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Wake Forest University School of Law

MAILING ADDRESS
1834 Wake Forest Road
Winston Salem, NC 27109
MAIN PHONE
336-758-5430
WEBSITE
http://law.wfu.edu/
ADMISSIONS EMAIL:
lawadmissions@wfu.edu
REGISTRAR'S PHONE/FAX/EMAIL:
336-758-5443/336-758-4362/
martinpe@wfu.edu
CAREER SERVICE PHONE/FAX/EMAIL:
336-758-5721/336-758-3709/
asheay@wfu.edu

An Overview


Wake Forest University School of Law seeks to prepare students for the practice of law in the United States. Some graduates will use their legal educations for important purposes other than law practice, but we recognize that each graduate may be admitted to the bar in any of the 50 states. We, therefore, have a responsibility to provide our students with a foundation of legal knowledge and skill upon which they can build lives of service within the legal profession. We must attempt to instill in every student a respect for the rule of law, a devotion to the ideal of public service, and a commitment to basic professional values: honesty, diligence, competence, intelligence, and civility.

In the recruitment of our students and the placement of our graduates, our school is increasingly national in orientation, but we maintain and will continue to nurture a special relationship with our state and region.

Our school is small by tradition and design. Our goal is to establish an academic community that unites students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends in an extended, loyal family. We must concern ourselves with the personal development of the individual student, and we encourage all students to care for one another and for Wake Forest. We aspire to overcome any economic or ethnic barriers that may have excluded individuals from the legal profession in the past.

We believe that the faculty must be committed to teaching and to legal scholarship. We regard these functions as synergistic aspects of a single vocation. Excellent teaching is central to the educational process; legal scholarship informs that process and contributes to the improvement of the law. We seek to attract to our faculty individuals whose character and conduct exemplify the professional and personal ideals that are basic to the school's mission.

The course of study at Wake Forest emphasizes fundamental lawyering skills. Classes are small. Teachers are accessible to students outside of class. In all courses teachers stress legal analysis and critical thinking, and they encourage students to consider the social and economic settings in which legal principles and rules operate and the ways in which lawyers use those principles and rules in practice.

Believing that lawyers must be able to communicate clearly and persuasively, we emphasize the development of skill in written and oral communication. We also recognize the need to instruct our students in the effective use of informational technology. We understand that we are preparing our students to live and work in a changing world that is influenced by transnational developments and globalization.

Degrees Offered
  • LL.M. Program in American Law

Admission Information


Requirements Details
Eligibility The LL.M. degree in American Law is a one-year program of study primarily designed for international lawyers and students who hold a first degree in law from their home countries and wish to enhance their study of American Law in the U.S. To qualify for admission to the program, LL.M. applicants must:
Transcripts Wake Forest requires an original, certified transcript of grades from your first and subsequent degrees in law or other disciplines. All transcripts must include an English translation and an explanation of the grading system. Wake Forest also accepts LL.M. credential assembly reports from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Notify us if you registered with LSAC and send us your LSAC account number.
Letters of Recommendation We require two letters of recommendation that discuss your suitability for enrolling in and completing our Master of Laws program. We prefer references from former law professors, from your current employer or from someone with whom you have worked in the field of law or business. Recommendation letters should be in English or accompanied by an English translation. Please provide each of your references with the Letter of Recommendation Information and Waiver Form.
Personal Statement Write and submit a personal statement in English telling us about you. Explain your reasons for pursuing an LL.M. degree in American law and how you plan to use your graduate law degree. Describe what particular course of study you would like to pursue. Tell us how you think you will adapt to living in a foreign environment.
Proof of Competency in English If you are from a non-English speaking country or your native tongue is not English, you must register for and take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), given by the Education Testing Service (ETS). Typically, you should register for the test at least two months before it is given. Please request ETS to send official TOEFL scores to Wake Forest University School of Law. Our institution code is 5885, the department code 03, and the department name is the Graduate School of Law. Sometimes it takes two or three months for the official scores to reach Wake Forest from the testing agency. Therefore, we recommend that you fax a copy of your TOEFL score to (336) 758-4496 as soon as it is available, pending our later receipt of the official results. You may also retake the TOEFL and send us your improved score later in the admissions process. The improved score will be added to your application. On occasion we will issue a conditional admission based on the improvement of your TOEFL score later.
Application Fee $70
Law School Admission Test N/A
Curriculum Vitae Please submit a resume or curriculum vita outlining your academic and professional achievements.

Other Information


Criteria Details
Nature and Tenure of Courses Offered One-year program
Application Procedure/Time to apply/Application deadline You should submit your application and the supporting materials along with the application fee as soon as possible. We review applications as soon as they are complete. You will find instructions on how to submit your application on the bottom of this page. The application deadline is March 31 for the following fall.
LL.M. Degree Requirements A student must successfully complete two semesters of study in residence and earn a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in 24 semester hours of coursework to earn an LL.M. degree from Wake Forest.

At least one of an LL.M. student's courses must be part of the Law school's first-year curriculum and include the required Legal Writing for International Lawyers course which incorporates an introduction to the law library and to computer assisted legal research. All LL.M. students must enroll in the two-hour Introduction to American Law course that begins in the fall semester and continues through the spring semester. This required two-hour course is taught by members of the law faculty and provides an overview of the American legal system and basic legal methodology. During the academic year, all LL.M. students must elect to pursue either a thesis option or a seminar paper writing option. LL.M. students attend classes with American J.D. students.

Details of Courses Offered


The Wake Forest LL.M. Program in American Law is a one-year program designed for international lawyers and students who have law degrees from institutions in their home countries and desire to enhance their legal careers by studying the laws of the United States.
  • This is a full-time program, beginning in the fall semester. Some students choose to extend their course of study of U.S. law for longer than one year for various reasons.
  • Involves a number of excellent required courses that provide the basics of American jurisprudence.
  • Encourages students to pursue their individual interests through research and coursework.
  • Features a supportive mentoring program, a number of special opportunities, and the talents of Wake Forest's dedicated faculty. The Wake Forest University School of Law has offered strong international programs for over a decade, and many faculty members are experts in international legal issues.
  • Offers small classes that include both American J.D. students and LL.M. students and prepares students to return to their home countries, well-versed in American law.

Many of our graduates elect to take the New York State Bar Examination to enhance their international credentials.

The LL.M. Program at Wake Forest University School of Law has a long-standing tradition for preparing its graduates for significant leadership roles. Its alumni include prominent private attorneys, judges, government officials, in-house attorneys, general counsels, and S.J.D. candidates. Our graduates typically return to their home countries to resume or advance their legal careers in corporate law, public policy, litigation, public service, investment banking, and a wide range of other specialties related to international law.

Read alumnus Katsuo Yamaura's report (on our website) to the Japan Security Scholarship Foundation on the Wake Forest LL.M. program.

Financial Aid


Wake Forest Law offers a limited number of merit based scholarships for international applicants. All applicants are considered for these awards on the basis of their academic credentials, professional experience and English abilities and no additional application form is required. Typically, these awards only cover a portion of the tuition costs so an additional source of funding is required.

An applicant in need of additional financial assistance should begin exploring possible scholarships, grants, and educational loans well in advance of his/her planned entrance into the LL.M. program.

Cost of Attendance

Expenses billed to your student account:

Tuition for the 2013-14 academic year $38,480
Student Health Fee $364
Graduation Fee $60
Technology Fee $250
Student Health Fee $39,154
Estimated additional expenses:

Books and supplies $1,400
Food $3,200
Student health insurance $1,524
Personal Expenses $2,500
Room/Utilities $8,500
Transportation $2,700
Total estimated budget: $19,824
Estimated cost of attendance: $58,978

Career Development/Services Offered


Welcome to the Office of Career & Professional Development. We provide resources, support, and advice aimed at facilitating your career planning and job search strategy. We offer programs throughout the school year on such topics as interviewing skills, networking, the legal market, as well as practice-area specific programming. We also coordinate on-campus interviews and job fair resume collection.

During the first year, the office administers the 1L Career & Professional Development Program, which includes programming, workshops, and assignments designed to foster essential professional skills that will carry over into practice.

Perhaps our most valuable resource, however, They offer assistance in career planning and direction and to put you in the best position possible to land a job that fits with your skills and aspirations. Your advisor works with you to help construct a 'personal brand' and determine how to best market yourself to employers. We'll help you identify your strengths, and work to strengthen those areas that might need improvement. We focus on your skills and interests in order to create a job search strategy that fits your needs.

The OCPD has career advisors with real-world experience in a variety of legal practice areas, as well as extensive knowledge about various types of work settings. We maintain contact with alumni and former colleagues who work in a number of fields and geographic areas. In addition, we keep up with career resources, job opportunities, and the latest trends in the legal market, all in an effort to pass that information on to you. People in career transitions often pay hundreds of dollars an hour for the services that are available to Wake Forest Law students. Be sure to take advantage of this resource!