LL.M. Program
PURSUE AN LL.M. AT VANDERBILT LAW SCHOOL CONTENTS
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ONE YEAR OF INTENSIVE STUDY. A LIFETIME OF BENEFITS. ONE PROGRAM, THREE TRACKS
SKILLS THAT BENEFIT MANY CAREER PATHS ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OVERVIEW + INTRODUCTION LAW & BUSINESS OVERVIEW
A STRONG FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL LAW
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS
A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION AND COMPETITION. A COMMUNITY FOCUSED ON YOUR SUCCESS A LEADING LAW SCHOOL AT A LEADING UNIVERSITY COOL CITY. HOT PROSPECTS.
For insights
into the qualities we seek in Vanderbilt Law students, visit our website at law.vanderbilt.edu and sample the profiles of our students and graduates.
CHRIS GUTHRIE | Dean | John Wade–Kent Syverud Professor of Law
An invitation from Dean Chris Guthrie In 2001, I visited Vanderbilt for the first time as a faculty candidate—and discovered an environment unique among American law schools. Collegial and supportive, challenging and academically rigorous, Vanderbilt offers a community where all of the elements required to create a great law school come together in ways that surpass expectations. I joined this community in 2002 because here great scholars and teachers thrive. As Dean of Vanderbilt Law School, one of my top priorities is maintaining the strong sense of community that sets Vanderbilt apart from other law schools. Experience it and you will find compelling reasons to make Vanderbilt your law school. You’ll find talented students from across the nation and a welcoming network of alumni who live and work around the globe. You’ll find a distinguished faculty of experts who are leaders in their fields, a rigorous curriculum, and a wide array of academic, dual-degree and interdisciplinary programs, in a modern building on a beautiful campus in a vibrant city. Most importantly, you’ll find an extraordinarily collegial and collaborative school culture, the hallmark of a Vanderbilt legal education that our students have treasured for decades. You’ll discover that Vanderbilt stands apart for the quality of the legal training delivered by our faculty of renowned legal scholars and teachers. Our academic programs go beyond providing outstanding training and connect legal theory to real-world strategies, knowledge and experiences. That approach provides immediate advantages when you interview for legal positions and begin practicing law. Finally, you’ll find yourself at home in one of America’s most livable cities. Like few other places, Vanderbilt’s Nashville setting lets you balance the rigors of study with abundant opportunities to enjoy a city with a remarkable blend of cosmopolitan sophistication and the feel of a friendly small town. I invite you to visit Vanderbilt—and discover these things for yourself. Sincerely yours,
CHRIS GUTHRIE
Dean and John Wade-Kent Syverud Professor of Law J.D., B.A. Stanford University; Ed.M. Harvard University VANDERBILT LAW | 01
One year of intensive study. A lifetime of benefits. Each fall, internationally trained attorneys from all over the world come to Vanderbilt Law School for a year of intensive graduate legal study. Students in our LL.M. program spend a challenging and productive year learning about the American legal system, being trained in American legal research methods, and exploring global legal issues in classes with American law students. As you study alongside students enrolled in Vanderbilt’s three-year Juris Doctor program, you’ll gain valuable insights into how U.S. attorneys are educated as you learn how the American legal system works.
VANDERBILT LAW OFFERS YOU: n
A top-tier education in the American legal system
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A stimulating and collegial academic culture
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A faculty of leading scholars and specialists in every area of law
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Courses that connect outstanding theoretical training to 21st century law practice
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A community that promotes professional excellence
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A world-class university in a sophisticated, friendly and affordable city
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One Program, Three Tracks The Vanderbilt faculty’s broad range of expertise allows LL.M. students to study virtually any area of law, including international intellectual property, litigation, constitutional law, criminal justice, health policy, and environmental law, through programs that connect rigorous intellectual training in legal theory to 21st century law practice. Students choose one of three tracks within the LL.M. degree program. Students enrolled in any of the three Curriculum Tracks may choose from all courses offered during their year of study at Vanderbilt Law School. All tracks also satisfy the course requirements for New York Bar eligibility. n In the Course Track, students focus exclusively on
coursework, choosing their courses from the law school’s extensive curriculum. A faculty adviser or a law school administrator will help you tailor your academic program to your career goals and intellectual interests.
n The Thesis Track is designed for students who have a well-
developed research focus and wish to work closely with one or more Vanderbilt law professors to complete a substantial research project that culminates in a scholarly paper. In this track, you will work closely with a faculty adviser with expertise in your area of study while choosing courses that support your research interests, conducting legal research, and writing a scholarly paper.
n The Law and Business Track is specifically designed for
students who seek intensive academic and professional training in corporate law, securities regulation, finance, accounting, and the principles of corporate governance. Students develop an understanding not only of the legal and regulatory environment in which businesses operate, but also of corporate governance, the principles of finance and accounting, and the economic and financial frameworks of transactions. Students enrolled in this track earn a certificate in Law and Business in addition to the LL.M degree.
Vanderbilt’s faculty is extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in both U.S. and international law, and studying with J.D. students allows foreign lawyers with practice experience to improve their legal skills and gain new skills and analytical processes when doing legal work. PHILOPATEER ZAKI-AZAT | Class of 2022 Toronto, Canada LL.B., City University of London
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Skills that benefit many career paths. In your law classes at Vanderbilt, you will gain new intellectual tools that enable you to thrive in the global legal environment as well as a solid understanding of how the American legal system works and how American lawyers practice. These skills increase your value as a legal professional in any field in which you choose to practice. You will also find courses that allow you to hone your analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, dispute resolution, speaking. and writing skills. In fact, the skills you gain through Vanderbilt’s LL.M. program will benefit you in any professional setting or career path.
Intensive legal English training Vanderbilt LL.M. students benefit from an intensive program designed to provide the language and academic skills they need to succeed in a demanding educational program at a top U.S. law school. The program begins with a four-week introductory course at the law school during the summer, scheduled before your LL.M. courses begin. Provided in association with the Vanderbilt University English Language Center, Vanderbilt’s Legal English program includes intensive instruction in oral and written communication, small-group discussions, legal research and scholarly writing. You’ll also practice responding quickly and concisely in large-group discussions. To enhance your academic training, your classes in Legal English continue throughout your year of study at Vanderbilt. These extra classes increase your exposure to the language of U.S. law while you learn American legal principles and precepts in your law classes.
Learn to conduct legal research in the U.S. During the fall semester, all LL.M. students take Introduction to Legal Research and Writing in the United States, a course that provides a distinct academic forum in which LL.M. students learn how to conduct legal research in the U.S.; the fundamental, generally accepted conventions of written U.S. legal analysis and citation; and the basic vocabulary of U.S. legal analysis and advocacy.
Prepare for the New York Bar Exam Each year, approximately half of Vanderbilt’s LL.M. graduates choose to sit for the New York state bar examination. Vanderbilt ensures that all LL.M. students who plan to sit for the exam take the courses required by the New York bar. You may also choose to take a summer preparation course at Vanderbilt after graduation, which allows you to remain in Nashville and at Vanderbilt while studying for the New York bar exam. Vanderbilt also assists LL.M. students who wish to fulfill the New York bar’s pro bono service requirement while in Nashville.
Studying with J.D. students at Vanderbilt helped me understand the concerns of my American clients doing business in Brazil. I gained confidence in the English language and in understanding U.S. law, and my professors and classes truly exceeded my expectations. MARCELLA CRUZ | Class of 2020 Senior Associate, Machado Meyer, São Paulo, Brazil Marcella’s firm offered her a scholarship to earn an LL.M. in the U.S. “When I researched law schools, it was clear that Vanderbilt was top-ranked, classes are small, and I would be studying with J.D. students,” she said. VANDERBILT LAW | 04
Academic Programs Overview + Introduction Vanderbilt’s academic programs enable students to gain broad exposure to many areas of law or tailor their curriculum to take a deep dive into their desired area of practice. Each program integrates theoretical and skills classes with experiential learning to prepare students for real-world legal practice.
Law and Business. Earn a certificate in Law and Business through an intensive upper-level curriculum, including transactional seminars, that allows students to build expertise in business law, corporate management, finance, and accounting. The faculty includes experts in corporate, commercial, bankruptcy, antitrust, and tax law as well as arbitration and economics. Vanderbilt also offers a three-year J.D./ M.S.F. and a four-year JD/MBA. Intellectual Property. Prepare to enter copyright or patent law practice, domestic and international, through courses taught by international intellectual property expert Daniel Gervais, patent law expert Sean Seymore, music copyright scholar Joseph Fishman and noted practitioners, as well as an intellectual property clinic.
Energy, Environment and Land Use. Prepare for regulatory practice through a broad array of courses taught by leading scholars. The program also sponsors externships and fosters research opportunities through the Climate Change Research Network, an interdisciplinary team of faculty and graduate and professional students representing several Vanderbilt schools and academic departments.
Criminal Justice. Focus on criminal theory and practice, criminal procedure, juvenile justice, international criminal law, mental health law and other areas through an array of upperlevel courses and clinics taught by experts in fields such as law and neuroscience, human rights and juvenile justice.
Litigation and Dispute Resolution. Prepare to step immediately into sophisticated litigation practice through an advanced curriculum that offers a practical and conceptual understanding of the different methods that our justice system employs to resolve disputes. Faculty include leading scholars, practitioners, and judges. Social Justice. Explore the role of law in creating, perpetuating, and eradicating hierarchies of power and privilege in our society through a curriculum that includes seminars, clinics, externships, and directed research projects along with ample extracurricular opportunities for pro bono legal work. Law and Government. Prepare for careers in public law and policy through a comprehensive curriculum taught by faculty with nationally recognized expertise in constitutional and public law.
Law and Innovation. Anticipate the opportunities created by changes in law and legal practice. Launched in 2015 to train the next generation of lawyers to succeed in tomorrow’s legal environment, this program offers a robust curriculum and activities focused on four related themes: the legal industry, legal technologies, legal innovation and entrepreneurship, and access to legal services.
International Legal Studies. Prepare for careers in a global environment by combining substantive classroom exposure to cutting-edge topics in international law with practical experience in their application through the International Law Practice Lab and externships. Core faculty have expertise in international corporations and transactions, intellectual property, human rights, trade law, and constitutional and criminal law.
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Law & Business Overview Drawing its curriculum from Vanderbilt’s outstanding Law and Business J.D. Program, Vanderbilt’s Law and Business LL.M. Track offers intensive academic and professional training in corporate law, securities regulation, finance, accounting and the principles of corporate governance, with the goal of producing lawyers who understand the legal and regulatory environment in which businesses operate. The program includes classes focusing on such topics as corporate governance, the principles of finance and accounting, and the economic and financial frameworks of transactions. Graduates may use their Law and Business training to pursue careers in business law, as government regulators, or in other international posts that benefit from an excellent understanding of business law and corporate management. Because Law and Business graduates understand how businesses operate, they return to their home countries prepared to work effectively with business executives, managers and directors to navigate laws and regulations governing business activities.
Law and Business students take a core curriculum of required courses and may choose their remaining courses from among Vanderbilt’s rich array of electives, including courses in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, bankruptcy law, antitrust law, and secured and global transactions.
I wanted to learn about corporate law from an American perspective, and Vanderbilt offered the Law and Business Certificate. My Corporations class provided a good overview of how the different legal entities available under American law work. For transactional lawyers, the M&A course with Professor [Randall] Thomas is a must because of his detailed analysis of various transactions from both legal and business perspectives. THOMAS NIETLISPACH | Class of 2020 | Law and Business Certificate Senior Associate, MLL Legal, Zurich, Switzerland Thomas applied to Vanderbilt after Meyerlustenberg colleague Ricardo Schlatter ’15 recommended its LL.M. program. “I work in transactional law in Switzerland, and we have lots of U.S. clients,” he said. “The courses required to earn the Law and Business Certificate help you gain a better understanding of the way they think and their needs. You also take Accounting and Finance classes, which you really need to understand when you work as a business lawyer. Those courses were really helpful.”
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Vanderbilt has an excellent corporate law faculty, and America has the most advanced corporate law system in the world. Lawyers from many countries can learn from that system. The Law and Business Certificate prepared me to practice corporate law as a transactional lawyer. CHUTIAN WANG | J.D. Class of 2021 | LL.M. Class of 2019 Law and Business Certificate Corporate Transactions Associate, JunHe Law Firm, Beijing, China After earning her LL.M. with merit scholarships from both the China Scholarship Council and the China University of Political Science and Law, where she earned her LL.B., Chutian transferred to the J.D. program, which required an additional two years of study, to learn more about the American legal system.
My Vanderbilt LL.M. was intellectually challenging, and I learned new things in every class, even in subjects where I had some prior knowledge. SUSI FÖRSCHLER MAITY | Class of 2017 Desk Referentin Officer, German Federal Ministry of Finance, Berlin
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A strong focus on international law Vanderbilt’s strength in international law provides our LL.M. students an important advantage: ample opportunities to take courses that will immediately inform your legal practice in your home country. Through our highly regarded International Legal Studies Program, you will have access to courses that allow you to gain expertise in such key areas of international law as corporate law, transactions and finance law, trade policy, intellectual property law, tax law, foreign
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relations, comparative constitutional law, litigation, human rights law and criminal law. The program is directed by Michael Newton, who teaches International Law Practice Lab. In addition to its acclaimed full-time faculty, the program also includes experienced attorneys, judges and policymakers who teach short courses here each year.
VLS ranked second for Quality of Life in The Princeton Review for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018.
Vanderbilt’s LL.M. program far exceeded my expectations—the number of courses, their in-depth content and the academic rigor. I acquired a solid foundation in trademark, copyright and international intellectual property law. I was also trained to use the tools needed to meet the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and robots and blockchain and quantum computing. RAPHAËLLE DONNET | Class of 2019 Attorney, Intellectual Property Law, Re:Sources, Paris, France Raphaëlle received the Vanderbilt Law School – CEIPI Université de Strasbourg LL.M. Scholarship Award, which includes an opportunity to work as a research assistant to intellectual property expert Daniel Gervais, who is faculty co-director of the LL.M. program.
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The work my students have done is reflected in treaties, statutes, decisions, and negotiating histories across the globe. MICHAEL A. NEWTON | Professor of the Practice of Law Students in Professor Newton’s International Law Practice Lab have completed legal work supporting the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense, the International Bar Association, the International Criminal Court, and a number of United Nations and global human rights organizations.
Gain concrete experience in Vanderbilt’s International Practice Lab. Students in Vanderbilt’s innovative International Law Practice Lab do substantive legal work under Professor Michael Newton’s direction for such clients as the United Nations; the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense; the governments of Ukraine, Israel, Iraq, and Uganda, among others; and international tribunals such as the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court. They have also supported domestic attorneys and judges in Kenya, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Vanderbilt students have supported the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking and acts of terrorism and helped litigate cases on behalf of the American Bar Association’s Justice Defenders Program.
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS Daniel Gervais
Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law | Director, Vanderbilt Intellectual Property Program | Faculty Co-director, LL.M. Program Daniel Gervais focuses on international intellectual property law and the law of Artificial Intelligence. He spent 10 years researching and addressing policy issues as a legal officer at the World Trade Organization, head of the Copyright Projects section of the World Intellectual Property Organization, deputy secretary general of International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), and vice-chair of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations. He is the author of The TRIPS Agreement: Drafting History and Analysis, a leading guide to the text that governs international intellectual property rights now in its fifth edition.
Yesha Yadav
Milton R. Underwood Chair Professor of Law | Associate Dean and Robert Belton Director of Diversity, Equity and Community | Faculty Co-Director, LL.M. Program Professor Yadav’s studies financial and securities regulation, notably with respect to the evolving response of regulatory policy to innovations in financial engineering and globalization. She has developed particular specialization in market microstructure, examining the regulation of trading ecosystems for various asset classes, notably equity, U.S. Treasuries, corporate bonds, and cryptocurrencies. She served on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Technology Advisory Committee, where she sat on the Distributed Ledger Technology and Algorithmic Trading Subcommittees. She is a member of Nasdaq’s Hearing Panel and the Current Vice-Chair of the Tennessee State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Ganesh Sitaraman
New York Alumni Chancellor’s Chair in Law | Director, Program in Law and Government | Director, Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation Professor Sitaraman teaches and writes about constitutional law, the regulatory state, economic policy, democracy, and foreign affairs. He is the author of The Great Democracy: How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America and the The Counterinsurgent’s Constitution: Law in the Age of Small Wars, which won the 2013 Palmer Civil Liberties Prize. He is a co-author of The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic, one of The New York Times’ 100 notable books of 2017. He was a longtime adviser to Elizabeth Warren, including serving as a senior adviser on her 2020 presidential campaign, her senior counsel in the Senate, and her policy director during her 2012 Senate campaign.
Tracey George
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education | Charles B. Cox III and Lucy D. Cox Family Chair in Law and Liberty Tracey George brings a social science perspective to a range of topics, including judges and courts, judicial selection and elections, legal education and the legal profession, and contract law and theory. She has published numerous studies in which she examines how institutional design influences actions and outcomes in state and federal judicial systems. She is also a recognized expert on the study of legal education. She currently serves as University Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education, overseeing faculty hiring and retention, appointments and promotions, awards and honors, and development and support.
Michael Vandenbergh
David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair in Law | Director, Climate Change Research Network | Co-Director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program Professor Vandenbergh is an award-winning teacher and scholar whose research focuses on working with interdisciplinary teams to explore environmental governance, environmental behavior and climate change. His research has developed the concept of private environmental governance and explored how private governance initiatives can address polarization and other barriers to climate change mitigation. His interdisciplinary work with Vanderbilt’s Climate Change Research Network focuses on the reduction of carbon emissions from the household sector, and he is one of the top 25 law professors in the US based on peer-reviewed literature citations. VANDERBILT LAW | 10
Learn more about our entire faculty.
Edward Cheng Hess Chair in Law
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VLS faculty rank in the “Inclusive Citation Rankings of U.S. Law Schools” balanced ranking, Matthew Sag, 2023
Ed Cheng’s research focuses on evidence (especially expert evidence), law and statistics, and damages. Professor Cheng is a co-author of Modern Scientific Evidence, a five-volume treatise, and is the host of Excited Utterance, a long-running podcast focusing on scholarship in evidence and proof. His articles have been published in the Journal of Legal Studies, Yale Law Journal, and Stanford Law Review, among other prestigious law journals.
Ingrid Brunk
Helen Strong Curry Chair in International Law | Director, Branstetter Litigation & Dispute Resolution Program Ingrid Brunk is a leading scholar of foreign relations, public international law and transnational litigation. Professor Brunk is currently co-editor-in-chief of the American Journal of International Law. She is a member of the American Law Institute and was named as a Reporter for the Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States. She has received numerous honors and fellowships, including the Morehead Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Fulbright Senior Scholar award, the German Chancellor’s Fellowship, election to the German Society of International Law, election to the Order of the Coif, and many teaching awards.
Christopher Serkin
Elisabeth H. and Granville S. Ridley Jr. Chair in Law | Director, Master of Legal Studies Program Professor Serkin teaches and writes about land use and property law. His provocative scholarship addresses local governments, property theory, the Takings Clause, land use regulations and eminent domain. He is the author of The Law of Property, a Concept and Insights book, and co-editor of the leading casebook Land Use Controls. His articles have appeared in the Chicago, Columbia, Michigan, New York University, Notre Dame and Northwestern University law reviews, among others.
J.B. Ruhl
David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair in Law | Director, Program on Law and Innovation Co-Director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program J.B. Ruhl is an expert in environmental, natural resources, and property law, focusing his research on climate change adaptation, ecosystem services, and adaptive governance. His influential scholarly articles relating to climate change, the Endangered Species Act, ecosystems, governance, and other environmental and natural resources law issues have appeared in the California, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford and Vanderbilt law reviews, the environmental law journals at several top law schools and leading peer-reviewed scientific journals. His works have been selected by peers as among the best law review articles in the field of environmental law 12 times from 1989 to 2021.
Jim Rossi
Judge D. L. Lansden Chair in Law Jim Rossi is nationally recognized for his research on administrative and energy law topics. His recent articles focus on the role of public utility doctrines and principles in modern energy markets, as well as federalism and other shared jurisdictional issues affecting agency regulation. His article, “Energy Exactions,” co-authored with Christopher Serkin, received the 2020 Morrison Prize, which recognizes the most impactful sustainability scholarship published during the previous year. Professor Rossi serves on the Advisory Council of the Electric Power Research Institute, an independent research consortium that helps address technology gaps and broader social needs that can benefit from groundbreaking energy research. VANDERBILT LAW | 11
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Number of student organizations
A culture of collaboration and competition. Even as they challenge one another in an intensive learning environment, Vanderbilt Law students have gained a reputation for collegiality, professionalism and building relationships. That culture permeates every aspect of the law school. In the classroom, professors take a strong interest in students and work closely with them to promote their success. Outside class, students develop as leaders and as team players by engaging in one or more of the 40 student organizations. When you enroll in Vanderbilt Law School, you become a member of the Vanderbilt Bar Association, which VANDERBILT LAW | 12
manages the law school’s student organizations and coordinates social activities. For example, the VBA matches incoming LL.M. students with J.D. mentors who share their interests, as well as providing study tips, outlines and advice on summer job interviews and student activities. Vanderbilt’s student organizations serve as a hub for social events, provide co-curricular support for what students are learning in the classroom, and enable students to meet others with similar career interests and cultural backgrounds. Connecting with other students through involvement in professional, social and volunteer organizations also helps students make a healthy adjustment to the rigors of law school.
The right balance While free time during law school can seem scarce, most students find it important to balance the demands of study by joining one or more organizations for professional advancement, personal development, community service and professional networking. Nonprofessional student organizations devoted to everything from soccer to religious fellowship to knitting are encouraged and supported. Vanderbilt University provides a wide array of services to meet your academic and personal needs. LL.M. students also receive support from a dedicated international student services coordinator.
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A community focused on your success Vanderbilt is, first and foremost, a student-centered law school. Our small size relative to other top law schools affords a more intimate learning environment, and our LL.M. program is founded on a core strength Vanderbilt has maintained for decades—quality teaching. The law school building, which is one of the most modern and well-designed in the United States, offers university-wide Wi-Fi, high-speed networking, well-equipped classrooms, a computer lab and onsite support presence, a new Student
Services suite and comfortable student lounges. In the Massey Law Library, you’ll find quiet, comfortable study areas and staff who can help you identify available resources and find information you need in printed or electronic format. Vanderbilt’s LL.M. program director provides year-round, personalized support to individual students, and the university’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services offers a wide array of services to meet your personal needs.
My year at Vanderbilt was one of the most challenging years of my life, and my LL.M. was a turning point in my career—I have job opportunities now that I did not have before. I feel prepared to meet my clients’ needs in a broader way, and I also built a network of international connections. VITTORIA BRUSCHI SPERANDIO | Class of 2020 Associate Lawyer, Castro Law Firm, Londrina, Brazil Vittoria practiced law for three years before earning her LL.M. at Vanderbilt. “I wanted to boost my career, and Vanderbilt’s LL.M. is professionally focused and academically challenging,” she said. “Vanderbilt is also known for offering a healthy environment for students. Students and faculty work together as a community.” She recommends LL.M. students take Civil Procedure. “You must be willing to work hard, but you will acquire a broad notion of American legal procedure you can apply to almost all of your other courses,” she said. “It is an important course if you plan to work in an American jurisdiction and is a heavily tested subject on the New York bar exam.”
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Vanderbilt is a community of students and scholars, all working to understand the law. Our daily interactions with each other make us all better at what we do. CHRISTOPHER SERKIN Elisabeth H. and Granville S. Ridley Jr. Professor of Law Professor Serkin has received Hall-Hartman Awards for Outstanding Teaching for his first-year Property class and his upper-level class in Land Use Planning.
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VLS ranked fifth for Best Professors in The Princeton Review for 2023.
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A leading law school at Founded in 1873 with a million-dollar endowment from Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, the university that bears his name now comprises 10 colleges and schools, including one of the nation’s top medical schools. Vanderbilt draws its more than 13,500 students from all 50 states and dozens of nations around the globe. Approximately 10 percent of Vanderbilt students are international. There’s always something interesting to do or see here—whether it’s Southeastern Conference football, basketball or baseball games (and a host of other sports); the Performances at Vanderbilt series, which brings in top artists; movies at the on-campus Sarratt Cinema or plays in the university theater; free concerts at the Blair School of Music;
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or lectures by world-renowned scholars and leaders at the law school or elsewhere on campus. Law students can unwind at the Vanderbilt recreation and wellness center, which offers seven acres of outdoor space, including tennis courts and soccer fields, and 130,000 square feet of indoor facilities, including a swimming pool, fitness training facilities, racquetball courts and classes in weight training, rock climbing, dance and yoga, among other options. The intramural program includes more than 40 sports, and law students regularly form teams to participate. They also enjoy the camping, rock climbing, spelunking and kayaking trips sponsored by the Outdoor Recreation Center.
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Vanderbilt ranked ninth for best classroom experience in The Princeton Review for 2023.
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Number of schools that comprise Vanderbilt University
540
Number of J.D. and LL.M. students at Vanderbilt Law School
13,500 Number of students in all Vanderbilt schools
a leading university
Carol Browner, who served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama, delivered Vanderbilt’s inaugural Distinguished Lecture on Climate Change Governance in September 2022. Browner’s lecture was sponsored by Vanderbilt Law School’s Energy, Environment and Land Use Program and made possible by the Sally Shallenberger Brown EELU Program Fund, endowed in 2021 by Martin Shallenberger Brown ’92 in honor of his grandmother, a pioneering environmental conservationist.
Students enjoy watching Vanderbilt’s athletic teams face off against opponents in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt has a long and storied college football history, and students have prime seating for men’s and women’s basketball games in Memorial Gym, a venerable venue that has been dubbed “the Fenway Park of college basketball.” Vanderbilt is considered one of the top universities for baseball. VANDERBILT LAW | 17
2M Cool city. Hot prospects. They still call it “Music City,” but Nashville has earned a few other distinctions. It’s perennially on the list of America’s friendliest cities. It has been named the nation’s No. 1 smartest place to live. With more than 100 health care companies, it has been called the industry’s “Silicon Valley.” It’s an insurance capital. A publishing capital. A financial capital. A tourist destination. And a dynamic state capital.
People in the Nashville MSA
In Nashville, you always have a banquet of tempting options. Take your pick of buzzing nightspots and incredible live music, from downtown honky-tonks to the famous Bluebird Café, a world-class symphony, bluegrass legends at The Station Inn, club shows of every persuasion or whoever’s playing tonight at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Beyond Nashville’s famous hot chicken, there are so many must-try restaurants—representing a broad array of genres, innovations and corners of the world—that The Wall Street Journal calls Nashville “a culinary powerhouse.”
Meanwhile, it’s a vibrant, cosmopolitan place that blends a growing international flavor (more than 80 languages are spoken here) with traditional Southern hospitality and the laid-back feel of the West Coast.
Savor four distinct seasons in Nashville’s beautiful parks and on hundreds of miles of trails and greenways. Take in an NFL game with the Tennessee Titans or an NHL game with the Nashville Predators. Or major league soccer. Or minor league baseball. Or big-time college sports just a stroll across the campus.
All of that helps make Nashville a great place to gain your legal education.
Sure, you can be bored here. But you’ll have to work very, very hard at it.
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Nashville is a young, vibrant city that offers amazing artists performing every day throughout the city. There is a lot to see and explore, from museums to outdoor activities with amazing parks and views. And there are sports, too! The Predators (professional hockey) are big, and the Nashville Sounds (baseball) and Nashville Soccer Club offer great outing experiences. ALVARO MANRIQUE BARRENECHEA | Class of 2019 Lima, Peru, and Nashville, Tennessee
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WE’D LIKE TO MEET YOU.
We’d like to know you better as a prospective student—and for you to learn more about Vanderbilt.
That’s why we invite you to interview with a Vanderbilt Law admissions officer via Zoom and to meet Vanderbilt Law admissions staff and alumni virtually at information sessions and virtual events held in several major cities in Asia, Europe and South America each year. For additional information and to register online for a Vanderbilt international event, please visit our website: https://law.vanderbilt.edu/llm-program/connect-with-us/
If you would like to arrange an interview via Zoom or schedule an appointment to meet with an admissions representative, please contact us by email:
llm.program@law.vanderbilt.edu. FAST FACTS ABOUT VANDERBILT LAW SCHOOL’S LL.M. PROGRAM n Length of program: 10 months (2 semesters)
of full-time study
n Three tracks: Choose the Course Track, the Thesis Track,
or the Law and Business Track.
n Language of instruction: English n Pre-orientation program: A four-week course in legal
English begins in July.
n Program prerequisite: You must have or expect to
receive a university degree in law from an accredited institution outside the United States before enrollment.
My Vanderbilt LL.M. has helped me understand better and in greater depth the challenges and concerns of my U.S. clients. I recommend Vanderbilt’s LL.M. program to any student that wishes to get a cutting-edge legal education from a school that is dedicated to going the “extra mile” to give students an exceptional international education in law. FLORIAN ROTH | Class of 2021 Senior Associate, WalderWyss, Zurich, Switzerland
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Learn more about the LL.M. program
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