LL.M. Graduation Requirements

In order to receive an LL.M. degree, you must complete 36 units of courses over a two-to-three year period. These courses are broken down into core courses and elective courses. Core courses are those courses that students have to take in order to graduate, whereas elective courses are those courses that you can choose based on the area of law in which you want to work after graduating.

In setting the LL.M. curriculum, Pericles has worked closely with American and West European law firms and companies operating in Russia. The curriculum is designed to teach the skills and knowledge that those law firms want to see in their associates and which those companies want to see in their in-house counsel and in the law firms they retain. Thus, the main aim of the program is to make Pericles LL.M. graduates competitive for the top legal jobs in Russia. Many graduates might also be able to qualify to practice law in the United States after this degree, but we advise that those whose main aim is to practice in the U.S. should consider studying in the U.S. rather than studying abroad.

The Pericles LL.M. program is mandated to provide practical legal education. As such, most of our law professors have experience working in the international legal arena, in Russia and elsewhere.

You must complete 36 units of courses over a two to three year period, with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above (on a scale of 0-4) in order to earn the degree. All Core Courses must be completed with a grade of 2.0 or above. Most of you will finish core courses within the first year of the program. Sixteen units of elective courses must be chosen. Elective courses may be taken at Pericles or at approved American law school programs. Although not all these courses will be available each year, best efforts will be made to provide those courses which you find most interesting. Below you will find a list of Core Courses and Elective Courses that you can take at Pericles, as well as Elective Courses that you can take at other participating universities.

Core Courses: you are required to take these seven courses in order to graduate and receive an LL.M. degree from Pericles. You are required to take Legal Writing I and Intro to American Law in your first semester. You are required to take Legal Writing II during your second semester.

• Legal Writing I (2)
• Legal Writing II (Legal Research) (2)
• Professional Responsibility (3)
• Contract Law (4)
• Business Organizations (3)
• Intro. to European Union Law (3)
• Intro to American Law (3)

Elective Courses: you may choose from among these courses, and others that may be offered from time-to-time.

• Accounting for Lawyers (2)
• International Business Transactions (3)
• American Constitutional Law (3)
• Mergers and Acquisitions (2)
• Antitrust and Competition Law (3)
• Negotiations for Lawyers (2)
• Banking and Financial Institutions (3)
• Oil and Gas Law (2)
• Business Basics for Lawyers (2)
• Property Law (3)
• Commercial Law (UCC) (3)
• Securities Regulation (3)
• Contract Drafting (2)
• Taxation (US Domestic & Int’l) (4)
• Debtor Creditor Law and Secured Transactions (3)
• Telecommunications Regulation (2)
• Evidence and Civil Procedure (3)
• Torts (3)
• Environmental Law (3)
• Trial Advocacy (2)
• Intellectual Property Law (3)
• WTO Law (2)
• United States Immigration Law (3)
• Transactional Lawyering (3)