LL.M. Program History

The University of Connecticut School of Law's LL.M. program in US Legal Studies reflects the culmination of the Law School's 25 years of commitment to international law. The U.S. Legal Studies program continues the mission embarked upon by Mark W. Janis, William F. Starr Professor of Law and founder of the school's international law program.

Professor Janis' initial goal was to make the Law School's international program accessible as quickly as possible. "On the academic front, we offered more and more courses with ties to international issues," says Janis. "We started with a course in international law on the public side and a course in international business transactions on the private. Bit by bit we built up the faculty, starting with Olympiad Ioffe, former dean of Leningrad State University, who was expelled from the Soviet Union, and came to us by way of Harvard. Over the years, we have been joined by an impressive group of top international scholars."

In furtherance of its commitment to international law, the School began an international exchange program in 1982. Since that time, the program, which now is headed up by Olimpiad S. Ioffe Professor of International and Comparative Law Peter L. Lindseth, has provided approximately 20 J.D. students each year with the opportunity to study at our sister schools in Aix-en-Provence, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Exeter, Haifa, Leiden, London, Mannheim, Nottingham, Sienna and Tilburg. In addition, 12 or more exchange students from our sister schools, study at the Law School annually.

Today, the Law School curriculum boasts more than 20 international and comparative law courses, augmented by student/faculty exchange programs, intellectually rigorous research programs, an ongoing series of international conferences both on campus and abroad, vibrant student activities and organizations, the student-edited Connecticut Journal of International Law, and an international law librarian who administers an impressive collection in one of the best law libraries in the country.

A natural development of its extensive involvement in and commitment to international law led to the development of the School's LL.M. program in US Legal Studies, an increasingly important aspect of the School's international law program. Designed to provide graduates of foreign law schools with the opportunity to learn about the U.S. legal system, the program offers a chance for international lawyers, professors and judges to enhance their understanding of American law in an individualized, highly personal academic setting, while encouraging and promoting their interaction with American students. This interaction helps foster mutual understanding and respect, expanding and enriching the educational experience offered by the University of Connecticut School of Law and better preparing students for leadership roles in the global community.