In this class, students will develop an Academic and Professional Development Plan (APDP).  In interactive seminars addressing a series of topics related to the students’ academic and professional careers, students will develop a comprehensive plan for their LLM degree and professional paths.  Working with faculty and administrators, students will build their APDP throughout the semester.

The final draft of the APDP will be due at the end of the semester.   

Academic Legal English is a required course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program. This year-long course is designed to help prepare students for the linguistic and intellectual demands of LL.M. study at a law school in the U.S. The course focuses on enhancing students’ language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with particular emphasis on developing language skills for both understanding legal texts (e.g., judicial opinions, law review articles, and court documents) as well as producing legal texts (e.g., case briefs, "issue spotter" exam answers, and academic papers). Throughout the academic year, students will work closely with course instructors and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development.

This course, which is designed to help you succeed in U.S. academic legal contexts, focuses on oral communication skills, grammar skills, and professional language skills. To accomplish these goals, your professor, who has an extensive background in multilingual communication pedagogy, guides you through a variety of experiential learning situations common to U.S. legal studies. Our methods include one-on-one, small-group, and large-group practice in-class, in addition to experiences outside of class.

Academic Legal English is a required course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program. This year-long course is designed to help prepare students for the linguistic and intellectual demands of LL.M. study at a law school in the U.S. The course focuses on enhancing students’ language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with particular emphasis on developing language skills for both understanding legal texts (e.g., judicial opinions, law review articles, and court documents) as well as producing legal texts (e.g., case briefs, "issue spotter" exam answers, and academic papers). Throughout the academic year, students will work closely with course instructors and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development.

This course, which is designed to help you succeed in U.S. academic legal contexts, focuses on oral communication skills, grammar skills, and professional language skills. To accomplish these goals, your professor, who has an extensive background in multilingual communication pedagogy, guides you through a variety of experiential learning situations common to U.S. legal studies. Our methods include one-on-one, small-group, and large-group practice in-class, in addition to experiences outside of class.

This section of Advanced Scholarly and Legal Writing is an elective course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program. The course guides students through the linguistic and intellectual demands of necessary writing skills for an LL.M. degree in the United States. Our method includes (1) analysis of authentic legal texts, (2) a focus on writing strategies (e.g., organizational strategies, stylistic choices, and accurate production of complex grammatical structures), and (3) use of a personalized writing process (e.g., outlining, researching, drafting, revising, and editing) in order for students to produce legal texts law students likely need to produce in law school. Throughout the course, students will work closely with course instructors and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development. This course builds on the writing skills acquired in the Fundamentals of Legal Writing II course.

Discussion Skills for International Lawyers is required for students in the Two-year LL.M. Program. This semester-long course will focus on speaking and listening skills necessary to succeed in law classes in the United States, and students will complete a variety of assignments that will help develop their oral communication skills to participate in class. At the beginning of the semester, students will be evaluated on their oral communication skills and will be provided with an individualized pronunciation plan that address problematic sounds and intelligibility issues unique to each person. Thereafter, class time will be spent working on the articulation of individual sounds, word and sentential stress, and intonation. Students will also practice listening strategies to aid in the comprehension of a variety of American English accents they will likely encounter in the U.S. Finally, students will read texts related to current legal topics and practice the essential skills of being a good discussion facilitator and participant in a seminar class setting. 

This class is an introduction to the drafting, interpretation, and negotiation of contracts governed under U.S. law. It is intended both for students who have experience working with contracts in their home legal system and students who are entirely new to contracts. Whereas a class on “contract law” may focus on judicial opinions about contract enforcement, in this class we will primarily work with contracts themselves.  We will explore the various components that are common to all U.S. contracts, as well as elements that are unique to specific transaction types.

Among other matters, we will learn about provisions that govern representations, covenants, closing conditions, indemnification, and dispute resolution.  Because no contract is ever negotiated a vacuum, we will also focus on elements of the lawyer’s role in contract negotiation. These include issue-spotting, summarizing issues for clients in clear and concise language, and meeting the expectations (both substantive and professional) of law firm clients and partners.

Fundamentals of Legal Writing is a required course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program that helps prepare students for the linguistic and intellectual demands of LL.M. study in the United States. Specifically, through analysis of legal texts, students will enhance language skills essential for producing persuasive and coherent legal writing, whether professional or academic. This course will focus on writing strategies (e.g., organizational strategies, stylistic choices, and accurate production of complex grammatical structures) that are characteristic of the legal texts that law students need to produce for law school courses such as USLRAW. To develop these writing skills, students will analyze samples of legal memorandum and other secondary sources. Throughout the course, students will work closely with course instructors and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development.

Fundamentals of Legal Writing II is a required course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program that helps prepare students for the linguistic and intellectual demands of LL.M. study in the United States. Specifically, through analysis of authentic legal texts, students will enhance language skills essential for producing persuasive and coherent scholarly academic legal texts. This course will focus on writing strategies (e.g., organizational strategies, stylistic choices, and accurate production of complex grammatical structures) that are characteristic of legal texts law students likely need to produce in law school. Law review articles and other secondary sources provide the primary content for skills development. Throughout the course, students will work closely with course instructors and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development.

This course will introduce students to the American law of torts. It will focus first on negligence, and explore five major areas: duty, breach of duty, scope of liability, affirmative defenses and damages. It will then use product liability law as an example of the imposition of strict tort liability.

This course surveys landmark constitutional cases in their social and cultural context. The first half of the course focuses on how the U.S. Constitution affects the fundamental structure of American government. The second half of the course will focus on individual rights, with particular emphasis on equal protection and substantive due process.  Emphasis will be placed on the distinguishing features of common law method, and students will use close reading techniques to identify the defining discourse characteristics of the U.S. judicial opinion.

This course introduces students to the institutions, methods, and practices at the core of the American common-law legal system. During the first half of the course we will focus on the Judicial Branch of the Government. We will examine the structure and boundaries of judicial power; the procedural mechanisms through which that power is exercised; and the ways in which common-law courts make (or decline to make) law. We will pay close attention to the political and social contexts in which the cases that we study arise, and we will consider how changing contexts affect the judicial decision-making process. During the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to the Legislative Branch of the Government, with special attention to problems of statutory construction. We will examine the tools—both legal and linguistic—that common-law courts employ when called upon to determine the proper interpretation of a statute.

This course introduces students to the institutions, methods, and practices at the core of the American common-law legal system. During the first half of the course we will focus on the Judicial Branch of the Government. We will examine the structure and boundaries of judicial power; the procedural mechanisms through which that power is exercised; and the ways in which common-law courts make (or decline to make) law. We will pay close attention to the political and social contexts in which the cases that we study arise, and we will consider how changing contexts affect the judicial decision-making process. During the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to the Legislative Branch of the Government, with special attention to problems of statutory construction. We will examine the tools—both legal and linguistic—that common-law courts employ when called upon to determine the proper interpretation of a statute.

Legal English is a required course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program. This two-semester course prepares students for the linguistic and intellectual demands of LL.M. study at a law school in the United States. The course focuses on enhancing students’ language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with particular emphasis on developing language skills for both understanding legal texts (e.g., judicial opinions, court documents) as well as producing legal texts (e.g., case briefs, course outlines, “issue spotter” exam answers). Throughout the academic year, students work closely with faculty and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development.

Legal English is a required course for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. Program. This two-semester course prepares students for the linguistic and intellectual demands of LL.M. study at a law school in the United States. The course focuses on enhancing students’ language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with particular emphasis on developing language skills for both understanding legal texts (e.g., judicial opinions, court documents) as well as producing legal texts (e.g., case briefs, course outlines, “issue spotter” exam answers). Throughout the academic year, students work closely with faculty and receive extensive, individualized feedback on their skills development.

Oral Communication Skills I is required for students in the Two-year LL.M. Program. This fall semester course will focus on speaking and listening skills necessary to succeed in law classes in the United States, and students will complete a variety of assignments that will help develop their oral communication skills to participate in class. At the beginning of the semester, students will be evaluated on their oral communication skills and will be provided with an individualized pronunciation plan that addresses problematic sounds and intelligibility issues unique to each student. Thereafter, class time will be spent on discourse-level skills, such as presenting, debating, negotiating, and discussing legal topics. Students will also practice listening strategies to aid in the comprehension of a variety of American English accents they will likely encounter in the U.S.

Oral Communication Skills II is required for students in the Two-year LL.M. Program. This spring semester course complements Legal English II, and will focus on speaking and listening skills that legal professionals encounter in and out of the courtroom. Throughout the semester, students will study courtroom discourse and procedure. They will have the opportunity to talk with guest speakers, which may include a judge, a prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney, and/or a police officer. Students will also visit the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court of the United States.

The purpose of the course is to give to the students tools to improve their public speaking and oral presentation skills in English in a law-related context. To achieve this goal, the class will analyze how to build and deliver an effective presentation. Each student will engage in several presentation exercises, will be filmed and will receive feedback from the professor and from other students.

The expectation is that by the end of the semester, students will have reviewed and practiced key skills that support the effective preparation and delivery of informative and persuasive presentations on law-related topics. After taking this class, students should know how to adapt a topic to an audience, select information, structure and deliver a presentation, with emphasis placed on connecting with the audience.

As the global financial system has grown increasingly sophisticated and interconnected, U.S. financial regulation also has become more complex and layered.  This course will introduce students to the foundations of the U.S. financial regulatory system and explore how regulation has developed over time. 

The course will include an overview of the structure of financial regulation in the U.S. and discuss the history and purpose of the relevant agencies’ authorities and missions.  In particular, using the most recent global financial crisis and the subsequent regulatory response as examples, the course will address the ability of the Federal financial regulators to address systemic risks. As part of this analysis, we will examine how effective financial regulation can contribute to systemic stability, consumer and investor protection, market efficiency, the prevention of financial crime, and more.  In addition, the course will consider remaining potential sources of failure in the U.S. financial regulatory system and how these weaknesses could be addressed.

This course provides a practical and practice-oriented approach to the ethical, moral, and social issues that lawyers deal with in the practice of law. The primary objectives are to prepare students to recognize ethical problems when they arise; to identify the applicable authorities – in particular the rules of professional conduct – that are most likely to bear on the matter; and to arrive at a sound resolution.  Necessary to these ends will be consideration of the ways in which the ethics rules address the often competing interests involved: those of clients, opposing parties, non-parties, the justice system as a whole, and lawyers themselves. 

Class discussions will focus primarily on the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct. Because disciplinary matters are largely the responsibility of state supreme courts, most of the cases we will discuss arise under the ethics rules adopted by individual states (which are often based on, but not always identical to, the ABA Model Rules). We will also discuss a limited number of federal cases that implicate ethical issues, including the recusal of judges and First Amendment considerations. In addition, specific attention will be focused on how to think critically within the framework of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).   

Although particular attention will be placed on the ABA Model Rules, MPRE and other authorities that govern the resolution of ethical issues, some attention will be paid to putting the subject in a setting that encompasses both a macroscopic view of the role of lawyers in society and a more earth-bound understanding of the processes by which the professional responsibilities of lawyers are enforced. 

This is an intensive, problem based course that explores the role of law in a global context. The problem is one that involves both U.S. and non-U.S. law and forces students to examine how to be effective as lawyers in a dispute that crosses borders. Students will be broken into teams to represent “clients” and to participate in a mock negotiation, arbitration, or court hearing.

This course gathers the full Two-Year LL.M. cohort together each week to check in and offer support workshops. Students will receive support, guidance, and academic counseling. Among the topics covered will be: research skills, career and professional development skills, and general advice about the LL.M. The course will also offer excursions to learn about American legal culture in Washington, D.C. 

This section of USLRAW provides a comprehensive introduction to US legal writing that is designed exclusively for students in the Two-Year LLM Program. 

In the first half of the semester, students will explore US legal discourse through a critical examination of legal resources, research methods, and analytical paradigms.  During this first half of the semester, students will meet as a large group with Legal English faculty to review language, form, and rhetorical conventions that US lawyers use in legal writing.

In the second half of the semester, students will meet in smaller groups with adjunct faculty where students will apply what they have learned in the first half of the semester.  Each student will do independent legal research and write a legal memorandum.  As part of this legal writing project, students will also meet with law librarians to learn more about legal research and citation.

Each student will submit a first draft of the memorandum, and the Legal English faculty and the adjunct faculty will provide written feedback on the first draft.  After an individual conference with a faculty member, each student will submit a final draft of the memorandum. 

The U.S. Legal Research Analysis & Writing Workshop is a part of the required U.S. Legal Research Analysis & Writing class for students enrolled in the Two-Year LL.M. with Certificate in Legal English. In the Workshop, students will have the opportunity to build on the assignments that they are working on in the Class. In addition to providing support for the work in the Class, the Workshop will introduce supplemental material that will help students to deepen their understanding of how U.S. lawyers create and use legal texts.