Master of Laws

For Corporate Governance and Practice students would need to take both Seminar I and Seminar II. Strongly encouraged, but optional (required for the New York Bar): Advanced Legal Writing

You are welcome and encouraged to take classes offered by other schools and departments at Stanford University outside of Stanford Law School.

You may count a maximum of 9 units of non-law classes towards your L.L.M. degree. However, if you are planning to seek admission to the New York Bar, you should ensure that you have taken at least 32 units at the law school. If a non-law course is on this list opens in a new tab, it has been pre-approved for law credit. If not, you will need to complete a petition for non-law credit. You can find physical copies of this petition in the Registrar’s office and digital copies on the Registrar’s website opens in a new tab.

You can find descriptions and schedules for all Stanford classes at https://navigator.stanford.edu/classes opens in a new tab and you may browse syllabi for many of those courses at http://syllabus.stanford.edu opens in a new tab. Please refer to individual course descriptions for more information on prerequisites, suggested background prior to enrolling, and enrollment restrictions. Note that individual departments and schools set their own requirements for cross-registration.

Other courses both inside and outside the Law School are recommended for LLM ELP students. A list of these courses was provided to all LLM ELP students and is available from the Office of International Graduate Programs. While additional courses both inside and outside the Law School are recommended for LLM ELP students, they do not count toward the required four focal classes. A list of these courses was provided to all LLM ELP students and is available from the Office of International Graduate Programs.

The 6 units for Introduction to American Law and Professional Responsibility count towards your total unit minimum/maximum, but are not counted as part of the Fall Quarter unit distribution.

Strongly encouraged, but optional (required for taking the New York Bar**)

• Advanced Legal Writing – 3 units (Fall, Winter, or Spring)

One advanced Legal Writing course (any SLS course with a “ALW”) is required for the New York Bar, but IELBP LLM students can opt out with the permission of the Teaching Fellow.

Some of the courses listed above in the Additional Required Course list may have prerequisites or are subject to limited enrollment, requiring you to lottery for the class or otherwise obtain the instructor’s consent. LL.M. students will receive further information about SLS lottery and consent information from the Admissions and/or the Registrar’s Office.

All IELBP LL.M. students will have the opportunity to take additional courses of interest offered by SLS. Those LL.M. students considering taking the California or New York State Bar should note specific requirements for applying to the bar in those jurisdictions.

**For those taking the Bar Exam, the Associate Dean of Students will confirm New York or California bar course requirements for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Associate Dean will send a communication to all LLM students before they leave their home countries about information that might be useful for them to know in advance.
The SLS Website provides Bar Exam information for foreign students who obtain an LLM in the United States, available through this link opens in a new tab.

Classes Outside the Law School

You are welcome to take non-law classes, e.g., those offered by the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and other schools and departments (Economics, Political Science etc.). You may count a maximum of 9 quarter units of non-law classes towards your LL.M. degree. Note the SLS Student Handbook rules regarding “Cross Registration in Other Schools and Departments of the University.”

For those taking the Bar Exam, you must confirm with the Associate Dean of Students the maximum number of non-law classes allowed by the bar examiners.

To take non-law classes for law credit, you must have approval from the IELBP Teaching Fellow and the Registrar’s Office. You can find SLS Approved Non-Law Courses at https://law.stanford.edu/nl-course opens in a new tab. If the course you are interested in is not listed as an approved non-law course, you must submit a petition to the Petitions Committee (via the Registrar’s Office) to take the course. You can find physical copies of this petition in the Registrar’s Office and digital copies on the Registrar’s website.

You can find descriptions and schedules for all Stanford classes at https://navigator.stanford.edu/classes opens in a new taband you may browse syllabi for many of those courses at http://syllabus.stanford.edu opens in a new tab. Please refer to individual course descriptions for more information on prerequisites, suggested background prior to enrolling, and enrollment restrictions. Please note that individual departments and schools set their own requirements for cross-registration, but your Teaching Fellow can advise you on how to pursue these offerings.

Note these requirements are subject to revision. Confirmed guidance respecting course selection is distributed to students at the start of the academic year.

LLM LST students who intend to take the New York Bar also must take an advanced legal writing course that has been pre-approved for the New York Bar, such as Advanced Legal Writing: Business Transactions or Advanced Legal Writing: American Practice. For a complete list of pre-approved advanced legal writing courses and other eligibility requirements, please refer to the New York Bar Exam section of this SLS Student Handbook. In addition to these required courses, a number of others are recommended for all LLM LST students. A list of these courses was provided to all LLM LST students prior to enrollment and is available from the Office of International Graduate Programs.