LLM in Corporate Compliance
New York, USA
LLM
DURATION
24 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
Key Summary
Corporate Compliance
Fordham Law’s LL.M. program in Corporate Compliance—the first of its kind in the country—introduces students to a rapidly emerging field that is often global in scope. This unique program prepares candidates to respond effectively to new and complex regulatory demands. Students will explore the role of in-house counsel, the corporate compliance office, and the elements of compliance, including risk assessment, attorney-client privilege, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, global codes of conduct, crisis management, deferred prosecution, and non-prosecution agreements, and corporate social responsibility. Students will learn the basic regulatory framework, especially in the banking and financial regulatory industries, and will be trained in the skills that are essential for any compliance professional.
Fordham's LL.M. in Corporate Compliance is offered both on-campus and online. The online program consists of both asynchronous and synchronous coursework. Asynchronous coursework consists of videos, lectures, and questions that students watch on their own time throughout the week. Students will also participate in weekly live synchronous sessions with professors to discuss that week's material.
Fordham Law LLM Feerick, Treanor, and Martin Scholarships
We are pleased to announce three new scholarships, named in honor of former Fordham Law School deans who contributed enormously to the development of our LLM programs. These are the John D. Feerick Scholarship, the William Michael Treanor Scholarship, and the Michael M. Martin Scholarship.
Recipients will be awarded a scholarship equal to 100% of the LLM tuition. These three scholarships will be awarded to exceptional applicants to the full-time on-campus program who are found to possess character traits embodied by one or more of these great leaders. To apply, applicants must submit an essay and complete their application file by February 1.
Fordham Law Graduate Student Scholarships
Each semester, the admissions committee awards partial scholarships based on merit. There is no separate application process for these scholarships; however, applicants must check the box on their application form indicating they wish to be considered for a Graduate Student Scholarship and applications should be completed by the early scholarship deadline for priority consideration (September 21 for spring /February 1 for fall). LLM program staff will notify applicants if they have been selected for a scholarship award.
Vivian Leitner Global South LLM Scholars Program
Fordham Law also offers a scholarship through the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice. This scholarship is restricted to a select few highly qualified LLM candidates in international human rights.
More than theory
Our professors are some of the nation’s most respected scholars, teachers, and practitioners, and they deliver an engaging and deeply critical style to legal questions. Your classes also will bring a practical perspective to the learning experience. You will learn drafting, problem-solving, dispute resolution techniques, and other tools of the craft of lawyering. Your classroom work is supplemented by real-life opportunities through our clinics, externship program, and membership in some of our top-rated journals. Students engage in serious inquiry and debate through our centers and institutes. LL.M. students are part of the Student Bar Association and are encouraged to take part in any of our student organizations.
Online
Scheduling
Most of our classes are held between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM Eastern time. Starting with the Summer 2021 term we are pleased to begin offering morning classes, between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM to accommodate international students as well as domestic students who would prefer that time slot.
Credit Hours
Each student is required to complete a minimum of 24 credits of approved courses. Students may take 2-15 credits per semester and can complete the program in as few as 2 or as many as 7 semesters. All students pay tuition on a per-credit basis.
Required Courses
- Introduction to US Law and Legal Institutions (3 credits)*
- Legal Writing and Research (2 credits)*
- Introduction to Corporate Compliance (4 credits)
- Corporations (3 credits)**
- Compliance Risk Assessment (3 credits)
Elective Courses
- Anti-Bribery & Corruption Compliance Programs – Design and Implementation (1 credit)
- Anti-Money Laundering (3 credits)***
- Antitrust Compliance (1 Credit)
- Creating an Effective Ethics and Compliance and Ethics Training and Communication Program (1 Credit)
- Crisis Management (3 credits)
- Emerging Technology Tools for Compliance Programs (1 Credit)
- Economic Sanctions Compliance (1 Credit)
- Employment Law (1 credit)
- Healthcare Compliance (3 credits)
- Human Rights Compliance (2 credit)
- Internal Investigations (1 credit)
- International Financial Crime (2 credits)***
- Investment Management Regulation (3 credits)
- Leading with Purpose – Key Skills and Qualities for Success in Your Compliance Career (1 Credit)
- Privacy & Cybersecurity (3 credits)
*Students who are admitted to the New York bar may seek waivers from Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Process and/or Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students by submitting the online Request for Waiver from LLM/MSL Program Requirements form. However, they are not encouraged to do so as these courses provide a fundamental base of knowledge and skills that are extremely useful for attorneys in the U.S. and that will be useful for all other U.S. law school classes.
**Students who have taken Corporations as part of their U.S. or foreign law study may seek a waiver of this requirement by submitting the online waiver request form.
***Anti-Money Laundering or International Financial Crime are strongly recommended, but not required.
Please note that the online degree does not confer bar eligibility. In order to be eligible for the bar students must complete the on-campus LLM degree.
On-campus
Credit hours
Each student is required to complete a minimum of 24 credits of approved courses; the maximum number of credits permitted is 30.
Full-time students take 10-15 credits per semester (11-13 recommended); part-time students take 2-9 credits per semester and must complete the program within 24 months of starting. Up to 4 credits may be taken during summer terms.
Program-specific required courses
The 24-credit minimum must include Corporations* as well as 12 credits of Specialization Distribution Courses approved for the Corporate Compliance program.
The 12-credit Specialization Distribution Course requirement must include the following core courses:
- Global Corporate Compliance (3 credits)**
- Compliance Risk Assessment (2 or 3 credits)
We also strongly recommend that students take either International Financial Crime or Anti-Money Laundering.
The remaining credits needed to fulfill the 12-credit Specialization Distribution requirement must be chosen from among the selection of Specialization Distribution Courses approved for the Corporate Compliance program (courses designated "CC" on the class schedule available on the Registrar's website).
*Students who have taken Corporations as part of their U.S. or foreign law study may seek a waiver of this requirement by submitting the online waiver request form. Note that Corporations does not count toward the Specialization Distribution Course requirement, but it does count toward the "Content Outline" course requirement, as set forth below.
**Global Corporate Compliance must be taken in the first semester of study.
Additional required courses
All LL.M. students are required to complete the following course:
- Quantitative Methods for Graduate Students (required in the first semester of study)*
All LL.M. students who do not hold a J.D. from a U.S. law school are additionally required to take the following courses:
- Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Process (required in the first semester of study)**
- Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students (required in the first semester of study)**
- Introduction to the U.S. Legal Profession***+
- At least 6 credits of Content Outline courses***
- Fundamental Lawyering Skills for LLM Students****
- 2 credits of experiential coursework****
Students are required to take Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Process and Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students during their first semester of study in the LLM program.
Note: If a course fulfills both a Specialization Distribution Course requirement and a Content Outline requirement, the course may count toward both requirements. For example, Corporations (4 credits) counts towards the Specialization Distribution Course requirement and also counts toward the Content Outline requirement.
* Students who completed a similar course in their prior studies, or who have significant business, tax, or other experience that provides them with sufficient knowledge of this topic may seek a waiver by submitting the Request for Waiver from LL.M./M.S.L. Program Requirements form. Late registrants who are unable to register due to enrollment limits must take this course in their second semester of study.
**Students who are admitted to the New York bar may seek waivers from Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Process and/or Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students by submitting the online Request for Waiver from LL.M./M.S.L. Program Requirements form. However, they are not encouraged to do so as these courses provide a fundamental base of knowledge and skills that are extremely useful for attorneys in the U.S. and that will be useful for all other U.S. law school classes.
*** Students who are admitted to the New York bar or who do not intend to sit for the New York bar may seek a waiver from Introduction to the U.S. Legal Profession and/or the Content Outline course requirement by submitting the online Request for Waiver from LL.M./M.S.L. Program Requirements form.
**** These courses are required for students following "Pathway 1" of the New York Court of Appeals §520.18 Skills Competency Requirement for Admission. (These requirements do not apply to students who began their studies prior to Fall 2018, and can be waived for the following students who begin their studies in fall 2018 or later: (1) Students who are already admitted to the New York bar (or who do not plan to sit for the New York bar examination); (2) Those who are authorized to practice law in another U.S. jurisdiction or any other country outside of the U.S. and can establish that they have been in good standing and practiced law in that jurisdiction full-time for at least one year (or half-time for two years).
+In lieu of Introduction to the U.S. Legal Profession and Process, students may substitute a three-credit Professional Responsibility course, including those courses that are focused on a particular area of practice.
Elective courses
Any remaining credits may be chosen from among the wide variety of courses that are open to LLM students, as indicated on the class schedule(s) posted on the Registrar's webpage. For most classes that are closed to LLMs, students may be admitted on a space-available basis by submitting the Request to Enroll in a Closed Course form.
Our Community is Invested in Your Success
Enroll in the LL.M. program at Fordham Law and become part of a community invested in your success. The moment you join Fordham Law, you become part of a welcoming family that includes the LL.M. program leadership, your professors, your classmates (who typically come from more than 40 countries), and the more than 21,000 Fordham Law alumni who work across the globe.
This is more than a community—it is a network that connects you with opportunities and advances your interests and goals.
Flexibility to Accommodate Your Busy Schedule and Diverse Interests
We understand that it may be difficult to find the time to pursue your graduate legal education. That is why we offer part-time and full-time divisions and offer the option of beginning your studies in the fall (August) or spring (January) semester. We also offer the professional track LL.M., which enables students to return to their home country in between semesters for work or other obligations.
Our nine areas of specialization allow each student to pursue her or his path and gain knowledge and expertise in today’s most dynamic areas of law. Those who take advantage of our dual concentration option receive their LL.M. degree in any two areas of specialization. We also offer a fully online LL.M. program in U.S. Law or Corporate Compliance, which can be taken on a part-time or full-time basis starting either in January or August. Our online LL.M. degree in Corporate Compliance has the additional option of starting in May.
Gain Eligibility to Sit for the New York Bar Exam
Most of our international LL.M. students use our in-person LL.M. program to gain eligibility to sit for the New York bar examination.
Individualized Career Guidance
For our in-person students, our Graduate Professional Development Program (GPDP) helps students navigate their careers by offering individualized guidance in defining their professional goals and moving toward them. Fordham Law is one of a select number of U.S. law schools that take part in the International Student Interview Program, a major job fair in New York City for LL.M. students that attracts over 160 employers from top law firms each year.
