Global Business and Financial Law (J.D./LL.M.)
Enrollment in the joint J.D./LL.M. in Global Business and Financial Law program enables a student to obtain an LL.M. in Global Business and Financial Law within one semester after receiving the J.D. degree.
Deregulation of financial services, tax reforms, globalization, technology, and revolutionary market forces have created an environment in which attorneys must broaden their knowledge and sharpen their skills to handle the range of legal and related issues arising in the new and evolving financial services industry.
The LLM. in Global Business and Financial Law program offers students a unique opportunity to broaden their understanding of the principles underlying increasingly complex financial systems and services. By enrolling in the joint-degree program, J.D. students can complete up to half of the credits for the LL.M. degree while finishing their J.D.
Program Overview
Enrollment in the joint J.D./LL.M. in Global Business and Financial Law program enables a student to obtain an LL.M. in Global Business and Financial Law within one semester after receiving the J.D. degree.
Career Opportunities
Financial services lawyers can be found in law firms and private industry as well as in government departments and agencies such as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency at the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Federal Reserve Banks.
Areas of focus within financial services law include securities regulation and transactions; futures, derivative, and swap regulations and transactions; banking regulation and transactions; and investment advisor regulation.
Possible jobs include:
- Administrative law judge
- Compliance officer
- In-house counsel
- Government attorney
- Law firm associate or partner
While completing a J.D. degree, the joint-degree candidate must take Law 361: Securities Regulation for J.D. credit. As a J.D. student, the joint degree candidate may take no more than 12 LL.M. credits, which will count toward the hours required for the J.D. degree.
After earning the J.D. degree, the student will take additional LL.M. courses until 24 LL.M credits have been successfully completed, including the LL.M. courses taken as a J.D. student and the mandatory 3-credit Independent Research paper.
To receive the LL.M. degree, the student must complete the 24 LL.M. financial services credits within a six-year period and must attain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.000 for all LL.M. courses taken, including those taken while a J.D. student.
Chicago-Kent College of Law J.D. students may enroll in the program after completing Law 276: Personal Income Tax and Law 409: Business Organizations. To enroll, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.200 in the J.D. program, or receive the permission of the program director.
In the final semester of the J.D. program, joint-degree students must complete an application for the J.D./LL.M. in Global Business and Financial Law program.