LL.M. Program and Curriculum

An LL.M. degree does not guarantee eligibility to sit the New York bar exam. The rules which govern the eligibility of foreign-trained lawyers are in Section 520.6 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law (22 NYCRR 520.6).  Eligibility determinations for the New York bar exam are rendered by the New York State Board of Law Examiners (BOLE). It is your responsibility to have your eligibility to sit for the bar determined by the BOLE, and Columbia Law School plays no role in the eligibility determination process. You begin that process by completing an Online Foreign Evaluation and submitting all supporting documentation. 

Only the BOLE can determine whether you are eligible to sit for the New York bar exam. It is your responsibility to contact the BOLE with any questions and to submit all documents and fees in a timely manner. The eligibility determination process takes approximately six months once all documents are received by BOLE, so you are strongly encouraged to submit your documents prior to beginning your LL.M. program. Columbia Law School and the Office of Graduate Degree Programs cannot make copies of your foreign law school transcripts or other documents or share them with BOLE. No exceptions will be made. 

To assist LL.M. students in creating a course of study that satisfies the New York State Bar Examination eligibility requirements, the courses below have been approved by the New York State Court of Appeals as satisfying the requirements of Rule 520.6(b)(3)(vi)(a)-(d).  Please note that students may not use the same course to satisfy more than one eligibility requirement and that not all of these courses are offered in any academic year. 

The following courses satisfy Rule 520.6(b)(3)(vi)(a), which requires a minimum of 2 credits in professional responsibility. Please note that Columbia Law School allows students to take only one Professional Responsibility course.

1. L9039 – Legal and Ethical Obligations in Complex Litigation
2. L6274 – Professional Responsibility
3. L9274 – Professional Responsibility: Becoming a Lawyer
4. L6367 – Professional Responsibility for the Transactional Lawyer
5. L6359 – Professional Responsibility in Criminal Law
6. L6362 – Professional Responsibility Issues in Business Practice
7. L6363 – Professional Responsibility Issues in Public Interest Practice
8. L6366 – Professional Responsibility: Representing Business Organizations

The below course satisfies Rule 520.6 (b)(3)(vi)(b), which requires a minimum of 2 credits in legal research, writing and analysis.

1. L6561 – LL.M. Legal Research and Writing

The following courses satisfy Rule 520.6(b)(3)(vi)(c), which requires a minimum of 2 credits in American legal studies.

1. L6132 – American Constitutional Law
2. L6131 – American Civil Procedure (previously called American Litigation Practice)
3. L6560 – Introduction to American Law

The following courses satisfy Rule 520.6(b)(3)(vi)(d), which requires a minimum of six credits in other courses that principally focus on subject matter tested on the New York State bar exam.

1. L6204 – Administrative Law
2. L6246 – Advanced Administrative Law
3. L8669 – Advanced Civil Procedure
4. L6478 – Advanced Constitutional Law: Equal Protection
5. L6407 – Advanced Constitutional Law: First Amendment
6. L6408 – Advanced Constitutional Law: Religious Liberty
7. L9893 – Advanced Issues in the First Amendment
8. L6737 – Advanced Torts
9. L6132 – American Constitutional Law
10. L6106 – American Contract Law
11. L8082 – American Jurisprudence: Judicial Interpretation and the Role of Courts
12. L6131 – American Civil Procedure (previously called American Litigation Practice)
13. L9331 – Church and State
14. L6214 – Civil Rights
15. L6392 – Commercial Finance and Secured Transactions
16. L6422 – Conflict of Laws
17. L6231 – Corporations
18. L6238 – Criminal Adjudication
19. L6109 – Criminal Investigations
20. L6241 – Evidence
21. L6252 – Family Law
22. L6425 – Federal Courts
23. L9350 – First Amendment and the Press (previously called First Amendment and the Institutional Press)
24. L6229 – Ideas of the First Amendment
25. L6169 – Legislation and Regulation
26. L6981 – Modern Constitutional Interpretation & Scholarship
27. L6386 – Payment Transactions
28. L9328 – Political Theory and the First Amendment
29. L8187 – Pretrial Commercial Litigation
30. L6483 – Real Estate Transactions
31. L6245 – Remedies
32. L6538 – Secured Transactions
33. L8996 – The Constitution
34. L6294 – Trusts, Estates and Estate Planning

In addition to passing the New York bar exam, there are a number of other requirements you must complete in order to gain admission to the New York bar. These steps are outlined here and note you must also fulfill the Skills Competency Requirement.

If you are interested in qualifying for a bar exam in another U.S. jurisdiction, please review qualification requirements for graduates of foreign law schools here.