Yale University

 

 

Location: New Haven, Connecticut    

 

 

Study Programs and general Academic Information:

 

The university is known for specializing in Public Law (Including Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, International Law and more), Law History, Philosophy and Law and Law and Technology.  

Yale offers a general LL.M Program in which every student can build his own program to fit his goals and preferences- Yale encourages students to work to tailor their program to their exact needs. It is important to note that the LL.M Program is open almost exclusively to students committed to a career in teaching law. The LL.M program is relatively small, and allows only about 25 students a year (it seems like Yale tends to accept at least 1-2 Israeli students every year, in average)

 

The LL.M Program is 1-year long, during which each student is required to complete 24 academic units, out of which at least 18 are required to be from regular course and seminar offerings. Up to 6 units can be earned in other schools and department at Yale University.

 

Recommended Lecturers and Courses:

• Prof. Michael Reisman (International Law)

• Prof. James Silk (Human Rights Law)

• Prof. Edward Wittenstein (Cyber Law)

• Prof. Samuel Moyn (Human Rights Law, History of Law)

• Prof. Lea Brilmayer (International Law)

• Prof. Guido Calabresi (Tort Law)

• Prof. Amy Kapczynski (Global Health, International Intellectual Property Law)

• Prof. Issa Kohler-Hausmann (Sociology and Law)

• Prof. Alice Miller (Gender and Law, Public Health)

• Prof. Robert Post (Constitutional Law)

• Prof. Tom Tyler (Criminal Law)

• Prof. Gideon Yaffe (Criminal Law)

• Prof. Taisu Zheng (Property Law)

• Prof. Paul Khan (Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law)

• Prof. Jack Balkin (Constitutional Law, Technology Law)

 

Admission information:

 

Admission usually starts on August 1st and ends on December 1st. As always, it is recommended to check the university website for the current updated information on this matter.

 

For admission a student must provide:

• Transcripts and diplomas

• TOEFL score

• Resume

• 2-4 letters of recommendation, preferably from faculty members familiar with your work. It is possible to substitute one letter from an employer in the relevant field.  

• Essay questions- you will need to supply 2 short essays- one of up to 350 concerning why do you seek admission to the Yale LL.M program, and your plans for teaching after graduating, and a second essay of up to 500 words concerning you scholarly research agenda for the near future, and the most important legal issues in you chosen field of interest.

 

Admission fee- 75$

 

Note that it is Mandatory to use the LSAC service for transferring all documents and letters of recommendations to Yale.

Also note that all transcripts and diplomas and letters of recommendation must be translated to English by a certified translator if not already written in English and submitted with the original-language versions.

 

Scholarships and Financial Aid:

 

Tuition, together with other university charges is about 62,000$ a year. Together with accommodation and personal expenses one should expect about 85,000$ all in all. Therefor it is highly recommended to apply for different scholarships. Yale currently offers several different scholarships and financial aid programs, as can be seen on the Yale University website. It is also recommended to look into the Fulbright and Fischman scholarships.

 

Housing, living expenses and other student life information: 

 

While Yale offers several housing options, most law students tend to live off-campus. New Haven is a relatively small town, so finding an apartment near the Law School shouldn’t be hard. It is recommended to look for an apartment either downtown or East Rock (mostly recommended for families). The average rent is around 700-1100$ for a room in a shared apartment, and 1200-1500 for studio apartments and complete apartments (1-2 bedrooms).

New Haven has a relatively large Jewish community, and there are many kosher shops and restaurants, plus a Chabad house and Hillel.