LL.M. Writing Requirement

Courses that meet the LL.M Writing requirements vary from semester to semester depending on the professor's approach and class size. For a list of courses that meet the requirements see "registration information" provided as part of each semester's schedule packet.

Objective

Each student is required to complete a rigorous writing experience as part of graduation requirements for the LL.M degree.

A rigorous writing experience reflects the core values of supervised rewriting and individualized feedback. Students undertake supervised rewriting to better organize content, further develop a point or thesis, recast ideas in more sophisticated language, achieve analytical flow and clarity, and furnish accurate and proper citation. Professors must provide individual feedback to each student. A single draft is generally insufficient to satisfy the LL.M writing requirement. Professors should encourage students to start the writing process early to allow time for rewriting.

Certification

The student's final written product must be of satisfactory quality as determined by the supervising professor. Moreover, any rigorous writing experience demands that the student produce a substantial amount of written work. For example, a unitary writing project such as a scholarly article, a directed research paper, or an appellate brief normally should consist of at least 20 pages or 5,000 words (excluding footnotes).

Curriculum

A student may meet the LL.M requirement by participating in a variety of writing experiences, including seminar courses, directed research, and LARW courses. The Director or Associate Director for the LL.M Program, in consultation with the supervising professors, will approve specific courses offering writing experiences that may satisfy the requirement, including an aggregate writing project consisting of a series of documents. A list of approved courses will be made available to students with pre-enrollment materials.

The LL.M writing requirement may be met only in a course or activity supervised by a full-time member of the faculty, other than in exceptional circumstances with advance approval of the Director or Associate Director of the LL.M Program.

Timing

Students are encouraged to initiate the LL.M writing experience in the first semester if possible to allow sufficient opportunity to satisfactorily complete the requirement. Failure to satisfy the writing requirement could result in a delay of graduation.

(Approved by faculty, May 11, 2015)