LLM in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law
New York, USA
LLM
DURATION
24 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: The LLM in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law at Fordham Law blends classic IP rights with information technology law. You study copyright, patent and trademark law and core courses such as Internet Regulation and Mass Media Law, plus advanced IP and IT electives on cybercrime, e-commerce, privacy, and Internet law.
Career Outcomes: Fordham offers individualized career guidance through Graduate Professional Development Program (GPDP) and joins the International Student Interview Program, a major New York job fair. Graduates work as IP lawyers, patent attorneys, trademark counsel, privacy counsel, in-house and law firm associates, compliance officers, and technology policy advisors.
Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law
The LLM program in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law is a unique program that combines the classic study of intellectual property rights with the rapidly emerging field of information technology law. Students study fundamental and advanced intellectual property rights issues in copyright, patent, and trademark law and also learn about issues that lie at the heart of today’s digital information society, such as cybercrime, e-commerce, information privacy law, and Internet law. Core courses include Copyright Law, Intellectual Property Law, Internet Regulation, Mass Media Law, Patent Law, and Trademark Law. Students also choose from more advanced and specialized courses in the fields of information technology and intellectual property law.
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.
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 12 credits of Specialization Distribution Courses approved for the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law program.
The 12-credit Specialization Distribution Course requirement must include at least 6 credits from the following Core Distribution Courses:
- Copyright Law
- Information Law Survey
- Intellectual Property Law
- Patent Law
- Trademark Law
The remaining credits needed to fulfill the 12-credit Specialization Distribution Course requirement must be chosen from among the wide selection of Specialization Distribution Courses approved for the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law program (courses designated 'IPIT' on the course schedule available on the Registrar's website).
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.
* 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 course schedule available on the Registrar's website. 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.
