a tranquil home. By studying in a truly global metropolis, you will find the entire city is your classroom. A short subway ride transports you from Columbia’s lecture halls to the halls of the United Nations, the headquarters of Fortune 500 companies, the New York Stock Exchange, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Whether you are studying private equity, arbitration, immigration, intellectual property, or human rights, you will have opportunities to see legal issues unfold in real time.
“I heard President Luis Guillermo Solís of Costa Rica speak on campus and General David Petraeus speak at a private equity conference at a major New York City law firm. I joined a student law journal and secured an internship at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. I networked at the United Nations. Those were my first three weeks at Columbia Law School.” SHEHRYAR BUTT ’17 LL.M., CANADA SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, HERJAVEC GROUP
Your Career, Your Impact
Since its founding in 1858, Columbia Law School has trained graduates who have launched international law firms, advocated for civil and human rights, argued precedentsetting cases, led multinational businesses, and shaped world affairs. From Silicon Valley to São Paulo, Nairobi to New Delhi, and Brussels to Beijing, Columbia Law School graduates occupy influential roles in law, finance, academia, human rights, technology, international affairs, and the judiciary. As a graduate of the Columbia LL.M. Program, you will become part of this distinguished tradition. Whether you are seeking to further your current practice, switch fields entirely, or something in between, our expert team of advisers in the Office of Career Services and Professional Development (private sector employment), Social Justice Initiatives (public sector employment), and Careers in Law Teaching Program (careers in academia) will guide you through individualized counseling, networking events, career fairs, résumé reviews, and mock interviews. In addition, Columbia offers several postgraduate fellowships to help advance the careers of LL.M. students in the domestic and international public interest domains.
“My time at Columbia exposed me to a network of people—especially as one of the founding board members of the Columbia Law School Legal Technology Association—without which I would not be where I am today.” TOM DREYFUS ’18 LL.M., AUSTRALIA CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, JOSEF
YOUR NETWORK: MORE THAN
25,000 ALUMNI IN MORE THAN
115
COUNTRIES
Your Career, Your Impact
Since its founding in 1858, Columbia Law School has trained graduates who have launched international law firms, advocated for civil and human rights, argued precedentsetting cases, led multinational businesses, and shaped world affairs. From Silicon Valley to São Paulo, Nairobi to New Delhi, and Brussels to Beijing, Columbia Law School graduates occupy influential roles in law, finance, academia, human rights, technology, international affairs, and the judiciary. As a graduate of the Columbia LL.M. Program, you will become part of this distinguished tradition. Whether you are seeking to further your current practice, switch fields entirely, or something in between, our expert team of advisers in the Office of Career Services and Professional Development (private sector employment), Social Justice Initiatives (public sector employment), and Careers in Law Teaching Program (careers in academia) will guide you through individualized counseling, networking events, career fairs, résumé reviews, and mock interviews. In addition, Columbia offers several postgraduate fellowships to help advance the careers of LL.M. students in the domestic and international public interest domains.
“My time at Columbia exposed me to a network of people—especially as one of the founding board members of the Columbia Law School Legal Technology Association—without which I would not be where I am today.” TOM DREYFUS ’18 LL.M., AUSTRALIA CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, JOSEF
YOUR NETWORK: MORE THAN
25,000 ALUMNI IN MORE THAN
115
COUNTRIES
The Application Process
Visit Us We welcome you to visit Columbia Law School. You don’t need to make an appointment—just stop by. A member of our team will gladly answer your questions and, if you’re on campus during the academic year, will provide a schedule of classes open to visitors. The Office of Graduate Legal Studies is open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are unable to visit in person, you will find comprehensive information about the LL.M. Program on our website (law.columbia.edu/llm). We also encourage you to explore our blog (law.columbia. edu/llmblog), which contains firsthand accounts of life as an LL.M. student—the next best thing to being here. You may also check the LL.M. Admissions Events section of our website to see when members of our team may be visiting a country near you. Office of Graduate Legal Studies Columbia Law School 1125 Amsterdam Avenue, 6th Floor New York, NY 10025 Telephone: +1 212-854-2655 Email: gls@law.columbia.edu law.columbia.edu/llm law.columbia.edu/llmblog
“One of the privileges of my position is meeting the many amazing lawyers who apply to Columbia’s LL.M. Program and learning about their achievements and goals. It is an honor to work with our talented students, and I am inspired by the work they do both as Columbia LL.M. students and as graduates. We look forward to reviewing your application!” SYLVIA T. POLO DEAN, GRADUATE LEGAL STUDIES
Columbia Law School seeks candidates who are intellectually ambitious, thoughtful, and highly motivated, as demonstrated by their prior academic records and letters of recommendation. In reviewing these materials, we endeavor to gauge how candidates have chosen to commit their time, energies, and talents; have made use of their opportunities; and may contribute those attributes to the Columbia Law School community. Given the high level of discourse required at Columbia, we also give strong preference to candidates who have at least one year of full-time work experience after earning their first law degree. Application Deadlines Early Review: November 1 Regular Admission: December 18 We encourage all applicants who have a complete application by November 1 to apply for early review. Our early review program is not binding; applicants will be required to commit by April 1. Regular admission applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. All applicants must apply online through the Law School Admission Council (lsac.org). Complete instructions are available on both the LSAC website and the Columbia Law School Graduate Legal Studies website (law.columbia.edu/llm). Financial Assistance Columbia Law School offers one of the largest financial aid programs for LL.M. students in the United States. Our financial assistance is in the form of scholarships and institutional loans. See our website section entitled Fellowships, Scholarships, and Financing for more detailed information.
Your Future. Your Columbia LL.M.
The Application Process
Visit Us We welcome you to visit Columbia Law School. You don’t need to make an appointment—just stop by. A member of our team will gladly answer your questions and, if you’re on campus during the academic year, will provide a schedule of classes open to visitors. The Office of Graduate Legal Studies is open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are unable to visit in person, you will find comprehensive information about the LL.M. Program on our website (law.columbia.edu/llm). We also encourage you to explore our blog (law.columbia. edu/llmblog), which contains firsthand accounts of life as an LL.M. student—the next best thing to being here. You may also check the LL.M. Admissions Events section of our website to see when members of our team may be visiting a country near you. Office of Graduate Legal Studies Columbia Law School 1125 Amsterdam Avenue, 6th Floor New York, NY 10025 Telephone: +1 212-854-2655 Email: gls@law.columbia.edu law.columbia.edu/llm law.columbia.edu/llmblog
“One of the privileges of my position is meeting the many amazing lawyers who apply to Columbia’s LL.M. Program and learning about their achievements and goals. It is an honor to work with our talented students, and I am inspired by the work they do both as Columbia LL.M. students and as graduates. We look forward to reviewing your application!” SYLVIA T. POLO DEAN, GRADUATE LEGAL STUDIES
Columbia Law School seeks candidates who are intellectually ambitious, thoughtful, and highly motivated, as demonstrated by their prior academic records and letters of recommendation. In reviewing these materials, we endeavor to gauge how candidates have chosen to commit their time, energies, and talents; have made use of their opportunities; and may contribute those attributes to the Columbia Law School community. Given the high level of discourse required at Columbia, we also give strong preference to candidates who have at least one year of full-time work experience after earning their first law degree. Application Deadlines Early Review: November 1 Regular Admission: December 18 We encourage all applicants who have a complete application by November 1 to apply for early review. Our early review program is not binding; applicants will be required to commit by April 1. Regular admission applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. All applicants must apply online through the Law School Admission Council (lsac.org). Complete instructions are available on both the LSAC website and the Columbia Law School Graduate Legal Studies website (law.columbia.edu/llm). Financial Assistance Columbia Law School offers one of the largest financial aid programs for LL.M. students in the United States. Our financial assistance is in the form of scholarships and institutional loans. See our website section entitled Fellowships, Scholarships, and Financing for more detailed information.
Your Future. Your Columbia LL.M.
“Columbia Law School has a distinguished tradition of leadership in areas ranging from international trade and corporate law to human rights and climate change law. Our faculty and graduates shape law and policy at the highest levels, in the public and private sectors, in the United States and around the world.” GILLIAN LESTER DEAN AND THE LUCY G. MOSES PROFESSOR OF LAW
The LL.M. Program