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Stanford University - Stanford Law School

MAILING ADDRESS
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way, Room 103
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
MAIN PHONE
650 723.4985
WEBSITE
http://www.law.stanford.edu
ADMISSIONS EMAIL:
admissions@law.stanford.edu
REGISTRAR'S PHONE/FAX/EMAIL:
650-723-0994/650-723-8234/
registrar@law.stanford.edu
CAREER SERVICE PHONE/FAX/EMAIL:
650-723-3924/650-723-0212/
ocs@law.stanford.edu

An Overview


Stanford began offering a curriculum in legal studies in 1893, when the university hired its firsttwo law professors. One was Benjamin Harrison, the former President of the United States, whodelivered a landmark series of lectures on the Constitution. The other was Nathan Abbott, whoserved as head of the nascent law program. Abbott assembled a small faculty to which he imparteda standard of rigor and excellence that endures to this day.

For its first decade, the law department was composed of mostly undergraduate law majors. Student life was dominated by a proliferation of law clubs, which combined moot court training with social camaraderie. Notably, the law department enrolled many students who might not have been welcome at more traditional law schools at the time, including women and Hispanic, Chinese and Japanese students.

At Stanford Law School, excellence is a given. Our community - engaged faculty and students,influential alumni, dedicated staff - is united in its belief that a Stanford Law degree is a powerfultool for change. Our programs - intensive curriculum, hands-on legal clinics, high-profile academiccenters - cultivate professional skills and values, inspire new ideas, and engage leaders indeveloping solutions. And our resources - from cutting-edge facilities to the diverse advantagesof Stanford University - make the Stanford Law campus an ideal environment for exploring andmastering law.

Degrees Offered
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Corporate Governance & Practice
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Law, Science & Technology
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Environmental Law & Policy

Admission Information


Requirements Details
Eligibility All application materials must be submitted through LSAC. The application form, resume, personal statement, research proposal (for SPILS applicants only), and application fee payment must be submitted electronically through LSAC. Official transcripts and TOEFL score report must be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. Letters of recommendation must be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. Required application materials submitted directly to the Office of Admissions will not be accepted.
Transcripts Stanford Law School requires all LL.M. applicants submit their official transcripts through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. This service is an easy and convenient means of submitting transcripts to a number of different institutions. LSAC, in cooperation with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), provides law schools with verification, authentication, and evaluation of transcripts and allows the office to more efficiently proceed with the review of an application. Transcripts submitted through the LSAC LL.M. Credential Assembly Service should show all courses taken and grades earned, and receipt of any degree from each university and any institution of higher education at which the applicant has been in residence for one year or more. Transcripts submitted directly to the Stanford Law Admissions Office will not be accepted.
Letters of Recommendation It is suggested that LL.M. applicants obtain one letter from someone familiar with their work in legal practice (or related professional experience) and one letter from someone familiar with their academic work. At least one letter should be from someone with whom the applicant has worked who can address the applicant's English-language proficiency.
Personal Statement This statement of two to three pages should cover information about the applicant's experience in legal practice, and interest in graduate study (in the applicable specialization). Usually called the Statement of Purpose, it should also discuss the applicant's professional goals, and how the completion of an LL.M. degree could benefit his or her legal career.
Proof of Competency in English Stanford Law School course work and related academic activities require written and spoken fluency in English. A minimum TOEFL score of 100 (internet-based test) or 620 (paper-based test) is required for admission. This exam is administered worldwide. For more information regarding TOEFL, please contact the Educational Testing Service. All applicants must submit valid TOEFL scores through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. The TOEFL score should be directed to LSAC. The Institution Code for LSAC is 8395.
Application Fee U.S. $125
Law School Admission Test N/A
Curriculum Vitae Stanford requires a one-to-two page resume or curriculum vitae describing an applicant's academic, extracurricular, and professional activities. The resume must be submitted with the application.

Other Information


Criteria Details
Nature and Tenure of Courses Offered Full time, nine-month academic year.
Application Procedure/Time to apply/Application deadline The submission deadline date is usually in December. Information is updated on the website in August every year. While decisions on admits are announced by 1 April each year, some applicants may be notified of their admission prior to this date.
Requirements to earn an LLM degree in the Specialized Programs:

Course Requirement
LL.M. in Corporate Governance & Practice Students are required to be in residence at Stanford during the full (nine-month) academic year. They are required to take a minimum of 35 credit units and a maximum of 42 credit units.
LL.M. in Environmental Law & Policy Students are required to be in residence at Stanford during the full (nine-month) academic year. They are required to take a minimum of 35 credit units and a maximum of 45 credit units. Up to 9 units of credit can be earned through courses taken outside the Law School.
LL.M. in Law, Science & Technology Students are required to be in residence at Stanford during the full (nine-month) academic year. They are required to take a minimum of 35 credit units and a maximum of 42 credit units.

Details of Courses Offered


The Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Corporate Governance & Practice offers rigorous academic and professional training in corporate governance and transactional legal practice. This specialized program seeks to provide foreign business and transactional lawyers with a broad base of expertise in areas such as accounting, bankruptcy, corporations, finance, mergers and acquisitions, securities, tax, and venture capital. The acquired knowledge is useful when they return to law practice, most often in their home countries. Candidates admitted to the program will undertake an individually tailored sequence of courses, primarily from among the Law School's corporate and business-related courses.

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Environmental Law and Policy (ELP) offers rigorous interdisciplinary training in environmental, energy and resource law and policy. This specialized program seeks to provide foreign lawyers with the legal and policy analysis expertise needed to address issues of pollution, toxic substances, climate change, energy, freshwater, protection of living species on both land and in the oceans, land use management, and environmental assessment. Candidates admitted to the program will pursue an individually tailored sequence of courses drawn primarily from the Law School's environment and public policy curriculum , but may also include related courses in other departments at the university. The program is particularly appropriate for private and public lawyers seeking additional interdisciplinary training that they can use to further environmental and resource law and policy in their home nations or internationally and who wish to become part of a network of graduates working on similar challenges.

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Law, Science & Technology provides rigorous academic and professional training in legal practice and interdisciplinary analysis related to current developments in law, science and technology, including such areas as e-commerce, jurisdiction and dispute resolution in cyberspace, biotechnology and health science issues, intellectual property regimes and contractual developments related to the global information economy, venture capital, and high technology start-up companies.

Financial Aid


Stanford does not provide any kind of funding for any of the LL.M. programs.

Cost of Attendance


Tuition for the 2013-2014 academic year is as follows:

Tuition in 2013-14 is $50,580 and will rise in 2014-15. Tuition is due in October, January, and April.

Cost of Living $20,874
Laptop Computers $3,300
Books $1,995

Career Development/Services Offered


The Office of Career Services (OCS) serves as a bridge between students, alumni and employers. The staff helps students and alumni to shape and realize their career goals. They also provide counseling, workshops and resources on judicial clerkships, international opportunities and non-law alternatives. Working closely with legal employers, they give them access to some of the best legal talent in the country.

The Office of Career Services is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But on these days, the period between 8-10a.m. is closed to visitors for administrative work. The office is located on the first floor in Room 143 in the Law School's office building on Nathan Abbott Way.

References