Master of Laws: UH Law Center
The Graduate Legal Studies Program at the UH Law Center has two distinct sections. Students with their first law degree from ABA-accredited schools in the United States pursue their LL.M. in one of five areas of concentration. Students who obtained their legal education outside of the United States earn their Master of Laws degree in the Foreign Scholars LL.M. Program.
LL.M. in Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law
Houston is the energy capital of the world. The development and use of energy and natural resources are affected by numerous environmental laws and policies. The UH Law Center has built an international reputation as a center for research and teaching in energy, natural resources, and environmental law.
LL.M. in Health Law
Faculty at peer universities have consistently recognized the Health Law & Policy Institute at the UH Law Center as one of the top five health law programs in the United States. The Institute governs the LL.M. program in health law and stresses interdisciplinary studies in all areas of health law and policy.
LL.M. in Intellectual Property & Information Law
The UH Law Center is the first public university in the United States to offer an LL.M. in Intellectual Property & Information Law. The IPIL Institute, which administers the LL.M. program, ranks among the top ten IPIL programs nationally and offers opportunities for students to study, research, and write on a range of topics including patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret subjects, and interdisciplinary legal protection for computer hardware and software.
LL.M. in International Law
Masters students in the International Law program may choose to focus on a particular subject area or develop a broad understanding of public and private aspects of international law. The program provides students with an in-depth understanding of international and comparative law and their roles in our domestic legal process.
LL.M. in Tax Law
The L.L.M. in Tax Law provides a focus for teaching, learning, research, and scholarship concerning taxation. The program provides students with enhanced practical skills to identify issues and solve both planning and controversy problems in the tax arena. Professional responsibility in tax practice is stressed, and students learn to appreciate the purposes of the tax system and how that system affects individual, commercial, and financial affairs.
Foreign Scholars LL.M. Program
Attorneys holding law degrees earned in other countries are eligible for the Foreign Scholars LL.M. Program at the UH Law Center. The program employs an innovative curriculum that emphasizes practical and comprehensive examinations of comparative law. After completing their studies, many of these graduates have returned to their countries of origin to assume leadership positions in commercial enterprise and public service. In the past, students have represented many countries, including Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, India, Israel, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
Every state sets its own criteria governing who can sit for a bar examination. The Foreign Scholars LL.M. Program qualifies degree holders to sit for bar examinations in New York, for example, but Texas and other states impose additional requirements. Persons holding law degrees from foreign countries who intend to remain in the United States after earning their LL.M. are encouraged to direct questions to boards of bar examiners in the states where they plan to practice.
Catalog Publish Date: January 14, 2013
This Page Last Updated: December 21, 2012