Academics (Overview)

Exclusively for foreign attorneys with an LLB or equivalent first degree in law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s LLM in American Legal Studies offers the opportunity to study American law and specialize in a variety of law concentrations. Students are immersed in practice skills orientated classes and work directly with faculty advisors to plan and tailor their law school program of study. The law school is located in heart of downtown, San Diego and provides the ideal sanctuary to study law.

Degree Requirement

Students must complete 24 units to graduate. The program is expected to take one year to complete.

Entrance Requirement

Candidates for the degree of Masters of Law (LL.M.) must hold a First Degree in Law from an accredited law school or faculty of law (LLB or equivalent) to be eligible for admission to the LL.M. program.

Deadlines and Start Dates

Application Components

• Completed Application Form (hyperlink to Apply page)
• Statement of Interest
• Resume / CV
• One letter of Recommendation
• English Competency Test Score (TOFEL / IELTS) – requirement waived if you received a degree from a program where English was the official language
• Evaluated Transcript – transcripts must be translated to English and evaluated for U.S. grade equivalency.
• • Evaluated transcripts accepted from:
  • • Law School Admission Council – www.LSAC.org
    • World Education Services – www.WES.org
    • Any State Bar of California recommended evaluators: http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/admissions/Education/Credential_Eval_Serv.pdf

The Thomas Jefferson Residential LLM Program enables students to study American law – with opportunities to specialize in cutting edge areas.

The Program Includes:

• Introduction to American Law for Foreign Students
• Core American Law courses taken with JD students
• Practice Skills Classes
• Bar Preparation Classes
• Expert Faculty Mentors in Many Specializations

Stephane Huguet

"As a European student this dive into the American law universe is extremely rewarding. Unlike other LLM programs that can separate LLM students from other US students, Thomas Jefferson School of Law allows you to participate in all classes alongside other students at the law school. If you like the challenge and the work does not scare you, this experience can only be beneficial for you. "

Luciana Simion

"What I like most at Thomas Jefferson School of Law is the highly professional and challenging atmosphere. From the very beginning I received guidance on everything I needed: from the application process to course selection, and work load. Then, as an LLM student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, I had the chance to learn from the best. Remarkable scholars and highly respected practitioners, the professors were very demanding, still willing to help me gain a deep understanding of the various aspects of the American Legal System. Every week the school hosts conferences and networking events, providing students with every resource needed to become competitive practitioners in the U.S or abroad. Last but not the least, Thomas Jefferson School of Law really embraces diversity, thus studying together with students of different nationalities and coming from various backgrounds was a truly enriching experience. "

Linnet Mariscal

"My professors really gave me a lot of their time and made an incredible effort to make my classes understandable. They made me feel comfortable with my language in class, even though English is not my first language.”

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Daniela Benes Hirschfield

"For me is a honor to be part of the TJSL community, now as an alumna. I have learned much more that I could have imagined when I started 2 years ago. What a wonderful opportunity!"

In order to complete an on line application, students must submit:

• An official transcript indicating a degree in law, JD or non-U.S. equivalent
• A resume reflecting educational and work history as well as other information relevant to the consideration of an application to the LLM program
• A personal statement/statement of interest. The statement should be generally 2-3 pages double spaced
• Interview – All students will be required to interview with the Admissions Department in person or via Skype.

International Students must also submit:

• English translated and independently evaluated copies of transcripts. World Educations Services (WES) can provide the necessary evaluation services necessary to demonstrate equivalency to the U.S. grading system. Thomas Jefferson School of Law recommends these services. But other independent evaluation services are available.
• Proof of English Language Proficiency through one of the following:
  • TOEFL score - Average test scores:
    • 92 (internet based);
    • 240 (computer based);
    • 590 (paper based)
  • IETLS score – Average test scores:
    • 6.5 Reading
    • 6.5 Writing
    • 6.0 Listening
    • 6.0 Speaking
  • Language assessment interview – contact the admissions office to schedule

Estimated Costs of Attendance: Residential LLM Programs

Private student loans are available to help defray the cost of attending the Graduate Programs. For questions: please call the Financial Aid Office at 619.961.4271 or send an email to graduatefinancialaid@tjsl.edu.

Obtaining a Visa to Attend Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law's Student Affairs Office can assist foreign students who need to obtain a visa.

For assistance contact: Ben Chamberlain, Director of Student Affairs & Title IX Coordinator E-mail: bchamberlain@tjsl.edu Telephone: (619) 961-4202

General Visa Information:

Non-resident aliens and non-U.S. citizens are required to obtain an I-20 document and visa for F-1 status that permits a foreign student to study in the United States. (Canadian students do not need to file for a visa).

Foreign students requiring a visa should contact the United States Consulate Office within their home country for more information. Once the student receives the completed I-20 document he/she should promptly schedule a visa appointment because the wait for an appointment may be significant. For information regarding the nearest Consulate Office, go to: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html. This website will identify the necessary documents as well as the wait time for an appointment at the Consulate Office in the student's home country. Prior to the meeting at the Consulate's Office, students will need to pay fee I-901, which can be paid online at http://www.fmjfee.com/. Countries may impose additional fees. Please check the Consulate website for further information.

In general, a visa application requires the following:

1. A valid passport (six months remaining)
2. An I-20 document
3. Proof of funding (bank statements, letters of support, etc.)
4. Photographs for the visa
5. Payment of visa application fees
6. Visa application forms (D-156, D-157, and D-158 as required)
7. Payment of I-901 fees

Once a foreign student is admitted to Thomas Jefferson, the Student Affairs staff will work directly with the student to obtain the information necessary to support an I-20 document, including financial records demonstrating the ability to finance studies in the United States.

The I-20 document should be treated similarly to a passport. This document will be needed when making an appointment for a visa to enter the country, as well as when arriving into the United States. Upon receipt of the I-20, students should carefully review it to ensure that all information (name and birth date, etc.) has been stated accurately. If there is a discrepancy, please notify the Student Affairs Office immediately.

Students with an F-1 visa may enter the country no more than 30 days prior to the start of school.

Once issued, the Visa will be stamped into the student's passport. The Visa has an expiration date that indicates the period of time the student can remain in the United States as long as the student maintains fulltime status.

Students are required to go through United States Customs when entering the United States. All documents will be reviewed by a Customs Officer. It is extremely important that your I-20 stamps reflect your F-1 status; therefore, please check the documents prior to leaving the United States Customs area. If your stamp reflects any other status (such as visitor) notify the Customs Officer immediately so that the documents can be corrected.

After arriving in San Diego, a student should schedule an appointment with Assistant Dean Lisa Ferreira to register in the SEVIS (Student & Exchange Visitors Information System) website.

Upcoming Semester Schedule

Core Law School Courses

• Business Associations
• Civil Procedure I
• Civil Procedure II (Practice Skill Oriented)
• Contracts I & II
• Constitutional Law I & II
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Evidence
• Legal Writing I & II (Practice Skill Oriented)
• Professional Responsibility (required to take an American bar exam)
• Property I & II
• Remedies
• Torts I & II

Elective Courses

• California Evidence
• Community Property
• Contracts Drafting (practice skill oriented)
• Copyright Law
• Criminal Procedure (advanced)
• Employment Law
• Entertainment Law
• Family Law
• Immigration
• International Law
• Introduction to IP Practice (Practice Skill Oriented)
• Introduction to Intellectual Property
• Legal Advocacy (Moot Court Competition)
• Mediation (Practice Skill Oriented)
• Negotiation Theory & Practice (Practice Skill Oriented)
• Patent Law
• Trademark Law
• Trial Practice (Practice Skill Oriented)
• Wills & Trusts

Students earning an LLM in American Legal Studies at Thomas Jefferson School of Law's San Diego, California campus may be able to take the bar exam in California. Students must plan their program of study carefully to ensure eligibility to take the bar exam.

Please contact Professor Steven Semeraro at ssemeraro@tjsl.edu before matriculating at Thomas Jefferson School of Law to discuss your bar eligibility interests and plan a program of study.

Additional information about bar exam eligibility can be found in The National Conference of Bar Examiners Bar Admission Guide

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act ("AIA") has been viewed as a blessing or a curse since its implementation. Its intention to invalidate bad patents and encourage innovation for the benefit of the general public has solved some problems its predecessor has left in its wake. However, the AIA is not without its own problems. This project aims to present recommendations to close the gap in pursuing a fairer and expedited patent review system.

This Symposium brings together industry experts to discuss the current climate of the patent industry. Along with the group’s data research collected through a survey circulated to hundreds of practitioners, judges, patent owners, litigators, and scholars of intellectual property law, this Symposium aims to present recommendations to move forward in patent reform.

Your participation greatly improves our results: please take our survey on your opinions of the Aftershocks of the AIA's Post Grant Proceeding.

SPEAKERS

• Gregg Anderson, Administrative Patent Judge for the United States Patent and Trademark Office
• Hon. Cathy Ann Bencivengo, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
• Hon. Paul R. Michel (Ret.), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Gene Quinn, Patent Attorney and President of IPWatchdog.com
• Mathew Littman, Owner of Mathew Littman Company; former Senior Director of Governmental Affairs at Broadcom
• Gwilym Attwell, Principal at Fish & Richardson
• Christopher Marchese, Principal at Fish & Richardson
• Douglas W. Link, Associate at Lathrop & Gage, LLP
• Kerry Taylor, Ph.D., Partner at Knobbe Martens
• Patrick Doody, Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop
• Michael Doyle, Assistant General Counsel of Intellectual Property at CareFusion
• Vera Ranieri, Intellectual Property Attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Robert O'Connell, President at O'Connell Intellectual Property Law, APC; former Vice President of Qualcomm's Patent Counsel Department

SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

7:30 - 8:00       Check-In, Registration, and Breakfast

8:00 - 8:10       Welcoming Remarks

8:15 - 8:30       Dean's Introduction

8:30 - 10:00     Origins of the AIA’s Post Grant Proceedings: Intending to Create                          an Efficient Administrative Invalidity Process

10:00 - 10:15   Break

10:15 - 11:45   PTAB Adjudication Process: Lessons Learned Over Three Years

11:45 - 1:00     Lunch: Interplay of PTAB in District Court in Deciding Validity

1:00 - 2:15       Unintended Consequences of the AIA

2:15 - 2:30       Break

2:30 - 3:45       Stepping into the Future: Advancing Patent Reform with the Industry

3:45 - 4:00       Break

4:00 - 4:45       Presentation of the Student/Faculty Survey Results

4:45 - 5:00       Closing Remarks

5:00 - 6:00       Refreshments

REGISTRATION

Please note: Pre-Registration includes breakfast and box lunch.

• FREE   All students with photo ID (includes from other institutions), TJSL faculty, TJSL staff
• $30     TJSL Alumni, non-seeking MCLE attorneys
• $40     General, non-seeking MCLE attorneys
• $45     MCLE credit
• $15     Sponsor Attendees seeking MCLE
• $40     Walk-ins no lunch guaranteed

Register here.

MCLE AVAILABLE

6 hours General MCLE Credit

Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This program qualifies for Minimum Continuing Legal Education Credit (MCLE) by the State Bar of California.

SPONSORSHIP/ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

Requirements: Must submit camera-ready artwork. Color, JPG or PDF format, 300ppi image resolution recommended. File size must be under 10MB. Please contact Crystal Le at lecn@tjsl.edu for more information.

• $400  Full page ad - 8.5"w x 11"h
• $200  Half page ad - 8.5"w x 5.5"h
• $100  Quarter page ad - 4.25"w x 5.5"h

MORE INFORMATION

Thomas Jefferson School of Law's intellectual property program is the highest in the country offering a concentration, a certificate through CLIP (Center for Law and Intellectual Property), clinics in both patent law and trademarks, and externships with premier intellectual property firms. Named as one of the top schools for intellectual property law and technology law by PreLaw magazine's Winter 2016 edition, the IP program directed by Professor Julie Cromer-Young offers premier IP courses taught by top professors in the industry, and is one of only seventeen schools approved by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) to offer both patent and trademark law clinics.

If you have any questions, please contact Robert Lopez at loperzra@tjsl.edu.

Directions to TJSL

Parking Information

The Center for Criminal Law and Policy promotes study, research, and teaching in the practice of criminal law and in criminal justice policy.  The Center builds on Thomas Jefferson’s history of developing leaders in the criminal bar, including current San Diego County Public Defender Randy Mize, former San Diego County Public Defender Henry C. Coker, and former San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

Our primary goal is to provide a unique program of study for participating Thomas Jefferson students, so that they are prepared to make meaningful contributions to the criminal law from the day they graduate.  We equip our students with the tools they need to succeed in criminal law practice or in policy work on criminal justice issues.  

In addition to our program of study, we organize events about criminal law policy and practice for students, faculty, and the legal community in San Diego.

The Center is overseen by Director Anders Kaye.

The Center houses two different programs for Thomas Jefferson students to engage in the study of criminal law: the Criminal Law Fellowship Program (for students planning to practice criminal law) and the Certificate in Criminal Law and Policy Program (open to all Thomas Jefferson students).

The Criminal Law Fellowship Program

The Criminal Law Fellowship Program is a 3-year program, reserved for promising incoming students with a strong interest in pursuing a career in criminal law.  The program is limited to students who apply and are admitted before their first semester at Thomas Jefferson. 

The program allows Fellows to make criminal law a central part of their law school education, right from the beginning.  During their first semester, Fellows take a specialized legal writing class that focuses on problems involving criminal law and procedure.  In their second semester, Fellows have the opportunity to attend a special 1-unit criminal trial practice seminar, team-taught by leading criminal law practitioners.  During their second and third years, Fellows receive priority registration for criminal law electives at Thomas Jefferson, including specialized trial practice sections focused on criminal law. 

Throughout the program, the Center Directors host special lunch sessions for the Fellows with criminal law practitioners.  These lunch meetings give Fellows the opportunity to learn about different aspects of criminal law practice in an informal setting—from DUI trial defense, to criminal appeals, to prosecuting federal crimes.

The Center for Criminal Law and Policy Certificate Program

The Center for Criminal Law and Policy also oversees a Certificate program.  The Certificate recognizes a student’s achievement and proficiency in the study of criminal law.   

All Thomas Jefferson students with an interest in criminal law (including Criminal Law Fellows) are eligible to enroll and participate in the program.  But, to earn the Certificate in Criminal Law and Policy, students must satisfy a set of rigorous requirements.

These requirements include earning at least 12 units in criminal law electives, completing a substantial writing project on criminal law, and participating in a semester or summer internship or externship related to criminal law. 

If you are a current Thomas Jefferson student who is interested in enrolling in the Certificate program, you can do so here.

Important Certificate in Criminal Law and Policy documents:

• Certificate Requirements

• Event Attendance Log

• Certificate Application (for graduating students)

• Online Enrollment Form (for current students)

• List of Center Courses