LLM in Law and Economics

George Mason University School of Law is one of the nation’s leading centers for the study of law and economics. During the past 15 years, George Mason has assembled a distinctive, interdisciplinary faculty, many of whom hold doctorates in economics, philosophy, political science or related fields. The LLM Degree in Law & Economics provides an opportunity to develop an expertise in the skills of economic analysis as they are applied to a variety of legal settings.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Master of Laws (LLM) Degree in Law and Economics offers students unique training in Law and Economics. Students will be selected from the pool of U.S. law school graduates and graduates outside of the U.S. who hold a law degree or its equivalent in education or practical experience.

George Mason University is internationally recognized as a leading center of research in law and economics, constitutional political economy, and public choice theory. George Mason has a distinguished record in the field of law and economics. Since 1987 the Law & Economics Center has been an integral part of George Mason Law School. Our interdisciplinary curriculum is one of the most innovative in the country with emphasis on the legal application of economic methods, intellectual property and technology law.

The LLM in Law and Economics Program is directed by Professor D. Bruce Johnsen, djohnsen@gmu.edu.

The Law School

George Mason in one of the most innovative law schools in the country. Its emphasis on IP, on technology law, on the legal application of economic tools and methods, and on the intensive development of legal research and writing skills have made George Mason the youngest school to enter the First Tier in the influential U.S. News & World Report ranking of law schools. In addition, George Mason was ranked in the top 10 in the nation for faculty quality in law and economics in University of Texas Professor Brian Leiter's study.

The law school is located in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. This location gives students access to year-round employment opportunities in both Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia (the Internet capital of the world), allows the law school to maintain one of the best adjunct faculties in the country, and provides everyone at the law school with a diversity of cultural and social opportunities.

Curriculum

George Mason School of Law offers a wide variety of law and economics courses to its students. Not every course is offered every semester, so be sure to check with the Records Office for a current schedule of courses. A limited number of courses also will be available in the summer.

PLEASE NOTE: The LLM in Law and Economics is not designed to prepare or qualify students who are not graduates of a U.S. law school to engage in the practice of law in the United States or to qualify them to take a bar examination in the United States. 

Sample Schedule for the LLM in Law and Economics

PLEASE NOTE:  We understand that many LLM students will be working during their studies and will not be able to attend class full time.  Since many of our JD students also work during the day, most classes are offered in the evening, and, as many LLM students will want to engage in their studies part-time, we have tried to make the program as flexible as possible to accommodate a wide range of possibilities.

The following sample schedule contains all of the required courses, and it is illustrative of the general order in which LLM students could take the courses. Students are required to finish the program within three years.

Brief Law and Economics course descriptions

Sample Four-Semester Schedule

Year 1, First Semester
CourseCredit Hours
Economic Foundations of Legal Studies I (Law 108) 3[1]
Introduction to U.S. Law 0[2]
Litigation and Dispute Resolution Theory 3
Law & Economics electives 2[3]
Total 8
Year 1, Second Semester
CourseCredit Hours
Advanced Economic Foundations of Legal Studies II (Law 123) 2[1]
Public Choice and Public Law Seminar 3[3]
Law & Economics electives 3[3] [1]
Total 8
Year 2, First Semester
CourseCredit Hours
LL.M. Writing Requirement
(Thesis or Law & Economics seminar or writing course)		 2 or 3
Law & Economics electives 3 or 4[3] [1]
Total 5 or 6
Year 2, Second Semester
CourseCredit Hours
Year 2, Second SemesterCredit Hours
Law and Economics electives 2[3][1]
Unrestricted electives 3 or 4
Total 5 or 6

Total Hours: 26-28

Notes

  1. This requirement will be waived for George Mason School of Law JD graduates who have completed these courses, or others, by successfully taking a proficiency examination or other demonstration of prior academic training satisfactory to the program's academic director.
  2. For students without an American JD. This should involve 2-3 hours of substantive instruction plus 2-3 hours of "laboratory" instruction in U.S. LRWA. No credit is earned toward the LLM, though University credit may be possible as in other proposed "legal studies" offerings (e.g., for MS in E Commerce).
  3. Each candidate must complete either this course or the Public Choice Seminar, which is typically given in the fall semester. Law & Economics Electives:

Other related courses may be substituted with the approval of the Director.

Degree Requirements

In order to remain in the LLM program, the student shall present a cumulative grade point  average of at least 2.15 for all course work taken for which a quality grade (i.e., a grade on the A+ through F scale) was awarded and register for at least two courses each semester, unless granted a leave of absence. In addition to the univesity's standard graduation requirements, the following requirements must be met within three calendar years for a student to receive the LLM degree:

  • Satisfactory completion of no less than 26 credit hours of residential coursework;
  • Completion of all required courses, unless they are waived;
  • Completion of a thesis of publishable quality under the supervision of a thesis committee; or, in the alternative, taking a seminar course (including a writing requirement) or a writing course prescribed in the curriculum.

Faculty

During the past 15 years, George Mason University School of Law has attracted a distinctive, interdisciplinary faculty, many of whom hold doctorates in economics, philosophy, political science, or related fields. Almost all members of the faculty apply the tools of economics or other social sciences to legal problems, and this intellectual orientation pervades the curriculum. Our faculty is among the most prolific in the nation in these fields of research, and our interdisciplinary Program in Law and Economics is probably the most advanced in the profession.

Admission Requirements

  1. Admission to the LLM program is highly competitive. To be admitted to the program, applicants must possess a JD from an ABA-accredited law school or equivalent degree from a law school or other education or experience outside the United States that is deemed acceptable by the director of the LLM program. Applicants will be evaluated primarily on their law school records, as well as on the basis of any other undergraduate or graduate records, but allowances will be made for those with exceptional nonacademic qualification.
  2. No student may be admitted to the LLM program in Law and Economics unless, in addition to other criteria as established by the Admissions Committee of the Law Faculty:
    1. For students with JD degrees earned in the United States: the applicant has a George Mason University School of Law admissions index score within the range of the previous year's class of entering JD students or superior performance (such as a top-10% class ranking at a reputable American law school) in JD studies, as determined by the George Mason Law School Admissions Committee of the Law Faculty.
    2. For students without JD degrees earned in the United States:
      1. The applicant has a current LSAT score within the range of the previous year's class of entering JD students at George Mason University School of Law. Foreign applicants who have not taken the LSAT may substitute other graduate admissions tests, such as the GMAT or the GRE. In exceptional cases applicants who have not taken any equivalent standardized test may present substitute evidence of high intellectual promise, such as a record of academic success, publications in the field, or recommendations from persons highly regarded in the field;
      2. The applicant has demonstrated English language proficiency on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) such that no accommodation to lack of English language skills will be made in either admission or instruction.
      3. Such applicants must be fully licensed to engage in the professional practice of law in a U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdiction at the time of their initial enrollment at GMUSL, or otherwise have demonstrated the possession of legal professional training and qualifications equivalent to a U.S. JD graduate.

LLM Application Process

For information on the application process and a copy of the LLM application, please visit: www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/application_forms, to be found directly below the JD application information. 

Tuition and Fees

For the most current posting of tuition rates for the School of Law, please visit:
budget.gmu.edu
Tuition is updated in mid-May by the university's Board of Visitors and is subject to change at any time.

Contact Us

Prospective applicants who have questions concerning admissions details or the admissions process should contact Katheryn Zupan at (703) 993-8004 or kzupan@gmu.edu.