LL.M. Program

Houston

Houston is the energy capital of the world – the perfect location to pursue an LL.M. in Energy, Environment and Natural Resources (EENR) Law at the University of Houston Law Center. Our EENR Center remains at the forefront in linking our growing need for energy with its impact on nature and natural resources. The Center provides a forum for education and discussion of the most important issues of the day such as climate change, air pollution, clean coal, and renewable energy. Our energy curriculum ranks among the best in the nation, and our LL.M. program has earned an international reputation for excellence.

The EENR program trains lawyers to handle the complex legal and policy issues that surround three areas: energy production, transportation, and use; pollution prevention; and natural resources exploitation and conservation. Economic and political forces play a role in all of these areas, and applicable law may be local, national or international in scope. The Law Center's broad curriculum gives students the opportunity to acquire or deepen their analytical and practical skills for a career in these complex subject areas. UHLC faculty hold outstanding reputations for their expertise in the energy, environment, and resource management areas, and a strong corps of adjunct professors bring important perspectives to our classrooms. Our most recent initiative is the Andrews Kurth Energy Law Scholars program which brings promising scholars and teachers in energy law from around the world to teach and conduct research at the Law Center. Their areas of expertise include LNG and shale gas, policy reform in oilproducing countries, and transnational investment in Latin America.

LL.M. students benefit from the many resources offered through the EENR Center which coordinates research opportunities, lectures by renowned speakers, and student visits to energy-related facilities in the Houston area. LL.M. students have many opportunities to network at programs on hot topics offered by the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, the World Affairs Council, the Baker Institute Energy Forum, and three sections of the Houston Bar Association: Environmental Law, Oil, Gas and Energy Law and International Law.

LL.M. Degree Options

All required application documents and materials must be submitted through the Law School Admission Council Credential Assembly Service.  You may find admission requirements and procedures, here.  EENR courses must account for 15 of the 24 credit hours required for graduation. Students interested in writing a paper have two options: (1) enroll in a seminar, or (2), with the approval of a faculty adviser, write a thesis. Past LL.M. students have earned national awards for their work and have seen their works published in the Law Center's Houston Journal of International Law and in other academic forums.

Lawyers who earned their law degree from a foreign school:

• All required application documents and materials must be submitted through the Law School Admission Council Credential Assembly Service.  You may find admission requirements and procedures, here. The 24 credit hours needed for graduation must include 15 hours of approved EENR courses, as well as two required courses: Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing. Students interested in writing a paper have two options: (1) enroll in a seminar, or (2), with the approval of a faculty adviser, write a thesis.

LL.M. Students