LL.M. Degree Program

Key components of the LL.M.

• Structured for students who possess an LL.B. or equivalent degree earned outside the United States.
• Most students complete the program in two full-time semesters.
• Each student is assigned a faculty advisor based on the student’s interest or area of study. Together, the advisor and student design a course of study that includes rigorous law courses and the opportunity to learn from practicing lawyers and judges. Students and advisors meet regularly throughout the program.
• Students are required to earn a minimum of 24 credits to complete the LL.M. degree.
• Students take a required introductory course and then choose from the law school’s J.D. courses. Tutors are available for LL.M. students.
• All degree-seeking LL.M. students may choose to complete a master’s thesis in their area of interest.
• Students can choose courses in specialized areas of law, such as alternative dispute resolution, intellectual property, international and comparative law, business and corporate law, health law, and others.

Benefits of an LL.M. degree from Mitchell Hamline

• Learn American legal doctrine and receive an in-depth understanding of America’s legal system and the practice of law in the United States.
• Deal more effectively with American trained lawyers on international transactions or disputes that involve American law and legal institutions.
• Provide more effective representation to clients with interests in the United States and American clients with interests in your home country.
• Take advantage of Mitchell Hamline’s broad network of practicing lawyers for practical training and in-the-field placement.
• For law faculty, learn about the American legal system and receive important grounding in the case law method and legal reasoning process at the heart of the common law tradition. Increasingly, an LL.M. degree from an American law school is recognized as an important professional credential in many educational institutions.
• Customize your own LL.M. degree with either a specialized focus or general courses. You will have the flexibility to create your own program and put together a curriculum that reflect a certain practice specialty or academic focus that is of particular interest to you.

Does completion of the LL.M. degree qualify students to take the bar exam?

The LL.M. degree is not intended to qualify foreign lawyers to take the bar exam or to practice law in the State of Minnesota, although it may enable students to take the bar exam in other states. Each state has its own regulations regarding qualification to take the bar exam. Students should do their own research regarding these regulations. The National Conference of Bar Examiners publishes a yearly guide with bar information of all individual states and additional details. If you are interested in taking a bar exam in the United States, we recommend you research these regulations before you enroll in any LL.M. program.

National Conference of Bar Examiners

LL.M. application

The fall 2024 LL.M. application is available through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) website on Oct. 1, or by paper application submitted directly to the law school.

• Spring deadline, Dec. 1
• Fall deadline, July 1

Submit all required application materials to:

Office of Admissions
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
875 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105 USA

Every application must include the following:

• Official transcripts from all colleges or universities the student has attended submitted to LSAC or credential evaluation of all college or university transcripts from a recognized credential evaluation service. (Exchange students provide copies of their transcripts in English.)
• Personal Statement. In English, two to three pages, double-spaced, and at least 11-point font. What motivates you to study law? What experiences will you bring to your law school education and build on in your career after law school?
• Proof of competency in English. Applicants from non-English speaking countries or whose native language is not English must provide proof of English competency. This may be by means of an official TOEFL score report, IELTS score report, other established test of English, or successful completion of an English language program. Applicants may also be invited to demonstrate English competency through an interview.
• Two letters of recommendation, in English, submitted directly from the recommender to LSAC or Mitchell Hamline.
• Résumé/curriculum vitae, in English.
• Supplemental Statement(s). Supplemental statements allow you an opportunity to provide us with relevant information that you were not able to include elsewhere in your application materials. Please submit your response to at least one, but no more than two, of the following topics. Each supplemental statement should be in English, no more than two pages, double-spaced, and at least 11-point font. Please include the corresponding letter of the topic you are addressing at the top of your statement(s).
  1. Mitchell Hamline values perseverance, resilience, and self-awareness as traits necessary to succeed both at Mitchell Hamline and in the legal profession. Tell us about a challenge or adversity you have faced, and how your response demonstrates one or more of those traits.
  2. Mitchell Hamline students come from a broad range of backgrounds, with diverse views and perspectives. We aspire to be a community where students can learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive environment. Tell us something about yourself, and how it shapes the way you would learn from and contribute to our community.
  3.  What about Mitchell Hamline’s vision, mission, values, community, academic offerings, and/or distinct programming make it a good fit for your educational, personal, and/or professional goals?

Visa materials and documentation of sufficient financial support

Upon admission, students will need to submit:

• Visa information. Most international students enter the U.S. on a student visa (F-1 visa). In order to apply for the F-1 visa, the student needs a document called the “I-20” from the educational institution (in this case, Mitchell Hamline School of Law).
• Financial information. In order to complete the I-20 application, we will need original financial documents that show that the student has sufficient funds for the tuition and cost of living expenses connected to the program. We will send additional information concerning the financial information once you are admitted to the program.

More information

Office of Admissions
admissions @mitchellhamline.edu