Program on Law & Government
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Fall 2007 Incoming Students: Click Here to Complete the Student Information Sheet
The Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program on Law and Government at American University Washington College of Law benefits from the many opportunities afforded by our location in Washington, D.C., the center of the federal legal establishment. Many full-time faculty members have extensive professional backgrounds in and around government, which they bring to bear in the classroom. The law school's location also supports a diverse array of speakers and conferences with nationally-recognized experts, courses taught by some of the most knowledgeable practitioners in particular fields, and externships with federal agencies and other institutions.
The LL.M. Program on Law and Government is designed to transcend the traditional barriers that divide the study of administrative law, specific fields of regulatory law and policy, and constitutional law and civil rights. Our organizing educational principle is that the best prepared lawyers and analysts in fields of regulatory law have not only a firm grasp of particular subjects, but also a mastery of theories, political forces, and institutional realities that define public law in the United States. Thus, while our students can choose to focus deeply on a sub-field of regulatory law, we also promote broad examination of cross-cutting issues.
What is the LL.M. Program's curricular focus? It is the law of government, emphasizing the legal regulation of both the private and public realms of U.S. society. The regulation of the public world begins with U.S. constitutional law. The regulation of the private sphere implicates general administrative law as well as sub-fields of regulatory law. The curriculum is especially deep in federal law. It also includes offerings dealing with states and localities and with international and global issues, reflecting the increasing interdependence of world society.
Who Should Consider the LL.M. Program?
The LL.M. Program on Law and Government has been designed for law graduates with an interest in U.S. government and law. Since we began in 1998, we have attracted lawyers at different stages in their careers and with varying objectives.
Many of our students have been recent law graduates who seek to develop credentials, skills, and experience in order to maximize their opportunities upon entering the legal profession. Others have been out of law school for several years, having worked in a variety of fields. They often use the LL.M. Program to re-tool and re-direct their careers. Still others have been in practice for an extended period and desire to re-immerse themselves in a world of study, either to sharpen their knowledge of established specialties or to broaden their expertise as a prelude to professional re-invention. And others still have come to the Program not for immediate professional aims but rather to satisfy personal and intellectual plans to study in greater depth subjects of interest to them.
Moreover, the geographical origins of our students have been varied. Our U.S. law graduates have come from all over the country, including the Washington, D.C. area. We also have a significant contingent of lawyers from around the world, including South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. We count among the Program's greatest resources the strikingly talented, diverse, and ambitious LL.M. students themselves.
