The Latin American & International Law concentration is an interdisciplinary program encompassing a broad range of topics. The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows students to see current issues and future directions of international and comparative law in economic, political, and social contexts. Faculty members are unparalleled in the breadth and depth of their engagement and knowledge. Our robust curricular offerings include human rights, immigration, arbitration, tax, and public international law. The program offers students the flexibility to design a program that complements their academic and professional interests. Clinics specializing in Civil Rights, Human Rights, Immigration, and Transnational Worker Rights give students the opportunity to learn firsthand through cases and projects how to integrate theory, skills, strategy, and law.
Students in the Latin American & International Law concentration often choose to pursue a Certificate in Latin American Studies through the University’s Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies (LLILAS). LLILAS is an interdisciplinary program that integrates more than 30 academic departments and some 160 faculty across the university. Students can take courses in art, anthropology, economics, history, literature, politics, public policy, and sociology. Students can earn a Certificate in Latin American Studies from LLILAS (in addition to the LL.M. degree from the Law School) by completing at least six credits through LLILAS.
This concentration is open to students with a foreign law degree and students with a J.D.
Additionally, students have access to programs and centers at Texas Law. The Institute for Transnational Law coordinates the Law School’s programs, resources, and events relevant to the areas of international and comparative law. In the rapidly expanding discipline of international law, the Texas International Law Journal (TILJ) helps readers stay abreast and informed of recent developments and new scholarship by providing access to leading international legal, theoretical, and policy analysis.
Alumni Juan Lozada (LL.M. ’18) said “I chose the International & Latin American Law Concentration because I am an asylum attorney and many of my clients are from Latin America, so having the chance to look at Latin America from the point of view of a talented journalist, a respected historian, and four world-renowned human right advocates, was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Needless to say, the experience made me a better and more well-rounded advocate for my clients.”
Internal Scholarships
- Good Neighbor Scholarship (separate application required and March deadline)
- Tuition Assistance for Mexican Students (separate application required and April deadline)
Visit Scholarship Opportunities for more information.
General Requirements
- A total of 24 credit hours that must be completed in one academic year (fall and spring term).
- 12 concentration-specific credit hours (see below).
- A three-credit writing seminar or a two-credit directed research paper (30-40 double-spaced pages).
- Constitutional Law for Foreign Lawyers (This is a requirement for students with a foreign law degree. Students with a background in common law may request a waiver from this requirement.)
- Non-U.S. J.D. students planning to take a U.S. state bar exam must also complete certain bar-required courses as part of their LL.M. degree program to be eligible to take the bar examination.
Concentration Requirements
Law School Concentration Requirements
LL.M. students have two options with respect to the concentration.
Option 1: Concentration 12 credits in Latin American, international and/or comparative law courses. At least one course must be in Latin American law and one course must be in international law.
Options 2: Concentration plus LLILAS Certificate: 12 credits in Latin American, international and/or comparative law courses (including 6 credits of graduate-level courses from LLILAS – either LAL or LAS courses 300 level and above). Requires: Public International Law.
Certificate in Latin American Studies from LLILAS
- 6 credits (of the required 12 credits) in graduate-level courses through LLILAS. LL.M. students must enroll in the LLILAS section, with the LAS in the course title.
Sample Courses
- Immigration
- Introduction to European Union Law
- International Business Litigation
- International Business Transactions
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Criminal Law
- International Human Rights Law
- International Human Rights Litigation
- International Investor/State Arbitration
- International Petroleum Transactions
- International Tax
- International Trade
- Legal Research, Advanced: Foreign & International Law
- Public International Law
- Terror & Consent: Constitutional & International Law
- Clinic: Human Rights
- Clinic: Immigration
- Clinic: Transnational Worker Rights
- Seminar: Citizenship
- Seminar: Comparative Judicial Politics
- Seminar: Corporate & International Finance & Governance
- Seminar: Human Rights & Inequality: Law & the Production of Inequality
- Seminar: International Business Litigation
- Seminar: International Human Rights, Anti-Impunity & Criminal Law
- Seminar: Law & Justice
- Seminar: Law of United States-Mexico Border
- Seminar: Maritime Law: Commercial Problems
- Seminar: Transactional Class Actions
Note: The sample courses listed above are sample course offerings only and are not necessarily offered every term. Past, current, and future courses can be accessed on the Law School’s Course Schedule. Clinics are competitive and require an application.