The Master of Laws (LLM) Degree

Stanford Law School offers four LLM (Master of Laws) degrees: an LLM in Corporate Governance and Practice, an LLM in Environmental Law and Policy, an LLM in International Economic Law, Business and Policy, and an LLM in Law, Science and Technology. The LLM degree is awarded only to individuals who already hold a JD degree (or its equivalent).

Overview of Degree Requirements

The general requirements for the degree of Master of Laws are:

  • Successful completion of at least 35 approved quarter units, including specific course requirements;
  • Three quarters of residency;
  • Timely filing of an application for graduation.
  • Each LLM program has further specific course requirements as outlined below.

Unit Requirement

To obtain an LLM degree, students must complete at least 35 but no more than 45 approved quarter units of course work. At least 26 of these units must be in Law School courses; however, see below for the policies and limitations on enrolling in courses from elsewhere in the University, and see the section on the California or New York bar exam for special unit requirements for students expecting to sit for the Bar Exam in California or New York.  Consult the Director of Academic Success if you have any questions about the bar requirements.

Limitations on Course Selection

LLM candidates are subject to the following limitations on course selection:

  • LLM candidates may not take more than forty-five (45) units while enrolled at Stanford Law School. All units taken at Stanford Law School or Stanford University count toward this total, whether or not these units are taken for credit toward the degree.
  • LLM candidates may not take any courses that are required as part of the first quarter of the first year of the JD curriculum and must petition for permission to take any courses that are required as part of the second or third quarter of the first year of the JD curriculum.
  • LLM candidates may not take any courses at other law schools.
  • LLM candidates may take for Law School credit no more than nine (9) quarter units worth of courses elsewhere in the University and may not take any foreign or English language courses for Law School credit.
  • LLM candidates generally cannot avail themselves of the “clinical quarter.” However, in exceptional circumstances and with permission of the clinical instructor and the LLM teaching fellow for the relevant program, this restriction may be waived. Students receiving such an exception will be required to satisfy all other course requirements for their degree.
  • NOTE: If you plan to take the bar exam, there may be additional course requirements or limitations in addition to those specified for this degree program. For details on those requirements, see The Bar Exam, below.

Residency Requirement

To graduate, an LLM candidate must be “in residence” as a law student for at least three quarters. For purposes of the LLM degree, the term “in residence” means that a student:

  • Takes at least 9 quarter units of credit that can be counted toward the degree each quarter.
  • By the date all grades for the quarter are due, passes at least 8 units each quarter.
  • Pays full tuition to the law school
  • Does not work more than 20 hours per week during the term. (See section entitled ‘Limitations on Working’ for more information.)

A student must be in residence during the quarter in which the final degree is conferred or in the quarter immediately preceding degree conferral.

The Limit on Degree Conferral

Candidates for the LLM degree are expected to complete all degree requirements within one academic year and must complete the degree requirements within two consecutive academic years.

Timely Filing of a "Graduation Application"

Students should consult the University’s online Academic Calendar for the Graduation Application deadline dates for each term. The Academic Calendar is available through the Office of the University Registrar. See Academic Calendar under Help Resources.

Course Requirements Specific to LLM Degree Programs

Course Requirements for the LLM in Corporate Governance and Practice

Candidates for the LLM in Corporate Governance and Practice must successfully complete each of the following courses:

  • Introduction to American Law
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Corporate Governance and Practice Seminar I
  • Corporate Governance and Practice Seminar II
  • Corporations
  • Strongly encouraged, but optional (required for the New York Bar): Advanced Legal Writing

In addition, LLM Corporate Governance and Practice students must successfully complete at least four (4) of the following courses, depending on offerings and availability (not all courses are offered every year). The following classes represent the core of the Corporate Law curriculum at Stanford. Note that 1) You are especially encouraged to take courses on corporate finance and accounting. 2) Some of the courses below may have prerequisites or limited enrollment, requiring you to lottery for the class or to otherwise obtain the instructor’s consent. Please consult the course descriptions on the Law School course catalog at https://law.stanford.edu/courses/. 3) At the discretion of the CGP Teaching Fellow, law school classes not on this list that relate to business law may be counted towards fulfillment of these requirements. 4) You may not count blockchain or cryptocurrency courses toward these requirements.

  • Accounting
  • Advanced Contracts: Commercial Transactions
  • Advanced Negotiations: Transactions
  • Advanced Legal Writing: Business Transactions
  • Antitrust (and Advanced Antitrust)
  • Banking Law
  • Bankruptcy
  • Business, Social Responsibility, and Human Rights
  • China Law and Business
  • Comparative Corporate Law and Governance
  • Comparative Venture Capital: China
  • Contracts: American Law
  • Corporate Finance (and Advanced Corporate Finance)
  • Corporate Income Taxation
  • Corporate Reorganization
  • Corporate and Securities Litigation
  • Deals I/II (counts as a single course)
  • Deals in Latin America
  • Derivatives
  • Economic Analysis of Law
  • Global Business Law (and Policy)
  • Global Capital Markets/Global Financial Markets
  • Global Corporate Governance
  • International Business Transactions, Regulation and Litigation
  • International Business Negotiation
  • International Commercial Arbitration
  • International Deals
  • International Investment Law
  • International Securities Regulation
  • International Tax
  • Introduction to Law and Economics
  • Introduction to Financial Institutions
  • Introduction to Finance
  • Law and Economics Seminar I/II (counts as a single course)
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Negotiations
  • Partnership Tax
  • Private Equity
  • Real Estate Transactions
  • Securities Litigation
  • Securities Regulation
  • Startup Law
  • Taxation
  • Tax Policy
  • Venture Capital
  • White Collar Crime

You are welcome and encouraged to take classes offered by other schools and departments at Stanford University outside of Stanford Law School.

You may count a maximum of 9 units of non-law classes towards your L.L.M. degree. However, if you are planning to seek admission to the New York Bar, you should ensure that you have taken at least 32 units at the law school. If a non-law course is on this list, it has been pre-approved for law credit. If not, you will need to complete a petition for non-law credit. You can find physical copies of this petition in the Registrar’s office and digital copies on the Registrar’s website.

You can find descriptions and schedules for all Stanford classes at http://explorecourses.stanford.edu and you may browse syllabi for many of those courses at http://syllabus.stanford.edu. Please refer to individual course descriptions for more information on prerequisites, suggested background prior to enrolling, and enrollment restrictions. Note that individual departments and schools set their own requirements for cross-registration.

Course Requirements for the LLM in International Economic Law, Business & Policy

Total Required Units for Graduation:  Minimum 35 units/Maximum 45 units 

Minimum and Maximum Units per Quarter:  Minimum 9/Maximum 14 per quarter

 IELBP Mandatory Courses

Candidates for the LLM in International Economic Law, Business & Policy must successfully complete each of the following courses:

  • Introduction to American Law – 3 units* (early September, pre-Fall quarter)
  • Professional Responsibility – 3 units* (early September, pre-Fall quarter)
  •    IELBP LLM Colloquium – 4 units (2 units each: Fall and Spring quarter)
  • IELBP Colloquium II  – 2 units (Spring quarter)

* The 6 units for Introduction to American Law and Professional Responsibility count towards your total unit minimum/maximum, but are not counted as part of the Fall Quarter unit distribution.

Strongly encouraged, but optional (required for taking the New York Bar**)

  • Advanced Legal Writing – 3 units (Fall, Winter, or Spring)

One advanced Legal Writing course (it must be one of the ALW courses on the list of pre-approved courses for the NY Bar) is required for the New York Bar, but IELBP LLM students can opt out with the permission of the Teaching Fellow.

IELBP LL.M. Core Distribution Requirements

Each IELBP LL.M. student must successfully complete four (4) courses adding up to at least nine (9) units from the following choices, depending on offerings and availability. Please note the 2024-2025 course offerings are still subject to revision and some courses may be unavailable.

Each student will meet with the IELBP LL.M. Teaching Fellow to identify optimal course selections for each quarter. In preparation, please consult the course descriptions listed at https://law.stanford.edu/courses/.

  • Antitrust
  • Arbitration: Law, Practice & Politics
  • Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies: Law, Economics, Business, and Policy
  • Blockchain Governance
  • Business, Social Responsibility, and Human Rights
  • Climate: Politics, Finance and Infrastructure
  • European Union Law
  • Global Litigation
  • Immigration Law
  • International Business Negotiation
  • International Commercial Arbitration
  • International Investment Law
  • International Law
  • International Tax
  • International Trade
  • IP: International & Comparative Copyright
  • Mediation Bootcamp
  • Negotiation
  • Redesigning Dispute Systems

Some of the courses listed above in the Core Distribution Requirements list may have prerequisites or are subject to limited enrollment, requiring you to lottery for the class or otherwise obtain the instructor’s consent. LL.M. students will receive further information about SLS lottery and consent information from the Admissions and/or the Registrar’s Office.

Related SLS Classes

All IELBP LL.M. students will have the opportunity to take additional courses of interest offered by SLS. Those LL.M. students considering taking the California or New York State Bar should note specific requirements for applying to the bar in those jurisdictions.

**For those taking the Bar Exam, the Associate Dean of Students will confirm New York or California bar course requirements for the 2024-2025 academic year. The Associate Dean or the Director of Academic Success will send a communication to all LLM students before they leave their home countries about information that might be useful for them to know in advance.
The SLS Website provides Bar Exam information for foreign students who obtain an LLM in the United States, available through this link.

Classes Outside the Law School

You are welcome to take non-law classes, e.g., those offered by the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and other schools and departments (Economics, Political Science etc.). You may count a maximum of 9 quarter units of non-law classes towards your LL.M. degree. Note the SLS Student Handbook rules regarding “Cross Registration in Other Schools and Departments of the University.”

For those taking the Bar Exam, you must confirm with the Associate Dean of Students or the Director of Academic Success the maximum number of non-law classes allowed by the bar examiners.

To take non-law classes for law credit, you must have approval from the IELBP Teaching Fellow and the Registrar’s Office. You can find SLS Approved Non-Law Courses at https://law.stanford.edu/nl-course. If the course you are interested in is not listed as an approved non-law course, you must submit a petition to the Petitions Committee (via the Registrar’s Office) to take the course. You can find physical copies of this petition in the Registrar’s Office and digital copies on the Registrar’s website.

You can find descriptions and schedules for all Stanford classes at http://explorecourses.stanford.edu and you may browse syllabi for many of those courses at http://syllabus.stanford.edu. Please refer to individual course descriptions for more information on prerequisites, suggested background prior to enrolling, and enrollment restrictions. Please note that individual departments and schools set their own requirements for cross-registration, but your Teaching Fellow can advise you on how to pursue these offerings.

Note these requirements are subject to revision. Confirmed guidance respecting course selection is distributed to students at the start of the academic year.

Course Requirements for the LLM in Environmental Law and Policy

Candidates for the LLM in Environmental Law and Policy must successfully complete each of the following requirements:

  • Introduction to American Law
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Environmental Law and Policy Colloquium I (fall)
  • Environmental Law and Policy Colloquium II (spring)
  • At least one environmental course outside of the law school to be approved by the ELP Teaching Fellow.

In addition, LLM ELP students must successfully complete at least four of the following environmental law focal courses.  In addition to these courses, policy practicums that address environmental issues and have been approved by the program can count toward this requirement.

  • Energy Law
  • Public Lands
  • Water Law
  • Environmental Law and Policy
  • Natural Resources Law and Policy
  • Climate Law and Policy
  • The Business of Water Law
  • Animal Law
  • Startup Law: Sustainability

Other courses both inside and outside the Law School are recommended for LLM ELP students. A list of these courses was provided to all LLM ELP students and is available from the Office of International Graduate Programs.

Course Requirements for the LLM in Law, Science and Technology

Candidates for the LLM in Law, Science, and Technology must successfully complete each of the following courses:

  • Introduction to American Law
  • Professional Responsibility
  • LST Colloquium I
  • LST Colloquium II

LLM LST students who intend to take the New York Bar also must take an advanced legal writing course that has been pre-approved for the New York Bar, such as Advanced Legal Writing: Business Transactions or Advanced Legal Writing: American Practice. For a complete list of pre-approved advanced legal writing courses and other eligibility requirements, please refer to the New York Bar Exam section of this SLS Student Handbook. In addition to these required courses, a number of others are recommended for all LLM LST students. A list of these courses was provided to all LLM LST students prior to enrollment and is available from the Office of International Graduate Programs.