LL.M. candidates must complete the LL.M. Writing Project requirement (“Writing Project”) in the form of a research paper based on the student’s original legal research. The Writing Project must be completed in conjunction with at least two points of academic credit. In other words, the paper must be worth at least two points of academic credit. A 2-point paper, whether prepared for a seminar or as supervised research, generally represents about 140 hours of work, or 10 hours per week, and is usually 20-25 pages or 6500-8000 words, although individual professors may have different requirements. To qualify for the Writing Project requirement, a paper must be graded on the A-B-C-F scale; Credit (Pass)/Fail or other non-evaluative grades are not permitted.
LL.M. candidates may count a maximum of eight (8) points of independent research (including the LL.M. Essay) toward the 24 points required for graduation.
The Writing Project Requirement can be completed in several ways:
1. Seminars:
a. By taking a seminar worth at least two points of academic credit which requires a 20-25 page research paper. Such a seminar paper will fulfill the Writing Project requirement. Please note: The major and minor writing designations in course descriptions do NOT apply to LL.M. students; they apply to J.D. students only. You should consult with the individual professor using the guidelines outlined herein to determine whether a seminar paper meets the LL.M. Writing Project standards;
b. In seminars which require a shorter research paper (i.e., 10 pages), students may seek the instructor’s permission to write a longer research paper (20-25 pages or 6500 to 8000 words) in order to complete the Writing Project requirement. If the instructor grants the student permission to write a longer paper, the student may be entitled to earn one additional point of academic credit. If so, the additional point will be registered as “Research for the LL.M. Degree” (L6691). To earn the additional point, the student must write a minimum of 10-15 additional pages for the seminar paper. In this case, the student will earn a total of 3 points of academic credit – 2 for the seminar and 1 for the additional work done on the paper;
c. In seminars which provide the option of a final examination or a research paper, students who opt to write the research paper will fulfill the Writing Project requirement provided the final work product meets the standards set forth above for seminars worth at least two points of academic credit;
d. In seminars which use an examination or other form of assessment instead of a research paper as the primary basis of evaluation, students may seek the instructor’s permission to write a research paper worth at least two points in addition to taking the final exam in order to fulfill the Writing Project requirement. Once the student has secured the instructor’s permission, the student must register for 2 points (or more) of “Research for the LL.M. Degree” (L6691) in addition to the seminar.
Note: Reaction papers, journals, and other non-research based writing projects will not fulfill the Writing Project requirement. The Writing Project requirement cannot be completed in courses taken outside of the Law School.
2. Supervised Research:
By writing a research paper independently of any course under the supervision of a Columbia Law School faculty member (including clinical, visiting and adjunct faculty) who agrees to supervise the work and evaluate/grade the paper (on the A-B-C-F letter grade scale). The number of academic credits earned for supervised research should depend on the amount of work that the project will likely entail and should be determined at the time of registration. For example, a paper that will require work comparable to that required by a 2-credit seminar should be awarded 2 points of academic credit. In general, longer papers should qualify for more credit than shorter papers, although a short paper reporting extensive empirical, archival or like work would qualify for more credit than a similar-length paper working from more readily available sources. To fulfill the Writing Project requirement, the paper must be worth at least 2 points of academic credit. A research paper worth one point of academic credit will not fulfill the Writing Project requirement. LL.M. students choosing to write a paper independently of a course or seminar must register the appropriate points of academic credit as “Research for the LL.M. Degree” (L6691). LL.M. candidates do not register for “Supervised Research” (L6683).
3. LL.M. or Master’s Essay:
An LL.M. candidate may fulfill the Writing Project requirement by writing a satisfactory LL.M. or Master’s Essay. See "Master of Laws (LL.M.) Essay Requirements" below.
Additional Information (applies to all writing projects):
1. Extent of Supervision: In the usual case, a student registered for research will communicate regularly with the supervising instructor over the course of the project. A typical project might proceed through the following stages:
• Topic selection: The student and instructor agree on a subject matter area, and discuss possible research topics within that general area.
• Preliminary research: Following selection of a topic, the student conducts research aimed at narrowing and refining the project and the instructor provides feedback that assists the student in formulating a research and writing plan.
• Project outline: The student prepares and submits a written outline of the research project and the instructor responds with substantive feedback. If the instructor deems it appropriate, revised and more detailed outlines may also be submitted and discussed.
• Preliminary draft: The student submits a preliminary draft of the paper or its equivalent and the instructor provides written or oral comments on the draft.
• Revised draft: The student submits a revised draft of the paper or its equivalent. The instructor will then provide feedback on the revised draft, and may in consultation with the student choose to receive and to provide feedback on additional drafts.
These stages will vary depending on the particular project undertaken. Students should consult with their instructors as needed on the appropriate plan of supervision in any particular case.
2. Both the supervised research option and the LL.M. Essay result in a final paper. The principal difference between the two options lies principally in the formality of presentation required for an LL.M. Essay. The LL.M. Essay must be placed before the Faculty Supervisor well in advance of the final due date so that it can be reviewed and revised before it is finally submitted. A copy of the final Essay is deposited in the Law School Library, and its title appears on the transcript.
3. Neither academic nor writing project approval is given for journal articles or notes unless prepared under the supervision of a professor as a supervised research project.
4. To satisfy the Writing Project Requirement, a paper must be graded on the letter scale set forth above;
Credit (Pass)/Fail or other non-evaluative grades are not permitted.
5. The major and minor writing credit designations in course descriptions do NOT apply to LL.M. students; they apply to J.D. students only. LL.M. students should consult with their individual professors using the guidelines outlined herein to determine whether a course meets the LL.M. Writing Project standards.
6. Both the supervised research option and the LL.M. Essay result in a final paper. The principal difference between the two options lies primarily in the formality of presentation required for an LL.M. Essay. The LL.M. Essay must be placed before the Faculty Supervisor well in advance of the final due date so that it can be reviewed by the Faculty Supervisor and revised by the student before it is finally submitted. A final copy of the LL.M. Essay is deposited in the Law School Library and its title appears on the student’s transcript.
Registering Your LL.M. Writing Project and/or Supervised Research
LL.M. students must complete the “LL.M. Research and Writing Registration Form” in order to verify that they have satisfied the LL.M. Writing Project requirement. Students should register for "L6694 LL.M. Writing Project" by completing the top section of the form. In addition, students must write a detailed description of the paper to be written, including the anticipated length, on the back of the form. The form requires the signature of both the professor and the Dean or Director of Graduate Legal Studies, then must be submitted to Registration Services. The Writing Project will appear on a student's transcript for 0 points and with a "CR" notation once the student has successfully completed the project. Writing Projects must be registered by October 15 for projects to be completed during the fall term and by February 1 for projects to be completed during the spring term.
If a student is also doing a supervised research project, the LL.M. Essay, or writing a longer paper than a course requires to satisfy the Writing Project requirement, then the student will also complete the "LL.M. Research and Writing Registration Form." The student will need to secure the signature of both the professor and the Dean or Director of Graduate Legal Studies, then submit the form to Registration Services. Supervised Research and the LL.M. Essay must be graded on the letter (A-F) scale and the number of points must be determined by the professor at the time of registration. (Typically, a two point paper is approximately 6500-8000 words, or 20-25 pages in length.)
The worksheet can be found in the GLS New Student Handbook we distributed to all LL.M. students at Orientation, outside the Office of Registration Services, or to download a copy of the form, click the link below.
A research paper will qualify as a Master’s Essay only if it fulfills all of the following conditions:
a. It is a substantial and rigorous piece of legal writing based on research on a topic approved in advance by a faculty member (including clinical, visiting and adjunct faculty) who has agreed to act as Faculty Supervisor;
b. It has been submitted in draft form to the Faculty Supervisor who has provided comments on the draft, and a further version of the paper which responds to the Faculty Supervisor’s comments has been produced; and
c. It has earned a B or better grade.
The number of academic points to be granted for a Master’s Essay depends upon the scope and nature of the topic and is determined, in advance of registration, by the Faculty Supervisor. As with Research for the LL.M. Degree (see above), the number of credits earned for a Master’s Essay will depend on the amount of work the project will likely entail. A maximum of eight (8) points for the Master’s Essay may be counted toward the twenty-four points required for graduation.
Once the student has secured a Faculty Supervisor and has reached agreement with the Supervisor on the topic and the number of points to be granted for the LL.M. Essay, the student must obtain the signatures of the Supervisor and the Dean of Graduate Legal Studies on the appropriate registration form (“GLS Research & Writing Registration Form”).
The Law School's Academic Calendar specifies a final date by which a completed and approved Essay must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Legal Studies. A copy of the final LL.M. Essay is deposited in the Law School Library. By agreeing to deposit the Essay with the Law Library, the candidate consents to its being made available for library use, reproduction, distribution, and display in any regularly employed format, which may include microfiche or electronic forms. Other uses, such as derivative work use, remain the sole property of the student.
Additional Information (applies to the LL.M. Essay only):
Scope and Title of Essay. The Faculty Supervisor must approve the scope and title of the Essay. The title will appear on the student’s transcript.
Number of Copies. One unbound printed copy in final form and one extra copy of the title page must be deposited with the Office of Graduate Legal Studies (Room 611, William and June Warren Hall) for submission to the Law School Library where it will be bound and shelved. For convenience of handling, the Essay should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Legal Studies in a manila envelope.
Form and Typing.
a. The Essay should be double-spaced, using a font conventional for formal presentations. All text must be kept within margins of one-and-a-half inches at left and top; one inch at right and bottom.
b. The title page should contain only the following information in the following order:
1. Title of Essay centered in upper one-third of page.
2. Full name of author (two spaces below title).
3. The following submission statement centered near foot
of page:
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Laws in the
School of Law
Columbia University
(Do not include the month, year, or any other information.)
c. The essay should include a Table of Contents with page references at the front; a Table of Cases at the end; and, in some instances, a Table of Statutes or Bibliography at the end.
d. All pages, including tables, bibliography, and appendices, should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numbers in the upper right corner (outside of the margin at the top). Prefatory pages, however, should be numbered in small Roman numerals.
e. Footnotes and references may appear at the bottom of the page to which they refer, at the end of each chapter, or at the end of the Essay. Citations should conform to the style of the Columbia Law Review.
Quick guidelines to determine whether a paper will satisfy the LL.M. Writing Project Requirement
A paper will satisfy the LL.M. Writing Project Requirement if:
It is research-based (based on original research that you conduct independently of reading materials assigned by a professor for a course or seminar);
It is a minimum of 6500-8000 words in length (20-25 pages); and
It is in conjunction with two academic points of credit.
The following do not qualify for LL.M. Writing Credit:
Reaction papers, opinion papers, or critiques;
Journal entries;
A series of shorter research papers, whose total equals 6500-8000 words;
Non-research based writing projects;
Papers for which the research is based entirely or mostly on reading materials (cases, articles, commentaries, etc.) assigned by a professor for a particular course; and
The paper written for A Comparative Introduction to American Law (CIAL).
1. Do I need to complete a form to satisfy my Writing Project Requirement?
Yes, you need to complete this GLS LL.M. Writing Project Worksheet and return it to the Office of Graduate Legal Studies by October 15th if you are completing your Writing Project in the fall term or February 1st if you are completing your Writing Project in the spring term.
2. Do I need the professor’s signature on my GLS LL.M. Writing Project Worksheet?
No.
3. When do I need to complete a form with Registration Services?
If you are doing more work than the course requires to earn your writing credit (i.e., increasing the length of a paper by a minimum of 10-15 additional pages), if you are writing a paper independent of a course or seminar (supervised research), or if you are writing an LL.M. Essay, you need to complete the “GLS Research and Writing Registration Form” available in Registration Services. You will need the professor’s signature and the signature of the Dean or Director of GLS on this form. See “Ways to Complete the LL.M. Writing Project Requirement,” above.
4. How do I determine if a course satisfies the LL.M. Writing Project requirement?
Check the course description or syllabus to see if the work you will be doing for the course meets the writing credit guidelines outlined above. If it is not clear from either the description or syllabus, ask the professor (being sure to provide the professor with the LL.M. Writing Project guidelines outlined above).
