If you have a first law degree from any country other than the United States, you may apply for any of our programs. Please see further details from "What is the difference between the two LL.M. programs? " for the two LL.M. program qualifications.
In addition, Japanese citizens and foreign nationals holding a visa that entitles them to reside in Japan for longer than three months may apply for conditional admission to the LL.M. in U.S. Law.
If you have a J.D. degree from the United States, you may apply only for the following programs.
To be admitted to either LL.M. program, you must have a law degree from a university that the relevant government or organizational body has recognized or accredited. If you do not have a law degree but have a degree or work experience in a law-related field, you can apply for the Certificate programs. We limit admission of non-law graduates.
The LL.M. in U.S. Law program is typically for students without common law training. Students in the program take U.S. law course, though they may also take comparative and international course.
The LL.M. in Transnational Law program is typically for students who have earned a J.D. in the United States or who come from a jurisdiction where the legal system is based on the common law, or who may not have a common law background but have a very particular interest in international and comparative law. Students may take only international or comparative law course. Students who have never earned a law degree outside Japan must spend a semester in Philadelphia, Rome (summer only) or Beijing.
The LL.M. in Transnational Law also has a prerequisite course: International Law. Students who have not satisfied the prerequisite must take a further 3-credit course in international law in addition to the 24 credits required for the degree.
To earn a Certificate of American Legal Studies, you must take at least 9 of the required 12 credits in U.S. law course. To earn a Certificate of International Law, you must take at least 9 of the required 12 credits in international and comparative law course. For your final three credits in either certificate program, you may choose any course you wish.
Minimum score from a test taken within the past two years before the date you apply to TUJ:
If you have earned a university degree in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the medium of instruction, you may petition to have the language proficiency test requirement waived.
Your personal statement should be one to two word-processed pages.
If your transcript, in addition to showing that you completed the course listed, also shows that your university actually conferred your degree, then you do not need to submit certificates of law degree completion. Your transcript alone will suffice.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program may complete their entire degree in Tokyo, or they may take some Course in Tokyo, some in Philadelphia, some in Rome (summer semester only), and some in Beijing.
Students in the LL.M. in Transnational Law program may complete their entire degree in Japan if they obtained a law degree outside Japan.
Students in the Certificate Programs may take Course only in Tokyo.
The LL.M. in U.S. Law program has one required course: Legal Research and Writing. In addition, you must complete a writing project, either by taking a writing seminar or by undertaking supervised research.
A three-credit survey course in International Law is a pre-requisite for the degree. If you have not already taken this course, you should take it early in the LL.M. program. In addition, you must take 24 credits of international or comparative law electives which must include a two or three credit writing course in which you produce a scholarly paper. You may also satisfy this writing requirement by undertaking supervised research.
The LL.M. in U.S. Law program requires that you earn three credits by writing either one paper or a series of shorter papers. The LL.M. in Transnational Law program requires either a two- or three-credit scholarly paper. In both degree programs, you can satisfy these requirements either by taking a writing seminar or by undertaking guided research supervised by a professor.
In the LL.M. in U.S. Law program, you should take Legal Research and Writing on the first occasion we offer it after you enroll in the program.
In the LL.M. in Transnational Law program, if you have not already taken International Law, you must take this course early in your studies.
Please see our Course Schedules & Descriptions page. You can see our current, future and past course offerings and schedule.
No. You must pass a state bar examination to be considered a lawyer in the United States.
In Japan, we have seen an increasing need for bilingual individuals trained in U.S., international, and Japanese law. Employers and executive search firms contact us seeking to hire our students and graduates. Many large corporations have operations and contacts in more than one country, so the need for lawyers who are familiar with laws other than those of their home country is increasing.
The Law Program provides an opportunity to study with lawyers and law students from the United States and around the world, giving you a ready-made source of contacts. A student who graduates from an LL.M. or certificate program should have many options available. Of course, specific employers may have their own requirements. In America, law firms and corporations require that persons hired as lawyers pass a bar exam in the United States.
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Email: tujlaw@tuj.temple.edu
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