LL.M. in International Trade and Business LawIn addition to the outstanding Juris Doctor (J.D.) program, the College of Law offers a graduate law program in international trade law. The Master of Laws in International Trade (LL.M.) Program, offered by the College of Law in coordination with the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade, began enrolling students in the Fall of 1994. The LL.M. Program provides candidates with the theoretical and practical knowledge required to understand current developments in the areas of international trade and commercial law, particularly with regard to Western Hemisphere free trade and economic integration.

LL.M. candidates must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours for the degree. Approximately one third of the curriculum is devoted to “core” courses in international trade and investment law and international commercial law. Another one third are drawn from the College of Law’s general curriculum, in areas such as corporate law, administrative law, antitrust law or environmental law. The final third is derived from direct research and writing at the National Law Center, with students participating in the various legal research, analysis and drafting projects undertaken by the National Law Center. Current projects include the development of an electronic commercial registry; comparison of and suggestions for harmonization of transportation documentation, state environmental legislation and customs procedures; and consideration of common rules for recognition of judgments, among others, all with principal focus on this hemisphere. The Center’s methodology contemplates analysis of the various laws and regulations as written, the “living law” – how the law operates in practice – consultation with government and private experts as to what changes are needed, and drafting of new legislation, regulations or uniform rules. LL.M. candidates participate in all aspects of these projects, including on-site research, analysis and writing of reports.

For additional information on the LL.M. program, including admission information, visit the LLM International Trade and Business Law web site or contact:

Director of Graduate Studies in Law
The University of Arizona College of Law
P.O. Box 210176
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0176
(520) 621-9475

Email: gantz@law.arizona.edu

The National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade The National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade was founded in 1992 and is a non-profit research and educational institution affiliated with The University of Arizona. The Center seeks to develop the legal infrastructure necessary to facilitate the movement of goods, services and investment capital in the Western Hemisphere. The Center conducts comparative legal and transactional studies of the disparate laws, practices and attitudes among countries of the Western Hemisphere desiring to participate in a free trade area. The Center’s various projects serve to identify and eliminate the structural legal obstacles to free trade through the harmonization of commercial laws and practice, and the standardization of legal documentation.