LL.M. in Foundations of American Law

Build Upon Your Knowledge of the U.S. Legal System

The Master of Laws in Foundations of American Law program is limited to graduates or current students of Handong International Law School (HILS) or other HILS-registered international students. You will enjoy a rigorous academic experience focused on subjects typically tested on American bar exams. Courses generally address topics tested on the Uniform Bar Examination* and are presented from a Christian worldview. Students are responsible for meeting jurisdiction of interest admission requirements. For those not associated with HILS but interested in American law, check out Regent’s LL.M. in American Legal Studies.

Locations: On Campus, Online

Total Credit Hours: 30

Next Session Start: February 10, 2025

Expand Your Focus

Develop a specialization in American law and be challenged to excel in this area of interest.

Benefits of Earning Your LL.M.

Get the credentials you need to advance your legal career while refining your English proficiency and networking with legal professionals.

Learn from Internationally Recognized Professors

Be mentored by faculty members from some of the United States’ finest schools, including Harvard, Yale, Duke, and the University of Virginia.

*Students are responsible to research bar requirements for their jurisdiction. Requirements may change at any time, so continue to check with your jurisdiction until graduation. Click here to access the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, which provides annually updated information on bar admission requirements in all U.S. jurisdictions, including a directory of state bar admission agencies.

Please contact us below to learn more about this program.

Office of Law Admissions & Financial Aid
lawschool@regent.edu
Phone: 757.352.4584
Toll-Free: 877.267.5072

Career Opportunities

On completing the LL.M. in Foundations of American Law program, you can:

Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of law in the United States.
Analyze the influences of law, policy, and government around the globe.
Research and provide persuasive written and oral legal arguments.
Apply principles of American law and legal reasoning.

Career Opportunities

Corporate Law
Nonprofit Law
Private Practice
International Advocacy Administration
Consulting

Featured Courses

Featured Courses
Code	Name	Credits
LAW 602	Business Structures & Agency	3	Survey of the law of agency and partnerships, corporations and other business structures. Study of: the law governing formation, control, liabilities, property, dissolution and disposition of partnerships; internal and external relations of partners; and close and public corporations, their origins, structure, rights and liabilities of management and shareholders. J.D. student prerequisites: LAW 521 and 522. LAW 541, 542, 551, and 554 are recommended but not required.
LAW 621	Sales	2	Study of the law governing commercial transactions with primary focus on sales (Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), leases (Article 2A of the UCC) and the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). J.D. student prerequisites: LAW 521 and 522.
LAW 622	Secured Transactions	3	Thorough study of the basic concepts of secured transactions (Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code) including scope, attachment, priority, perfection and remedies on default, plus an introduction to relevant bankruptcy concepts. J.D. student prerequisites: LAW 521, 522, 561 and 562. LAW 621 is recommended but not required.
LAW 661	Family Law	3	General introduction to the law and legal regulation of family associations. Focuses on the relationships of husband and wife, parent and child and, in that context, assists in developing a thorough understanding of biblical, historic and contemporary legal principles and rules governing the family and other intimate relationships. Probes contemporary topics related to law and the family in light of current legal and cultural settings. J.D. student prerequisites: LAW 521, 522, 561 and 562.
LAW 813	Foundations of Legal Thought	3	The philosophical and theological sources and nature of American law including select substantive legal issues.
LAW 814	American Legal System & Writing	3	American legal system and skills necessary to succeed in that system, including reading cases and statutes, analyzing legal issues, and researching selected topics of American law. Course culmination is a legal research paper.
LAW 815	Advanced Torts	2	Civil liability resulting from breach of duties arising under common law; intentional, negligence and strict liability torts and theories of liability and recovery; defamation, interference with contract, and strict products liability.
LAW 826	Professional Responsibility	3	Authority and duties of lawyers in the practice of their profession as advocate, mediator and counselor, and of their responsibility to God, government, courts, bar and to their clients. The course focuses on the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct and relevant state professional codes of professional responsibility.
LAW 831	Constitutional Criminal Procedure	4	Study of limitations imposed on law enforcement activities by the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution as applied to the States via the 14th Amendment. Procedurally, the course considers the criminal justice process from the investigation through arrest and initial court appearance.
LAW 851	Civil Procedure I	3	Jurisdiction of federal and state courts and fundamental issues related to a plaintiff’s ability to sue a defendant in a specific federal district, including subject matter jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction and venue.
LAW 861	Advanced Property	3	The law pertaining to the nature of private property, both real and personal, including biblical principles relevant to property acquisition and ownership, personal property issues, donative transfers, the common law classification of estates and future interests, and concurrent estates. The law and biblical principles pertaining to the acquisition, ownership and use of real property; landlord-tenant law; easements; covenants and servitudes; transfers of interests in real property, including an examination of merchantable title, deeds, legal descriptions, conveyancing, recording systems and title assurance, adverse possession, and land use controls.
LAW 962	Trusts & Estates	3	Introduction to the basis legal principles of intestate succession; to the execution, construction, revocation and interpretation of wills; to the creation of trusts; to the fiduciary administration of trusts and estates; and to the acquisition of the basic legal principles of transferring family wealth.
LAW BBT	Online Orientation		Required for online students only during first semester of enrollment. Acquaints students to Canvas, the platform for online classes.

Related Programs

“I would put Regent up against the finest law schools. Regent provided me with a top-notch legal education. Quality academic instruction is required of any law school, but Regent went a step further by providing faculty and staff who genuinely cared for and supported the students.”

Teresa Hammons, J.D., 1988

“The Regent Mentoring Program has been a great experience both in my law school career and beyond. My mentor is Ashley Warner, and we met at the end of my 1L summer. Ashley provided great insight and encouragement regarding the challenges of law school. We stayed in touch after our initial meeting and I interned at the same firm where she practiced during the summer after my 2L year. After graduation from Regent Law, I practiced law at that same firm.”

Stockton Brown, Mentoring Program Mentee

“At Regent, I became interested in issues of social justice. A big part of my calling is really around leveraging the market to do good. I believe if God is leading students here, He will open the door to a meaningful role where they are making a difference in people’s lives.”

Kyle Westaway, J.D., 2006 Lecturer, Harvard Law; Managing Partner, Westaway Brooklyn, New York

“The program at Regent is incredibly rigorous — but it's just a wonderful environment to learn and grow, and it's been invaluable in my life.”

Katherine Nace, J.D., 2015

“As part of its overt and clear commitment to raise up Christian leaders to change the world, Regent provides an environment that encourages its students to abide in Christ; but it will also take your active commitment to abide in Christ for your legal calling to truly be fulfilled in your life.”

Bobby Maddox, J.D., 2001