Widener Law is launching a new legal online graduate degree aimed at attorneys abroad who want to add a specialty in Delaware corporate law to their skill set.
The LLM will be an entirely online degree earned over four semesters in two years. It is aimed at foreign business lawyers and law graduates from around the world who are engaged in business law careers within government, industry or private practice.
While attorneys with American law degrees are also welcome to enroll, the online format is intended to allow foreign students to advance their expertise in Delaware corporate law without the expense and disruption of travel, according to a Widener release. An LLM is a master of laws degree that is an advanced certification.
“Widener Law is introducing this advanced degree for professionals who want legal skills that will provide a competitive edge in a global economy,” said Associate Professor Paul L. Regan, associate director of Widener’s Institute of Delaware Corporate and Business Law. Regan has been instrumental in the launch of the degree and is serving as academic director of the online corporate LLM program. “Delaware corporate law is effectively the nation’s corporate law and in recent years it has grown increasingly significant internationally for foreign companies and their legal advisors. This online corporate LLM program is an experience Widener is uniquely positioned to provide as Delaware’s law school.”
More than one million business entities call Delaware their legal home, including more than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies and 64 percent of the Fortune 500.
Students will benefit from the resources that go along with Widener’s Institute of Delaware Corporate and Business Law, including full-time faculty and adjunct professors who devote their careers to its daily practice. The program is also expected to include periodic online guest lectures by Delaware judges.
Widener already has the infrastructure in place to deliver the degree electronically, according to the release.
The school moved its entire master of jurisprudence degree program offerings online in the fall of 2012 and added an extra session that began in January to meet student demand.
While the American Bar Association sets limits on how much of a traditional juris doctor degree can be earned online, there are no online limits imposed on LLM degree programs.
For more information about the new program, visit law.widener.edu/onlineLLMcorp.
Widener Law has two locations: the Wilmington, Del. campus on Concord Pike, which opened in 1971, and the Harrisburg, Pa. campus, which opened in 1989. Further information is available at law.widener.edu.
