Introduction to American Law for LLMs

In order to prepare to take the New York Bar, foreign LLM students are required to take an introductory course in American law. This course provides an introduction to aspects of American law and the U.S. legal system which may be unfamiliar to these students. The course will examine the structure of U.S. law, including the role of precedent in the common law and relationship between the common law, statutory law, the Constitution, and treaties. It will also examine the federal system and attempt to explain the function of state law in this system. The role of the lawyer in the American legal system will be a continuing theme. Attention will be given to the twin concepts of private law and public law and students will learn about American property rights and tort law. The purpose of the course is not to provide an in-depth understanding of any particular area of substantive law but rather to provide LLM students with a broad overview of U.S. law and the U.S. legal system.