Welcome to the Boston College Law School LL.M. program! It is my pleasure to introduce you to this exciting new initiative – one in which I hope you will take part.
Our LL.M. program is a centerpiece of the School’s efforts to train lawyers for the delivery of justice not just locally and nationally, but internationally as well. It is directed primarily to lawyers trained in other countries, but we also welcome applications from lawyers trained in the United States. It is designed to provide a high quality educational experience that will both immerse participants in the intricacies and “flavor” of the United States legal system, and help prepare them for the challenges of work in an increasingly global legal community.
The program is informed by two central ideas. First, the presence of international LL.M. students in the Law School community – both inside and outside of the classroom – enriches our understanding of not only international legal norms but of our own legal system as well. Second, by bringing lawyers from other countries to Boston College for a year, we are not simply giving those lawyers an exposure to the U.S. legal system. We are also helping bring ideas about social justice and public service – ideas that are central to our educational philosophy -- to a world stage.
Apart from this, our plans for the program are as diverse as the students we hope to attract. Our LL.M. students may choose from among most of the courses in the Law School’s extensive curriculum, including both introductory and more advanced courses in their particular fields of interest. The range of options is enormous – from business law to human rights to legal history and beyond. The program is a “general” one, in that we do not channel students into particular subject area tracks. However, the curriculum affords students ample opportunity to specialize in particular fields if their study interests call for doing so.
Some of you who are reading this may be thinking about applying to our program. Is Boston College’s LL.M. the right one for you? Only you can answer that question, but let me offer some thoughts about what I think is special about our school. It is not simply our faculty, who are brilliant teachers and scholars. Nor is it simply our students, who are among the most talented in the world. Rather, it is our ethos. While the school has always placed a great deal of emphasis on the professional knowledge that every good lawyer must possess, that knowledge is imparted within a framework of ideals that have made the study and practice of law a calling for so many who come here. This ethos makes for students who are at once highly credentialed and highly collegial in their relationships with each other and with the faculty. It also makes for a strong sense of community – a sense that springs from a shared respect for law as the cornerstone of a democratic society, and a shared respect for one another as legal scholars.
Perhaps I should offer a note from my own experience. For a number of years I was responsible for the LL.M. program at Harvard Law School. Having recently joined the BC Law community, I can tell you that I have rarely felt as welcomed by a group of people as I have felt since coming here. You have my personal commitment that my colleagues and I will work hard to make you feel just as welcome, and offer you the richest possible personal and professional experience, if you join us.
Thank you for visiting; we hope to get to know you better in the coming years!
Warmly,
Gail J. Hupper
Director, LL.M. and International Programs
bcllm@bc.edu
