LLM in Fashion Law
New York, USA
LLM
DURATION
24 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
Key Summary
About: The LLM in Fashion Law at Fordham Law is in NYC and connects you with academics and industry. Study four pillars: intellectual property; business, finance (investment, employment law, real estate); international trade and regulation (sustainability, privacy, wearables); consumer culture and civil rights. Access events and networking via the Fashion Law Institute.
Career Outcomes: Fordham offers individualized career guidance via Graduate Professional Development Program (GPDP) and joins the International Student Interview Program, a job fair with 160+ employers. Graduates may work as fashion IP attorneys, in-house counsel, transactional or regulatory lawyers, compliance or privacy counsel, licensing or litigation advisors, consultants.
LLM in Fashion Law
LLM students in the Fashion Law program will study with the most distinguished faculty in the discipline, including both academics and industry insiders—in New York City, the capital of the world’s fashion industry.
You will explore what we’ve defined as the four pillars of fashion law:
- Intellectual property
- Business and finance, including areas such as investment, employment law, and real estate
- International trade and government regulation, including sustainability, privacy, and issues related to wearable technology
- Consumer culture and civil rights
You’ll also gain direct access to events and networking opportunities available through the nonprofit Fashion Law Institute. Established with the assistance of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, it’s the world’s first center dedicated to the law and business of fashion—and it’s based at Fordham Law.
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.
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.
Curriculum for the U.S. JD holders
If you hold a JD from a law school in the U.S., you must take the following classes:
- Fashion Law* (3 credits)
- Fashion Law Capstone/Thesis (3 credits; final semester)
- Quantitative Methods for Graduate Students (1 credit)**
- At least four of the following courses designated "FASH" on the course listing published on the registrar's website:
- Cosmetics Regulation (2 credits)
- Fashion Ethics, Sustainability, and Development (2 or 3 credits)
- Fashion Law and Finance (2 credits)
- Fashion Law and International Trade (2 credit)
- Fashion Licensing (2 credits)
- Fashion Modeling Law (2 or 3 credits)
- Fashion Retail Law (2 credits)
- Fashion Law Drafting (2 credits)
- Fashion Law & Social Justice (2 credits)
- Fashion Law Practicum (3 credits) (Note: limited enrollment)
Additional electives, chosen from the range of courses open to LLM students, for a total of 24 credits. Consider choosing electives that complement your fashion-related courses and cover areas of legal specialization important to fashion law that you may not have studied in the past.
*Students who completed the Fashion Law Institute's Fashion Law Bootcamp(R) summer intensive program are exempt from the Fashion Law course requirement and should instead take 3 other credits of their choice.
** 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.
Curriculum for non-U.S. law degree holders (bar exam option)
Below are the requirements for non-U.S. law degree holders. This option fulfills the requirements of the "Cure Provision," which allows foreign-trained lawyers and law students with a "Qualifying" first degree in law to sit for the New York Bar Examination.
- Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Process (3 credits)
- Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students (2 credits)
- Quantitative Methods for Graduate Students (1 credit)*
- Introduction to the U.S. Legal Profession (2 credits) or another Professional Responsibility course (3 credits)
- 6 credits in subjects tested on the New York bar exam from the list available at law.fordham.edu/llm/contentoutline. Consider choosing courses that will not only assist in your studying for the bar exam but also complement your fashion-related courses and cover areas of legal specialization important to fashion law that you may not have studied in the past.
- Fundamental Lawyering Skills for LLM Students** (3 credits)
- Experiential Course** (2 credits)
- Fashion Law*** (3 credits)
- Fashion Law Capstone/Thesis (3 credits; final semester)
- 6 credits from the following courses designated "FASH" on the course schedule published on the registrar's website:
- Cosmetics Regulation (2 credits)
- Fashion Ethics, Sustainability, and Development (2 or 3 credits)
- Fashion Law and Finance (2 credits)
- Fashion Law and International Trade (2 credit)
- Fashion Licensing (2 credits)
- Fashion Modeling Law (2 or 3 credits)
- Fashion Retail Law (2 credits)
- Fashion Law Drafting (2 credits)
- Fashion Law & Social Justice (2 credits)
- Fashion Law Practicum (3 credits) (Note: limited enrollment)
*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.
**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 can be waived for the following students: (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) Students must consult with their academic advisor to determine whether they should register for this course in their first or second semester of study.
***Students who completed the Fashion Law Institute's Fashion Law Bootcamp(R) summer intensive program are exempt from the Fashion Law course requirement and should instead take 3 other credits of their choice.
Curriculum for non-U.S. law degree holders (bar exam waiver)
Below are the requirements for non-U.S. law degree holders. This option does not fulfill the requirements of the "Cure Provision," which allows foreign-trained lawyers and law students with a "Qualifying" first degree in law to sit for the New York Bar Examination.
Before making course selections that will make you ineligible to sit for the New York Bar Examination, please consult with a program advisor. A waiver is required to exercise this option ("Request for Waiver from LLM Program Requirement," available on LawNET Forms Central).
Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Process (3 credits)
Legal Writing and Research for LLM Students (2 credits)
Quantitative Methods for Graduate Students (1 credit)*
Fashion Law** (3 credits)
- Fashion Law Capstone/Thesis (3 credits; final semester)
- At least four of the following courses designated "FASH" on the course schedule published on the registrar's website:
- Cosmetics Regulation (2 credits)
- Fashion Ethics, Sustainability, and Development (2 or 3 credits)
- Fashion Law and Finance (2 credits)
- Fashion Law and International Trade (2 credit)
- Fashion Licensing (2 credits)
- Fashion Modeling Law (2 or 3 credits)
- Fashion Retail Law (2 credits)
- Fashion Law Drafting (2 credits)
- Fashion Law & Social Justice (2 credits)
- Fashion Law Practicum (3 credits) (Note: limited enrollment)
Additional electives, chosen from the range of courses open to LLM students, for a total of 24 credits. Consider choosing electives that complement your fashion-related courses and cover areas of legal specialization important to fashion law that you may not have studied in the past.
*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 completed the Fashion Law Institute's Fashion Law Bootcamp(R) summer intensive program are exempt from the Fashion Law course requirement and should instead take 3 other credits of their choice.
Internships
The Fashion Law Institute pioneered the placement of legal interns at fashion brands. Students within our program have served as interns at companies throughout the New York area. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Coach, Cushnie et Ochs, and SoulCycle are just a few of the brands where our students have interned. Students have also worked at leading fashion funders, nonprofits, law firms with fashion practices, and other organizations connected to the industry.
A number of these students have been placed through our Fashion Law Practicum drafting course, in which students receive academic credit for internships supervised by our faculty. Students have also secured internships independently with the help of our extensive industry connections. Internships come in all spaces and sizes, and we encourage students to remember that any internship has the potential to turn into a job.
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.
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.
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.
