Master of Laws (LLM) Specializations
Specializing in a particular field is a smart choice for students who are interested in pursuing a career in that field. The curriculum of each specialization has been specially tailored to equip graduates with a comprehensive understanding of the specialized topic.
Specializations are open to all foreign law graduates.
Specializations are also open to students who received a Juris Doctorate (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from an ABA-accredited American law school at least three years before applying to our LLM program.
Loyola Law School offers six specializations:
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Civil Litigation and Advocacy
Civil Litigation and Advocacy
Loyola Law School has been ranked 6th in Trial Advocacy by U.S. News & World Report. The school has designed this specialization to give the next generation of Loyola students the practical skills demanded by the market, while fostering Loyola's mission of upholding the highest standards of ethics, promoting the fair administration of justice, and facilitating our commitment to serving the community. Loyola's renowned advocacy teams, experienced doctrinal and skills faculty, and extensive advocacy-related course offerings set the school apart in lawyering skills training.
Students who complete the program will have a matchless opportunity for exposure to and concentrated study in the law and skills necessary to train as an advocate in a civil litigation setting.
Loyola also has an entire building, the Girardi Building, specifically designed to offer students the best and most realistic experience in trial advocacy. The building includes the beautiful Robinson Courtroom, a classroom that replicates the design of a real U.S. courtroom. The Robinson Courtroom is used by students to present oral arguments, cross examine witnesses, and assist clients in fictional cases before faculty and real judges.
The Civil Litigation and Advocacy Specialization will be recognized with the satisfactory completion of 17 units of prescribed coursework. This includes 17 units of required courses. Students may choose from the list of elective courses to supplement the required courses.
Required Courses
- Evidence (4 units)
- Trial Advocacy (3 units)
- Civil Procedure (5 units)
- Torts or Contracts (5 units)
Elective Courses
- Administrative Law
- Advanced Trial Advocacy
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Alternative Dispute Resolution - Law & Practice
- Appellate Advocacy
- Art of Jury Selection
- California Business Torts
- Civil Discovery
- Conflict of Laws
- Deposition Practice
- Electronic Discovery
- Evidence for Trial Lawyers
- Evidence Seminar
- Expert Witness Seminar
- Fact Investigation
- Federal Courts
- Fundamentals of Solo Litigation
- Insurance Law
- International Litigation Seminar
- Introduction to Class Actions
- Introduction to Immigration Law
- Introduction to Negotiations
- Litigating a Copyright Case Seminar
- Mass Torts Seminar
- Mediation
- Mediation Advocacy
- Medical Malpractice Litigation Seminar
- Negotiation and Settlement (Negotiation Intensive Workshop)
- Reverse Discrimination Law and Affirmative Action
- Supreme Court Seminar
- Torts II
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Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice
Loyola Law School has been ranked 6th in Trial Advocacy by U.S. News & World Report. The school has designed this specialization to give the next generation of Loyola students the practical skills demanded by the market, while fostering Loyola's mission of upholding the highest standards of ethics, promoting the fair administration of justice, and facilitating our commitment to serving the community. Loyola's renowned advocacy teams, experienced doctrinal and skills faculty, and extensive advocacy-related course offerings set the school apart in lawyering skills training.
Students who complete the LLM Specialization in Criminal Justice will have a matchless opportunity for exposure to and concentrated study in the law and skills necessary to train as an advocate in a criminal prosecution or defense setting.
The Criminal Justice Specialization will be recognized upon the satisfactory completion of 18 units of coursework. This includes 12 units of required courses and 6 units of electives.
Required Courses
- Criminal Law (4 units)
- Criminal Procedure (4 units)
- Evidence (4 units)
Elective Courses
- Advanced Criminal Law Seminar
- Advanced Criminal Litigation Skills
- Advanced Topics in Criminal Justice Seminar
- Advanced Trial Advocacy
- Advanced Writing in Criminal Justice
- Appellate Advocacy
- Comparative Criminal Law
- Crime and Social Justice
- Criminal Discovery
- Criminal Law Motion Practice
- Criminal Practice Seminar
- Criminal Procedure: The Adjudicatory Process
- Criminal Tax Practice and Procedure
- Cybercrime
- Death Penalty Law Seminar
- District Attorney Seminar
- Expert Witness Seminar
- Fact Investigation
- Federal Courts
- Federal Criminal Law Seminar
- Forensic Science Evidence
- Fundamentals of Juvenile Post-Conviction and Sentencing Litigation
- Habeas Corpus Litigation Seminar
- International Criminal Law & Policy
- Juvenile Delinquency Law and Procedure
- Law and Genocide
- Law and the Use of Force
- Police Practices Seminar
- Prisoner Civil Rights Seminar
- Punishment Seminar
- Race, Class, and Criminal Justice
- Scott Moot Court
- Sentencing and Post-Conviction: Problems & Remedies
- The Law and Literature of Crime
- White Collar Crime
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Cybersecurity & Data Privacy
Cybersecurity & Data Privacy
The Cybersecurity & Data Privacy LLM Specialization at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles offers students a slate of classes and experiential learning opportunities to prepare them for the evolving legal demands presented by emerging technology. The first of its kind on the West Coast, this specialization draws on Loyola’s traditional strengths in areas like technology, criminal justice, data privacy, and IP law.
The Cybersecurity & Data Privacy LLM Specialization features professors and practitioners with unique expertise in the spheres of Silicon Beach, cybercrime law enforcement and engineering and it capitalizes on the expertise of national security and related sectors based in Los Angeles. The specialization integrates the range of already existing cybersecurity classes, including Cyber & IP Crimes, IP in the Digital Age, and Technology & Privacy, and it includes brand new courses such as Incident Response & Investigation, and Cybersecurity & Regulatory Compliance.
The curriculum is based on recommendations from Loyola’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Advisory Group, which includes Wesley Hsu, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, Cyber and IP Crimes Section, Los Angeles; Robert Kang, Senior Regulatory and Cybersecurity Counsel, Southern California Edison Company; Jason Smolanoff, former Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Cyber National Security squad; and Nazmul Ula, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies & External affairs, Seaver College, LMU.
Required Courses (11 units)
- Cyber & IP Crimes (2)
- Internet Law (2)
- Technology & Privacy (3) (online)
- Cybersecurity & Regulatory Compliance (2)
- Incident Response & Investigation (2)
Elective Courses (2 courses minimum)
- Administrative Law (3)
- Digital Media & Law (2)
- eDiscovery (2)
- European Cybersecurity & Data Privacy (2)
- First Amendment Survey (3)
- IP in Digital Age (Software Law) (2)
- White Collar Crime (2)
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Entertainment Law
Entertainment Law
Loyola Law School has been ranked 6th in Entertainment Law by The Hollywood Reporter, the leading magazine on entertainment business. The LLM Specialization in Entertainment Law takes advantage of Loyola’s prime location in downtown LA (a media and fashion capital) and offers students a broad spectrum of courses, taught by leading faculty and practitioners in this field.
In addition, Loyola's Fashion Law Project offers unique symposia, rare industry networking opportunities and a cache of fashion business courses. Also, classes like Introduction to Negotiations and Right of Publicity prepare students for important sports management issues. Power agents and team executives regularly lecture. Finally, students can navigate the evolving electronic frontier with professors who teach classes like Digital Media & the Law, and Technology & Privacy.
The Loyola Entertainment Alumni Network is one of the largest alumni networks in the world specifically focused on entertainment, media, and intellectual property. Externship opportunities held by Loyola students in just the past year read like a "Who's Who" of the entertainment business, and include companies such as NBC/Universal, Sony, Lionsgate, MTV Live Nation, Warner Brothers Television, HBO, Activision, and many more.
The LLM degree requires 24 total units of credit. The Entertainment Law Specialization will be recognized upon the satisfactory completion of 18 units of coursework. This includes 9 units of required courses and 9 units of electives.
Required Courses
- Entertainment Law (3 units)
- Copyright Law (3 units)
- Trademark Law (3 units)
Elective Courses
- Motion Picture Production & Finance Seminar
- Business Associations
- Television Programming & Finance Seminar
- Reality TV & New Media Production and Distribution
- Digital Media & the Law
- Law of Video Games & Online Virtual Worlds
- Comparative Copyright Law
- Law and Practice with the Hollywood Guilds
- Financing Entertainment Industry Ventures
- Tax Strategies for the Digital Age
- Trade Secret Law
- Art and the Law Seminar
- Sports Law
- Torts II
- Trial Advocacy
- International Entertainment Law
- First Amendment Seminar
- Advanced IP Colloquium
- International Copyright & Neighboring Rights
- International & Comparative Trademark and Geographical Indications Law
- Business Immigration Law
- Litigating a Media Law Case
- Litigating a Copyright Case Seminar
- Music Law
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Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing areas of legal practice and represents roughly 20 percent of the American economy. Technology and social media are enabling the rapid distribution of content to millions of mobile phones, laptops and tablets across the globe, with new legal questions surfacing every day. Every lawyer, from the solo practitioner to in-house counsel to transactional and litigation lawyers in large firms will increasingly be faced with IP issues. LLM graduates with an IP Specialization will be prepared for the “knowledge” economy of the 21st century.
The Loyola Entertainment Alumni Network is one of the largest alumni networks in the world specifically focused on entertainment, media, and intellectual property. Externship opportunities held by Loyola students in just the past year read like a "Who's Who" of the entertainment business, and include companies such as NBC/Universal, Sony, Lionsgate, MTV Live Nation, Warner Brothers Television, HBO, Activision and many more.
The LLM degree requires 24 total units of credit. The Intellectual Property Law Specialization will be recognized upon the satisfactory completion of 12 units of coursework. This includes 5-6 units of required courses and 6-7 units of electives.
Required Courses
- Copyright Law (3 units)
- Trademark Law (3 units)
- Patent Law (2 or 3 units)
- Antitrust Law (3 units)
Elective Courses
- Administrative Law*
- Advertising Law
- Business Planning: Financing the Start-Up Business and Venture Capital Financing
- Business & Venture Capital Financing*
- California Business Torts*
- Comparative Copyright
- Cybercrime
- Digital Media And The Law
- Fashion Law (f)
- Fashion Law Business Transactions (f)
- Federal Courts*
- Global Antitrust Law And Policy
- International Intellectual Property
- Internet Law (Cyber Law)
- Introduction to International Law*
- Introduction to Intellectual Property
- Intellectual Property Honors Colloquium
- IP in the Digital Age (Software Law)
- Laws of Video Games & Virtual Worlds
- Licensing in International Context
- Litigating a Copyright Case Seminar
- Patent Litigation
- Right of Publicity Seminar
- Securities Regulation*
- Tax Strategies for the Digital Age
- Technology & Privacy
- Trade Secret Law
* Only one of the starred courses can count toward the minimum required specialization units.
(f) Only one of the Fashion Law courses can count toward the minimum required specialization units.
(p) Counts toward the IP specialization if in the chambers of a District Judge participating in the Patent Pilot Program, or with approval. -
International Business Law
International Business Law
Loyola Law School’s specialization in International Business Law targets students interested in assisting companies in a globalized market. By specializing in this area, students will be able to advise clients on a plethora of issues, from the incorporation of a company, to its corporate management, tax issues, and mergers and acquisitions.
Los Angeles and its Silicon Beach are an extremely busy market for international business lawyers. New and exciting startups are created on a daily basis. Some of the leading venture capitalists are located in the area, and deals are made to finance these startups, buy, or sell them. In addition to the startup world, Los Angeles is one of the top financial markets in the United States, second only to New York. Some of the top companies and firms are located in the city, and Loyola's prime location in Downtown LA allows students to be in close contact with the top players in the market.
The LLM degree requires 24 total units of credit. The International Business Law Specialization will be recognized upon the satisfactory completion of 16 units of coursework. This includes 4 units of required courses and 12 units of electives.
Required Courses
- Business Associations (4 units)
Elective Courses
- Antitrust Law
- Bankruptcy
- Bankruptcy Reorganizations
- Commercial Law
- Commercial Real Estate Transactions & Finance
- Comparative Copyright
- Conflict of Laws
- Contracts
- Copyright Law
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Governance Seminar
- Employment Law
- Entertainment Law
- Financial Institutions
- Financing Entertainment Industry Ventures
- Green Energy Project Development and Finance
- Income Taxation I
- International Business Transactions
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Entertainment Law
- International Finance
- International Trade
- Introduction to International Law
- Introduction to Structured Finance
- Law of Sales: Domestic and International
- Licensing in an International Context
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Patent Law
- Secured Transactions in Personal Property
- Secured Transactions in Real Property
- Securities Regulation
- Trademark Law
For More Information
For more information on LLM Specializations, please visit our Admission Department's LLM section.