LLM Degree Program

Small Business Practice LLM

The LLM degree or Master of Laws is a graduate law degree program generally designed for attorneys who want to gain expertise in a specialized area of law. The Concord Small Business Practice LLM was developed for practicing lawyers and recent law graduates who seek an in-depth and practical focus on the issues facing their small business clients.

The Small Business Practice LLM degree is a 24-unit, part-time program. Students take courses developed and taught by both practitioners and academics, all of which emphasize issues that are unique or especially important to start-up enterprises and small firms. With the practical, focused knowledge they receive and the credential they earn, graduates should become more competitive in providing legal services and greatly expand the reach and quality of their legal services to small businesses.

LLM program courses

The courses are offered in 15-week terms. LLM students are generally expected to take two courses per term. The core two-credit required courses are:

Structure and Governance of Small Firms and Other Closely-Held Business Organizations
Leasing Commercial Real Estate
Business Torts
Franchises and Distributorships
Regulation and Finance in Starting and Growing a Small Business
Employee Management and Benefits I and II
Electronic Contracting and E-Commerce
Protecting and Selling Intellectual Property
Taxation of Small Businesses and Succession Planning
Creditor and Bankruptcy Rights of Sole Proprietors and Small Firms
Law Practice Management

The LLM program is open to lawyers who have a JD or LLB from a law school in the United States or have earned a first (basic) law degree from a law school outside the United States. Applicants who have completed their J.D. or equivalent degree study outside the United States will have their study evaluated by a credential evaluation service and must demonstrate English proficiency by a TOEFL score of 550/213/80 or higher and through the interview and application process. Lawyers must be in good standing with each state bar in which they are a member.

The admissions process includes completing an online application, submitting relevant transcripts and bar certificates of good standing, as well as an interview with the program director.