Florida State University College of Law

Introduction

Florida State University College of Law (FSU Law) offers a dynamic, intellectually engaging, and creative space for LLM students to receive a sophisticated and focused legal education. FSU Law is nationally recognized and is considered one of the nation’s best value law schools.

Students can choose between three different LLM programs:

• American Law for Foreign Lawyers
• Business Law
• Environmental Law and Policy

FSU Law’s highly regarded faculty offers a wide range of classes across a number of areas, including commercial law, corporate law, tax law, criminal law, international human rights law, international business law, and environmental law. The school encourages close working relationships among students, faculty, administration, and alumni. Our world-class faculty members are extremely accessible to students. FSU Law adopts an open knowledge exchange approach and encourages students to challenge the status quo and discover a path of their own. With more than 9,000 alumni, our students have plenty of opportunities to network, learn from a mentor, and engage in-person or virtually with our alumni around the world. Florida State University College of Law has a strong sense of community and prepares students to enter the worlds of law, business, or government at the highest possible level.

The law school also offers students a wealth of legal employment opportunities. Located in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, it is home to 500-plus law firms, state and federal courts, numerous state agencies, the governor’s office and the Florida legislature, and many are within a short walk from the law school.

LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization

LLM students can choose from the following programs:

• LLM in American Law for Foreign Lawyers
• LLM in Business Law
• LLM in Environmental Law and Policy

Each LLM program is 24 credits and can be completed in as little as nine months. Domestic students can study either full time or part time. International students can only study full time. Every student receives personal attention and counseling. Each student works with a faculty adviser to design a curriculum that best meets their needs and goals. International students complete two mandatory classes that provide them with an overview about the American legal system and help them to polish their legal writing skills.

For additional information about FSU Law’s LLM programs, please visit the FSU Law website.

Application Information

Admission Procedures

We will continue accepting applications based on space availability after the deadline. Please note that scholarships may not be available after the application deadline.

To apply, you must have a first degree in law—either a JD from a US law school, or an LLB or an equivalent law degree from a non-US college, university, or law school—and provide the following:

• Official transcripts
• Up-to-date CV
• Personal statement
• One letter of recommendation required; no more than three accepted
• Legal writing sample required (for Environmental Law ONLY)

As a state university, our tuition and fees are established by the Florida Legislature and are subject to change at any given time. Scholarships are available. We offer merit-based scholarships and the Latin America-Caribbean Scholarship (LAC). Students do not need to apply separately. The application will serve as the scholarship application as well.

Physical Facilities

Florida State has a comfortable, collaborative, and open environment with state-of-the-art technology. The law school consists of the Advocacy Center; the Research Center; the Rotunda and Village Green, which is composed of four restored houses; and Roberts Hall.

Our 50,000-square-foot Advocacy Center houses five courtrooms for advocacy training, suites of offices for our business faculty and environmental faculty, and offices for the faculty and students serving clients in our Public Interest Law Center.

FSU Law students have 24/7 access to the Research Center, which houses one of the most comprehensive collections of legal materials. The distinctive feature of the Research Center is that its faculty proactively trains students and other faculty members to produce highly sophisticated, cost-effective legal research.

All of the law school’s classrooms are either new or recently remodeled. Classrooms are equipped with technology podiums that allow professors to present multimedia lectures, and the university has a strong wireless infrastructure that allows students to utilize the Internet throughout campus.

Housing

With approximately 8,000 graduate students at Florida State, there are many housing options, both on and off campus. Students can stay in Graduate Student Housing or find other housing options around the law school or Tallahassee. Students can find more information on our law school website.

Student Services and Organizations

Students have the opportunity to participate in many extracurricular organizations. More than 30 student and service organizations allow students to become leaders at the law school and active participants in the legal community. The Student Bar Association serves an active student government role and coordinates many law school-sponsored social activities, community projects, and programs. Five times in the past nine years, the Student Bar Association (SBA) has been selected SBA of the Year by the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association.

Career Services

LLM students receive one-on-one career service assistance and have access to a wide variety of networking opportunities.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Anna Shum
Registrar & Director of Academic Programs
Florida State University
College of Law (LLM Programs)
425 West Jefferson Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1601
USA

Phone: 850.645.0925
Email: ashum@law.fsu.edu