9/14/06--Boston College Law School has named Gail J. Hupper, former assistant dean for the Graduate Program and International Legal Studies for Harvard Law School, as director of its newly created Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program, effective August 21. She will hold the title Director of LL.M. and International Programs.

The Law School plans to admit its first students for the new LL.M. degree for the fall of 2007. The primary goal of the program is to provide a high quality educational experience designed to expose those with a degree in law, primarily but not exclusively from another country, to the fundamentals of the U.S. legal system. It will also seek to train lawyers to meet the challenges presented by globalization and take advantage of the opportunities that it affords for the delivery of justice locally, nationally, and globally.

Students admitted to the program will commit to one full year of academic residence comprised of 24 credit hours. The candidates will have the opportunity to enroll in courses of their choice compiled from the Law School’s regular curriculum.

Hupper, who received her B.A. in Political Economy from Williams College and her J.D. from Columbia Law School, was most recently a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School, where her research focused on the evolution of graduate legal education, particularly doctoral programs in law.

BC Law School Dean John H. Garvey praised Hupper as someone well suited to lead the Law School’s planned LL.M. program and help build the Law School’s international programs more broadly. He particularly noted her dedication and research in furthering graduate and international legal education.

“I am delighted that Gail has joined us this year as director of our LL.M. program,” said Dean Garvey. “Her extensive work in established programs, research on international legal education, and work with international students and lawyers make her a valuable addition to Boston College.”

Hupper brings a significant international focus and broad experience in graduate program management to the position, having also acted as the Deputy Director of Harvard’s Graduate Program from July 1997 to June 2001 and as their Director of Admissions and Financial Aid for the Graduate Program from July 1996 to June 1997. From 2002-2004, she served on the Executive Committee of the Association of American Law Schools section on Graduate Programs for Foreign Lawyers and as the Associate Director of the European Law Research Center at Harvard Law School from July 1992 to June 1996. Hupper has also taught a survey course in American law at Harvard, and has published in the areas of corporate law, feminist legal theory, land use, and taxation.

"I'm thrilled to have joined the BC Law School community,” Hupper said. “It's an extraordinarily welcoming environment, and the level of enthusiasm for the new LL.M. program is tremendous. I look forward to working with this new group of students and helping integrate the perspectives they bring into the classroom and the daily life of the School. Their presence here will further energize an already rich complement of international activities."

Her experience will benefit the first class of students matriculating in BC’s proposed LL.M. program. Implementing an LL.M. degree program, according to Garvey, will enrich the atmosphere for both teaching and research by expanding the diversity of the school’s student body with international students. “It will also effectuate our Jesuit mission of social justice and enhance the rich traditions of academic excellence and intellectual and social diversity associated with our identity as a Catholic university, which includes a commitment to embracing diversity,” he said.

The School has submitted an application to the American Bar Association for acquiescence in the creation of the proposed degree. The program’s inauguration is subject to obtaining that acquiescence, which the Law School expects will be given by the end of 2006.

For more information regarding the LL.M. program, contact Director Gail Hupper by email at bcllm@bc.edu.