LL.M. Program Celebrates 25 Years

UC Davis School of Law’s Academic Year LL.M. program just marked its 25th anniversary. The program was initiated in 1998, when lawyers, prosecutors and judges from other countries sought greater knowledge about the U.S. legal system to operate effectively in an increasingly globalized commercial and legal environment. 

 Faculty members instrumental in establishing the program included Professors Floyd Feeney, Gary Goodpaster, Jim Smith, Beth Greenwood, Robert Hillman, Ed Imwinkelried, Alan Brownstein and Friedrich “Fritz” Juenger. Deans Bruce Wolk and Rex Perschbacher and then-Associate Dean Kevin R. Johnson, along with the faculty, gave their full support to the LL.M. program.

 Feeney provided the key leadership in obtaining approvals and establishing the program. He served as LL.M. director until his death in 2019. Greenwood, Associate Dean for International Programs and the LL.M. program’s Associate Director since its beginning, subsequently became director and was joined by Associate Director Johann Morri. 

The LL.M. program was always intended to be integrated, with students taking classes with J.D. students. Over the years, LL.M. students have proven to be outstanding students and received academic recognition. They enrich the law school community as they make friends and share knowledge about their cultures and legal systems.

 The LL.M. program has continually evolved to meet changing student needs. Five years ago, UC Davis Law began to offer a two-year advanced LL.M. program for students who wished to acquire deeper knowledge of the U.S. legal system. In 2023-24, the LL.M. program began to offer concentrations in environmental law, criminal law, tax law, business law, immigration law and intellectual property law. Also this year, LL.M. students created a new student organization to represent their interests and needs – to integrate more fully into the law school.

 The first LL.M. programs were very small – usually around 10 to 15 students. Many students came from Europe. Over time, demand expanded and the demographic changed, with more students arriving from Asia, South Asia and the Middle East as the globalized commercial environment’s impact widened. Today, the program is much larger (62 students in spring 2024) and more diverse, representing countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, England, Iran, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. 

LL.M. alumni have gone on to achieve distinguished careers across the globe in major international law firms, corporations, government agencies and legislatures, as prosecutors, judges and justices (including Supreme Court), and as distinguished military JAG lawyers. Other graduates transfer to the J.D. program at UC Davis or S.J.D. programs at other prestigious law schools. Many LL.M. students have taken and passed the California, New York, and D.C. bar exams and become licensed attorneys in the U.S. While many LL.M. alums return to their countries, others become successful members of U.S. law firms and corporate practices.

 “I feel so lucky to have worked with these gifted LL.M. professionals for many years,” Greenwood said. “They are amazing since they successfully study law and in one year master a new legal system in another language.”

 The 25-year-old program has resulted in a worldwide network of nearly 800 legal professionals who “maintain contact with each other and our team and love King Hall,” Greenwood said. 

 “They are an amazing collection of individuals, with unique stories and trajectories,” Associate Director Morri said. “One of the best parts of the job is hearing from former students or meeting with them when we travel abroad. … Their gratitude and their fondness for the school never ceases to amaze me.” 

Greenwood also appreciates how UC Davis Law faculty “embrace and incorporate the professional and cultural knowledge” of LL.M. students into their classrooms, she said. 

“Finally, I would like to recognize Dean Johnson, who has provided unwavering support for the LL.M. program since its inception,” Greenwood said.