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Transnational Legal Practice LL.M.

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Overview

Why earn a Transnational Legal Practice LL.M. at St. John's Law? The Transnational Legal Practice LL.M. degree is a great choice for students who plan to work in cross-border/transnational contexts, whether in the U.S or another country. Here's three benefits of program:

  • Gain knowledge in the rapidly expanding cross-border practice of law.  All students receive an in-depth education of transnational practice.  In addition to the foundational Transnational Practice Skills courses, students take courses focusing on the increasing legal interconnectedness of the world. TLP students learn the law in bot traditional lectures and by engaging in supervised simulations meant to mimic transnational practice.
  • Become a global attorney in New York City.  Students benefit from St. John’s location in New York City.  Our students can attend events focused on transnational practice, such as events at the New York City Bar Association, panels at major conferences like International Law Weekend, and visit the United Nations.  We also bring esteemed practitioners onto campus to provide real-world insight to our students.
  • Improve your legal English skills. The TLP program places a strong emphasis on communicating in legal English, and works with non-native English speakers to enhance these skills. TLP students take specialized courses focused on legal research, writing, and analysis.  They also present during role play simulations and work on weekly writing assignments to improve their English. Our students leave TLP with an enhanced ability to work in English.

Students who wish to pursue admission the New York Bar Exam can meet the educational requirements for admission and learn the substantive information tested on the exam through the Bar Track. This is a good fit for students who want to be admitted as an attorney in New York, the most popular jurisdiction for foreign-educated attorneys.

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Pathways to the Profession

Every student entering the Transnational Legal Practice LLM Program comes from a different background, has a different area of academic interest, and has a different plan for post-graduate opportunities. With that in mind, TLP offers five Pathways, allowing students within the same program to focus on different areas of transnational practice.

Cross-Border Transactions
The Pathway designed specifically for students interested in working in private practice with a focus on corporate law.  Topics in this Pathway include project development, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, global corporate compliance, cross-border employment law, international competition (antitrust) law, and cross-border IP licensing.  

International Trade & Investment
The Pathway designed specifically for students interested in working in international trade, customs, and investment positions. Topics in this Pathway include regional trade agreements (NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP), EU trade law, trade and development, TRIPs agreement, trade preferences, international banking regulation, and bilateral investment treaties.

Public International Legal Practice
The Pathway designed specifically for students interested in working at the United Nations, an international organization, a non-governmental organization, or a government agency focused on international law. Topics in this Pathway include public international law theory, treaties, international courts and tribunals, the law of international organizations, statehood, and recognition.

Transnational Dispute Resolution
The Pathway designed specifically for students interested in working in litigation, investor-state arbitration or international commercial arbitration, and international mediation.  Topics in this Pathway include mediation of armed conflict, peace processes, investment-state arbitration, dispute settlement in international organizations, and the settlement of territorial disputes.

Bar Track
The Pathway designed specifically for students interested in working in preparing to take the New York Bar Exam. Students pursuing this pathway may finish in two semesters or enroll in an additional semester. We offer special courses designed to help students prepare for the NY Bar Exam, including Applied Legal Analysis, a course for all LL.M.s preparing for the bar exam, and its companion course, Drafting: Practice Documents for LL.M. Together, these courses review substantive knowledge and writing skills required for the bar exam. 

 

Dual Diploma: LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Law/LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice

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St. John’s University School of Law and Lyon Catholic University Law School offer a dual LL.M. International Trade & Investment Law/LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice program starting in September. The program, entirely taught in English, is designed specifically for students interested in working in international trade, customs, and investment positions. Topics include regional trade agreements (NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP), EU trade law, trade and development, TRIPs agreement, trade preferences, international banking regulation, and bilateral investment treaties.

The students will spend the Fall semester in Lyon (France) from September to December, and the Spring semester in New York City (U.S.A.) from January to May. This gives the unique chance to be immersed in two distinct linguistic, cultural and legal contexts.

All students enrolled in this track receive a dual diploma (an LL.M. in European and International Trade and Investment Law by Lyon Catholic University and an LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice by St. John’s).

Interested students apply directly to UCLy. For more information, please visit UCLy's website.

 

 

Courses

Minimum 24 credits; many students complete 24-30 credits.

Required Courses:

  • Introduction to TLP (1 credit)
  • Transnational Practice Skills I (3 credits)
  • Transnational Practice Skills II (3 credits)
  • TLP Legal Writing I and II (5 credits) (Students with exceptional English language ability may be able to place out of these classes)

Foundational Courses (students must select at least one of the following courses):

  • International Law (3 credits)
  • International Business Transactions (3 credits)
  • International Litigation & Dispute Resolution (2 credits)
  • International Trade Law (2 credits)

Electives (below is a sample of some of the most popular electives for TLP students):

  • Business Organizations (4 credits)
  • Colloquium in Law: International Law (2 credits)
  • Commercial Arbitration (3 credits)
  • Comparative Law (3 credits)
  • International Commercial Arbitration (2 credits)
  • International Criminal Law (2 credits)
  • International Finance (3 credits)
  • International Human Rights Law (3 credits)
  • Introduction to U.S. Law I (2 credits)
  • Law & Religion: International and Comparative Perspectives (3 credits)
  • Other courses suited to your individual interests  (1 to 4 credits)

If you prefer, you can design your own course of study incorporating required and elective courses suited to your professional needs or personal interests across a range of specialties, including for example intellectual property, bankruptcy, taxation, criminal law or comparative law.

Our Faculty

The St. John’s School of Law faculty strongly supports the LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice program, with some of our most experienced and highly regarded tenured faculty members teaching both core and elective courses.