The environmental law LLM is a graduate-level degree. LLM students have already earned a three-year Juris Doctor (JD), the standard law degree that all aspiring attorneys must finish before they can practice law. JD graduates can practice environmental law without having LLM degrees; however, some individuals choose to pursue LLM degrees because they can take additional, higher-level courses on the subject than those generally offered as part of law schools' standard curricula. Most law schools require completion of a JD program before students can enroll in LLM programs, but Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, does allow prospective students to apply for a joint JD and LLM program through which they can study for both degrees concurrently.
Not every law school offers an option to complete an environmental law LLM degree. Interested individuals should check the availability of the degree at specific law schools where they wish to attend. "U.S. News and World Report," which ranks American law schools annually, compiles a specialized ranking of top environmental law programs in the United States. In 2010, the magazine ranked the ten best environmental law programs, in this order: Vermont Law School; Lewis & Clark Law School; the University of California, Berkeley; Pace University in White Plains, New York; Florida State University in Tallahassee; Georgetown University in Washington D.C.; the University of Colorado in Boulder; Stanford University in Stanford, California; the University of Oregon in Eugene; New York University in New York City; and the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Law schools generally require enrollment for one year, or the equivalent of two full-time semesters, to complete the coursework for the LLM degree in environmental law. The LLM curriculum varies by law school, but students generally take advanced-level classes in environmental law and other areas of law related to environmental studies. Topics may include administrative law studies as related to environmental law, environmental science, ecology, natural resources, and federal laws related to environmental issues. Law schools may also require participation in graduate-level seminars and the completion of a thesis project or research project.
Law schools promote the LLM degree as a way to develop expertise in environmental law. Successful graduates often obtain specialized positions within environmental law departments at law firms. Other LLM alumni may choose to pursue employment with government agencies, public-policy think tanks or universities. The LLM degree may also improve the credentials of candidates who wish to become professors and teach environmental law in the future.