The growth of the global marketplace and its interdependence among nations places a premium on lawyers who understand the international implications of various public, private, and commercial activities. Houston holds a commanding international presence – and the Law Center's LL.M. program in International Law capitalizes on the city's substantial global connections. The program allows concentration in public or private aspects of international law, and it provides an opportunity for lawyers to structure their LL.M. curriculum to meet individual interests and needs. LL.M. candidates may choose to focus their studies in a particular area of international law, or they can select from a wide variety of courses to achieve a broad understanding of public and private aspects of international law. The Law Center recently established the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law, which is the first independent research center in the United States dedicated to the study of Mexican law and U.S. – Mexico relations. Initiatives such as this allow our LL.M. students to gain an in-depth understanding of international and comparative law and their roles in our domestic legal process. Students must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours, including 15 credit hours in international law courses, and they have the option of writing a 50-page thesis of publishable quality. LL.M. students who earned their law degree outside of the United States must also complete two courses—Introduction to American Law and Lawyering Skills & Strategies—as part of the 24 credit hour requirement.
Courses include:
Asylum Law
Import & Export Regulation
Comparative Law
Conflicts of Law
European Union Law
Human Rights Seminar
Immigration Law
Immigration Law & Business
International Business Transactions
International Commercial Arbitration
International Contracting
International Criminal Law
International Petroleum Transactions
International Law
International Law & the Use of Force Seminar
International Litigation and Arbitration
International Tax
International Trade
International Trade Seminar
Introduction to European Law
Introduction to Mexican Law
Law and International Economic Relations
Law of Biodiversity Conservation
Law of International Organizations
Maritime Cargo and Collision
Maritime Cargo, Collision, and Ocean Pollution Seminar
NAFTA
Problems in International Trade and Investment Seminar
Space Law
U.S. Export Regulation
* Not all classes are offered every year, and offerings are subject to change. Please check the Law Center website for current course offerings. Lawyers who earned their degree outside of the United States are also required to complete Introduction to American Law and Legal Research and Writing. Courses previously taken at other schools – including the Law Center – may not be credited toward the program requirements.
