Stanford University Law School

Introduction

Stanford Law School is part of one of the world’s leading research institutions, providing plentiful opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperation. Stanford University is a private university located in the heart of Silicon Valley, just 35 miles south of San Francisco. The university’s 8,180 acres stretch between the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the cities of Palo Alto and Menlo Park, in a part of the country that offers an ideal Mediterranean climate of dry, warm summers and wet, but temperate winters.

Physical Facilities

Located at the heart of the university campus in Crown Quadrangle, the school is a three-building complex built specifically for legal education. The complex houses the William H. Neukom Building, the Robert Crown Law Library, the Frederich I. Richman Classroom Building (F.I.R. Hall), a moot courtroom, numerous offices and meeting rooms for the law school community, a student lounge, and a café.

Housing

Munger Residence is an on-campus home base created specifically for Stanford Law and other Stanford graduate students. Lawyers-in-training had direct input in the design process, resulting in a setting that supports lively interaction among students in and beyond law, business, and the sciences while providing respite from the intensity of law school.

Munger Residence brings the best of campus housing design to Stanford, where the limitless exchange of ideas fuels learning and innovation. Open common areas; architecture that fosters community; the largest apartments on campus, with contemporary appointments and amenities; and a café and convenience store—all contribute to a comfortable, collaborative living environment enriched by cross-disciplinary dialogue.

Students may opt to live in other graduate residences on campus. Off-campus options are available as well. More information about housing is available at the university’s housing website.

LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization

With a specialization in Corporate Governance & Practice; Environmental Law & Policy; International Economic Law, Business & Policy; or Law, Science & Technology, Stanford Law School’s Master of Laws (LLM) program offers a course-based curriculum of advanced study. The LLM program enrolls approximately 60–65 students per year. It is limited to students with a primary law degree earned outside the United States.

Master of Laws in Corporate Governance & Practice

The Master of Laws (LLM) in Corporate Governance & Practice (CG&P) 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 that they can use when they return to law practice, most often in their home countries.

The CG&P program is limited to students with a primary law degree earned outside the United States. Except under unusual circumstances, candidates must have at least two years of professional legal experience before commencing the LLM program.

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 (and, to a limited extent, from other Stanford University departments or programs). LLM 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.

Master of Laws in Environmental Law & Policy

The Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law & Policy (EL&P) 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. 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 EL&P program is limited to students with a primary law degree earned outside the United States. Except under unusual circumstances, candidates must have at least two years of professional legal experience before commencing the LLM program.

Candidates admitted to the program will pursue an individually tailored sequence of courses that are drawn primarily from the Law School’s curriculum dealing with the environment and public policy, but may also include related courses in other departments at the university. LLM 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.

Master of Laws (LLM) in International Economic Law, Business & Policy

The Master of Laws (LLM) in International Economic Law, Business & Policy (IELBP) offers rigorous academic and professional training in subjects relating to international economic law, business, and related policy issues. This specialized program seeks to provide foreign international business lawyers, government policymakers, and academics with a broad base of expertise in such areas as international trade, international dispute resolution, international business transactions, international investment law, international environmental law, international intellectual property law, and other aspects of international business.

The IELBP program is limited to students with a primary law degree earned outside the United States. Except under unusual circumstances, candidates must have at least two years of professional legal experience before commencing the program.

Prospective applicants to the Stanford Law School LLM program with a primary interest in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, or securities should apply to the Stanford Law School’s program in Corporate Governance and Practice (CG&P) instead of the International Economic Law, Business and Policy program.

Candidates admitted to the program will undertake an individually tailored sequence of courses selected primarily from the regular Law School curriculum (and, to a limited extent, from other Stanford University departments or programs). LLM 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.

Master of Laws in Law, Science & Technology

The Master of Laws (LLM) in Law, Science & Technology (LS&T) 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.

The LS&T program is limited to students with a primary law degree earned outside the United States. Except under unusual circumstances, candidates must have at least two years of professional legal experience before commencing the LLM program.

Candidates admitted to the program will undertake an individually tailored sequence of courses selected primarily from the regular Law School curriculum (and, to a limited extent, from other Stanford University departments or programs). LLM 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.

The Stanford Program in International Legal Studies

The Stanford Program in International Legal Studies (SPILS), which leads to the completion of the Master of the Science of Law (JSM) degree, emphasizes empirical interdisciplinary research on issues that are often related to public policy and legal reform in the fellow’s home country or internationally. SPILS is oriented toward international candidates with a primary law degree earned outside the United States who are committed to pursuing careers in teaching, research, the judiciary, public policy, or service in government or nongovernmental organizations. SPILS enrolls approximately 12 fellows per year. Students who are interested in pursuing a teaching or research career in the fields of Corporate Governance and Practice; Environmental Law and Policy; or Law, Science, and Technology should apply to SPILS. The LLM program and SPILS make separate admission decisions, so these students may also want to apply to the LLM program in the field of their specialization.

Candidates admitted to the program will undertake an individually tailored sequence of courses selected primarily from the regular Law School curriculum (and, to a limited extent, from other Stanford University departments or programs). SPILS 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.

Application Information

Application Process.

Cost of Attendance.

Application Requirements

A completed application consists of the following components (see guidelines below):

1. Application for Admission to Graduate Study
2. application fee
3. résumé or curriculum vitae
4. personal statement
5. two letters of recommendation
6. official transcripts
7. TOEFL score report

Additional materials required from SPILS applicants:

1. research proposal
2. one additional letter of recommendation (3 total)

All application components must be submitted electronically through LSAC. Applicants are discouraged from submitting additional materials with the application; such materials will not be returned. All applications must be in English. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide information that demonstrates their ability to handle difficult materials in the English language.

Questions concerning the LLM and SPILS application process should be directed to the Stanford Law Office of Admissions:

Phone: 650.723.4985
Email: admissions@law.stanford.edu

Student Services and Organizations

Stanford Law School has an Advanced Degree Students Association that hosts many programs throughout the year for the entire law school community, including movie nights, with students suggesting movies from their home countries, and potluck dinners, with students bringing food from their home countries. In addition, LLMs have a representative on the Stanford Law Association (the student government) and are represented among the class officers for the graduating class.

Career Services

Stanford Law School offers a variety of career services for its advanced-degree students. We have a career counselor dedicated to advising LLM, JSM, and JSD students. Students meet with the counselor individually to discuss career goals and job-search strategies and to review their résumés. Résumé preparation and job-search workshops focusing on the US legal market are offered in the fall. Students are urged to attend a series of “Spotlight Lunches” with local attorneys focusing on different practice areas. Additional workshops are offered on networking techniques and interviewing skills specifically for advanced-degree students. Stanford Law School participates in the Overseas-Trained LLM Student Interview Program at Columbia Law School in January. Mock interviews with local practicing attorneys are offered specifically to the advanced-degree students to prepare them for the job fair and other interviews. Throughout the year, all advanced-degree students are invited to participate in the numerous workshops, presentations, and other panels offered by the Office of Career Services, such as the status of the US legal market, law firm economics, alternatives to law, communication skills, and a professional development series.