Advocacy, LLM

The law school also offers the LLM in Advocacy that is designed to provide opportunities for law graduates to enhance their legal advocacy skills in and out of the courtroom. A variety of courses are available to improve students’ technical trial skills, learn new litigation strategies and tools, strengthen persuasive abilities, and focus on the application of professional ethics in the pretrial and trial settings. Important focuses of the Advocacy LLM Program are the use of modern technology in litigation and the training of ethical trial lawyers. The Advocacy LLM combines a rigorous academic component and a breadth of practical litigation training, including optional credits from writing projects, teaching opportunities, and practical exposure through externships. Students in the Advocacy LLM Program can study on a full-time or part-time basis. There are no concentrations or tracks in the Advocacy LLM so that the students can tailor the experience to fit their individualized goals. Required courses and most elective courses are offered in the evenings to accommodate students’ work schedules. For more information, contact Elizabeth I. Boals, Associate Director of the Trial Advocacy Program, American University, Washington College of Law, 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016 (eboals@wcl.amerian.edu).

LLM Degree Requirements

Advocacy. The LLM degree requires the completion of 24 credits, chosen from the designated list of classes, with a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better. At least 16 of these credits must be earned from traditional classroom study and up to 8 credits can be earned from pre-approved externships, writing projects, and/or co-teaching opportunities. Before receiving the LLM degree, students must complete the following designated courses: (1) the two credit Ethics for Trial Lawyers course, and (2) the three credit Advanced Trial Advocacy course. The 24 credits needed for the LLM degree can be completed in two semesters of full-time study. Part-time students generally complete the LLM degree in three or four semesters.