In partnership with the Shanghai Bar Association (SBA), Chicago-Kent College of Law offers four law courses as part of an Overseas Training Program for Chinese lawyers. Students start the program in Shanghai, and if they successfully complete all four courses and are approved by our faculty for admission to the LL.M. program in International and Comparative Law, they can complete the LL.M. degree in Chicago. Students have the option of remaining in Chicago for a third semester of study at reduced tuition cost.
Admission to the Overseas Training Program requires a first degree in law from a Chinese law school, and evidence of some proficiency in English, however students are not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score in order to start the program in Shanghai. The SBA will coordinate registration for the Overseas Training Program.
All students are required to complete an Intensive English Preparation Course offered by the SBA prior to the start of the Overseas Training Program, and any students who are subsequently admitted to the LL.M. program will be required to attend a Legal English course offered at Chicago-Kent College of Law prior to the start of law classes in the Fall semester. Waivers from the Legal English class will be done on a case-by-case basis and will require submission of acceptable TOEFL (600/250/100) or IELTS (6.5) scores.
Courses offered as part of the Overseas Training Program may include Introduction to the American Legal System, Introduction to Legal Research and Writing, International Business Transactions, Overview of Intellectual Property Law, Business Organizations, Comparative Law and International Capital Markets.
Students attending the Overseas Training Program will be graded by Chicago-Kent faculty on a 4.0 scale, and will be required to earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.7, calculated after the third course is completed, in order to be eligible for admission to the LL.M. program. All students who complete the Overseas Training Program will receive a Certificate of Completion, even if they are not admitted to the LL.M program.
