Program Details - Foreign Law School Graduates

THE PROGRAM

Students earn an American LL.M. while studying in Italy at the Universita di Bologna, the oldest university in the world. Located in northern Italy amidst cultural and artistic attractions, the Universita di Bologna "Alma Mater Studiorum" is the western world’s oldest university, having been founded in 1088 AD. A unique heritage of medieval art, exemplified by the illuminated manuscripts and jurists' tombs produced in the city from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, provides a cultural backdrop to the renown of the medieval institution. At the same time, the University of Bologna is also the second largest university in Italy and has state-of-the-art facilities and libraries.

The city of Bologna ranks as one of the top cities for quality of life in Italy, being ranked 5th in 2006 and 12th in 2007 out of 103 Italian cities. The city’s very vibrant music, cultural, sports and art scene, and its large University, give it a very youthful flavor. An industrial and legal capital, it is superbly located on the gentle slopes of the Apennines and at the crossing of the most important highways and railways in the country, within a short train or car ride to Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome and the Adriatic coast.

Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Italian culture while enriching their professional preparation through the intellectual exchange between students and faculty from diverse legal backgrounds. Faculty consists of some of the finest scholars from both American and European law schools with expertise in a wide variety of legal issues. All classes are taught in English.

Classes are held only on Fridays and Saturdays, leaving students the opportunity to study, travel around Italy, or take advantage of part-time internship opportunities in Bologna, Milan or Rome. The program must be completed within one year.

For the program brochure, click here.

IS THIS LL.M. EQUAL TO AN LL.M. EARNED IN THE UNITED STATES?

This degree is an American LL.M. awarded by Loyola Law School Los Angeles, an ABA accredited law school. Therefore, the answer to this question is unequivocally yes!

An American LL.M. is a valuable degree for foreign lawyers pursuing a career in international legal practice even if they never seek admission to a U.S. state bar. The world job market is rapidly changing and many law firms prefer to hire foreign attorneys who hold an American LL.M. and have strong English language skills. Many law firms and corporations are interested in hiring lawyers from their home countries, who are familiar both with their own legal system and also with the American legal system.

In order to sit for the New York Bar Exam, the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law require the LL.M. be offered within the United States; this program does not qualify a non-U.S. law graduate for admission to the New York bar. However, some states allow a lawyer who does not hold an American first degree in law (J.D.) to sit for the bar if the applicant has taken a minimum number of credit hours in courses offered by an ABA approved law school. For more specific information, applicants should contact the state's licensing agency.

For New York State Bar rules concerning foreign law school graduates, click
here for information on foreign education and here for eligibility rules.

For California State Bar rules, click here (foreign law school graduates) and here (attorneys admitted in jurisdictions outside the United States)

Important Notice to Italian Students:

LLM graduates may receive six months credit toward the two year legal training (pratica legale) required by Italian law for admission to the Italian Bar exam. LLM graduates who are admitted to the Italian Bar are entitled to 24 professional training credits (crediti formativi)."

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS[top]

The degree of Master of Laws in American Law and International Legal Practice will be awarded upon the satisfactory completion of at least 24 units of coursework in the program.

Fall Semester

While American law students study the first (Fall) semester in Los Angeles and the second (Spring) semester in Bologna, international students spend both semesters and complete all units in Bologna. To meet the degree requirements, they must complete 12 course units during the Fall semester. Usually, these are the courses offered in the Fall:

Introduction to American Law (2 units)
Legal Writing and Research (4 units)
One First Year course (such as Contracts, Civil Procedure) (4 units)
One Advanced American Law course (such as Constitutional Law, American Trial Process) (2 units)

Please, note, course offerings may vary from year to year as well as the number of units assigned to each required course. A list of courses offered for the 2009-2010 academic year will be available soon.

Spring Semester

During the spring semester, American students from Los Angeles join the international students in Bologna and attend advanced program classes together. A number of public and private international law courses are regularly offered. Actual course offerings and number of units will vary by semester and are subject to enrollment. Students should check Course Listings for 2009-2010 for updated information on courses offered during the next academic year.

As in the Fall semester, students must take up to 12 credits for courses (for a total maximum of 4 courses) in public and private international law, with particular emphasis on legal practice. Classes offered in Bologna, which vary by semester and are subject to enrollment, usually include:

International Business Transactions
International Civil Litigation
American and International Conflict of Law
International Commercial Arbitration
International Mergers and Acquisitions

Updated information on courses offered during the next academic year will be available soon.

All students must complete the program within one year. Under special circumstances, with prior approval of the Director, a student may be allowed to complete required units in any Loyola Law School-sponsored summer program.

To accommodate students engaged in full-time employment, courses in Bologna are offered on Fridays and Saturdays only. Because of this only a limited number of electives can be scheduled.

ADMISSION [top]

Enrollment is limited to applicants who have received a degree equivalent to a JD from an American law school. Applicants for whom English is a second language and who have not studied law at an institution where English was the primary language of instruction are required to submit standardized English language test scores.

To date, international students have included lawyers from such diverse countries as Italy, Sweden, France, Japan, Dominican Republic, Rwanda, Congo, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Egypt, Romania, Russia, and Georgia.

Applications for the 2009-2010 academic year will continue to be accepted until the class is filled. Space is limited and applicants are encouraged to submit their applications early to ensure maximum consideration.

Please click here to apply.

The law school reserves the right to cancel the program in the unlikely event of insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. If the program is cancelled, all fees, deposits and tuition will be refunded.

TUITION FOR 2009-2010 [top]

The cost of attendance for 2009-2010 for international students is $16,695. At least half of the tuition is due on June 30, 2009. There is a $125.00 graduation fee for the commencement ceremony in Los Angeles.

FINANCIAL AID

International (i.e. non U.S. Citizen/Non Permanent Resident) students are not eligible to apply for U.S. Federal student loans. However, assistance in the form of private student loans may be available under certain conditions. There are several different lenders and private loan programs available. As such, the terms and conditions of the loans can vary. In general, interest rates range from 7% to 12%, repayment is deferred while enrolled in the LLM degree program, and students may borrow up to the cost of attendance. Regardless of the lender or loan program, all students must have a credit-worthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer in order to be eligible for these funds.

Listed below are links to some of the more prominent lenders who offer loan programs for international students. This is not an all inclusive list, nor is it a recommendation of these lenders and their loan programs. The list is being provided as a reference for students who would like additional information on these types of loan programs.

Access Group Comprehensive or Sponsored Loan
http://www.accessgroup.org/Student-Loans/international-student-loans.htm

Citibank CitiAssist Law Loan
http://studentloan.citibank.com/slcsite/fr_apnow.htm

Nellie Mae Law Excel Loan
http://www.nelliemae.com/loancenter/index.html

Wells Fargo Graduate Loan
https://www.wellsfargo.com/student/loans/graduate

Note: In addition to the private loan programs listed above, Italian students may be eligible to obtain financial assistance from UniCredit Bank in Bologna. For further information, please write to: italian.co-director@email.it

Questions regarding the process for applying these loan programs, should be directed to Debbie.Esparza@lls.edu.

Some organizations offer scholarships for international studies such as The Rotary Foundation.

HOUSING[top]

Please contact italian.co-director@email.it for assistance with finding accommodations in Bologna.