Czech English Announcement

For Lawyers and Business Administration Professionals
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Announces
LL.M Program in Athens, Greece and afterwards in Chicago, Illinois, USA
with 75% and 100% Guaranteed Tuition Scholarships
(admission without TOEFL or IELTS exam)

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Tech – USA based Law School along with School of American Law announces two interlinked programs with guaranteed 75% and 100% tuition scholarships for lawyers, attorneys, last year law students, professionals in business administration and professionals on leadership positions from Czech Republic:

  1. School of American Law SAL Program in Athens, Greece and afterwards
  2. LL.M Program in Chicago, IL, USA.

School of American Law in Athens is hosted by Nomiki Bibliothiki Athinon (www.nb.org). SAL Program covers two semesters in Athens, Greece: January – May 2021 (the first semester) and October – December 2021 (the second semester). Two semesters include ten mandatory courses conducted in English and delivered solely by Chicago-Kent Professors visiting from USA & UK. Ten mandatory courses cover contemporary subjects: International Business Transactions, E-Commerce, Online Contracting, Antitrust Law, IP Asset Management, Global Intellectual Property Law, Trademark Law, Comparative Law, Introduction to American Legal Systems, Legal Writing, Secured Transactions, Business Organizations, Corporate Finance, Global Trade Law.

 Learning mode is only one or two courses per month (five courses per semester) covering only weekends through 6-hour lecture. In total, 5 weekends will be covered each semester, besides, pre-class readings and after-class exam submission shall be expected from students. Due to the travel restrictions and post-travel quarantine requirements, currently we are keeping our classes online. Namely, our weekend classes are offered as hybrid learning mode with live and digitally or fully digitally represented lectures. As soon as schools will be allowed to gather, we will switch back to our normal teaching mode – in-person class mode, welcome students back in classrooms and invite our professors from Chicago to teach. For SAL students living outside Greece, blended structure will be maintained anyway, allowing them to take 5 classes out of 10 online.

After completing SAL Program, graduates continue LL.M education at Chicago-Kent in Chicago, IL, USA. Master’s study at Chicago-Kent is finished with earning LL.M in U.S., International and Transnational Law in one semester (five months) instead of regular one academic year. This is a legal study for postgraduate academic degree duration of which is five months for SAL Graduates. For graduates who held SAL Certificate, LL.M degree in Chicago is earned by completing one semester full time study, meanwhile, they may choose to continue another semester at Chicago-Kent for continuation their educational (Ph.D.) and professional (BAR exam) achievement.

SAL and LL.M Program graduates will receive:

  1. After graduating SAL Program in Athens, Greece – Certificate of Completion of School of American Law. Certificate will be issued by SAL and Chicago-Kent jointly and signed by the Dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law and Head of SAL Program;
  2. After graduating Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Tech – LL.M Diploma from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Tech.

 Our Program Advantages

  • Blended structure allowing to complete SAL Program and earn part of the LL.M credits in Athens, Greece without leaving current jobs by attending combined intensive five live courses and five online courses;
  • TOEFL Waiver for SAL & Chicago-Kent’s LL.M applications, i.e., applications submitted without TOEFL or IELTS exam;
  • Preferential and immediate Admission to Chicago-Kent’s LL.M program after completion SAL;
  • Earning M in U.S., International and Transnational Law at Chicago-Kent in one semester instead of one academic year;
  • Guaranteed 75% and 100% LL.M tuition scholarships;
  • Opportunity for lawyer-SAL Graduates to earn LL.M degree within two semesters in the most demanding directions: M in Trial Advocacy, LL.M in International Intellectual Property Law, LL.M in Financial Service Law, LL.M in Legal Innovation & Technology. The specialized LL.M programs require the first semester begin in the fall term at Chicago-Kent. A spring start at Chicago-Kent is not possible for the specialized LL.M. programs; non-lawyer SAL graduates can earn LL.M degree only in U.S., International and Transnational Law;
  • After completing master’s study at Chicago-Kent, graduates may continue Doctoral study (Ph.D./SJD) with guaranteed 50%-75% tuition scholarships;
  • Affordable tuition payment plan within three or more installments while studying at SAL & Chicago-Kent;
  • Deferring Chicago-Kent’s LL.M Admission during the next three academic years; SAL Graduates interested in earning LL.M. in S., International and Transnational Law can start their LL.M study any semester – either spring or fall term and finish that in one semester or two semesters;
  • On-campus & off-campus employment opportunities in the USA;
  • Access to externships and internships in the USA;
  • The world best location – downtown campus of Chicago-Kent is located in the heart of Chicago – one of the nation’s top legal & financial markets;
  • Development a strong professional network, foster connections with a diverse community of professionals across the USA will be an invaluable resource for locating prospective employers and clients.

 Program impact on applicants’ career

  • In past years, after graduation Chicago-Kent LL.M program, graduates have continued career building in the different states of USA by passing US Bar exam and applying for OPT (permission to work for one year in the USA);
  • Others have returned to the practice of law in their respective countries with a better understanding of contemporary law and the ability to work better with international, European and US lawyers, law firms and government agencies.  Most of them are immediately promoted and integrated into leading business industries or top law firms;
  • In any case, the knowledge obtained, and the network developed in Chicago through the both Chicago-Kent and SAL programs continue to have enormous personal and professional value and impact.

 Scholarships & Tuition Fee

  • Due to the recession, tuition fee for SAL Program was decreased to EUR 5 900. Tuition is payable in three or more installments;
  • For SAL Graduates, tuition fee for LL.M at Chicago-Kent amounts to USD 10 000 instead of regular USD 44 000 after guaranteed 75% scholarship; payment for LL.M study shall be made at Chicago-Kent after Students’ arrivals in Chicago in several installments;
  • Full (100%) tuition scholarship for LL.M study is established by Chicago-Kent College of Law. To qualify for the scholarship, students must maintain minimum 3.8 final GPA at SAL. The Dean of Chicago-Kent and Head of SAL Worldwide will review applications from students who meet that condition and select the most qualified student;
  • Tuition fee for the optional second semester at Chicago-Kent College of Law (for both optional second semester and two-semester specialized LL.M Programs) amounts to USD 7 250.

Who should apply for this program?

  • Those who are interested in LL.M study at Chicago-Kent must have a first degree in Law (LL. B) or shall be last year law school students; or
  • Applicants with a degree in business administration and 3+ years of professional experience holding managerial positions or mid-career professionals in leadership positions, demonstrating the potential for professional advancement. Applicants should have both the need to participate in the program and the potential to benefit from it; or
  • Those who are interested to master their education in business law and get joint certificate of SAL and Chicago-Kent – any higher-educated applicant (having bachelor’s Diploma or being last year student at universities or similar higher educational establishments providing degree level of BA) may submit documentation only to SAL Program.

 The first deadline for application is December 10, 2020 with EUR 300 discount for the tuition fee after which tuition is fixed as EUR 5 600. The final deadline is December 22, 2020.

 Applicants are required to submit the following documents electronically:

  • CV in English;
  • Name, surname and email address of your referee indicated in CV;
  • Copy of diploma or university statement for Bachelor students;
  • Copy of your Passport and/or ID.

The documents should be sent to the following email addresses:

[email protected],  [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Employment Issues

After completion of two semesters LL.M graduate are eligible for off-campus employment. Work permits are required for all off-campus employment and may be granted by the U.S. immigration authority for paid practical training. Students with F1 visas may apply for a 12-month period of Optional Practical Training (OPT), which begins after the completion of their two-semester study. During OPT student with F1 status who has completed his/her degrees for nine months or more, are permitted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work for one year under Employment Authorization Card on a student visa towards getting practical training to complement their education.

BAR Exam

Bar Exams are administered nation-wide in February and July. Bar admissions requirements differ from state to state and in case of interest, students are advised to visit the web site of their state bar office for the most accurate information. For information on various exams and links to most state bar authorities, visit the web site of the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

University

Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) – a Ph.D.- granting research university with wide range of programs – is uniquely positioned to understand the interrelationship of globalized legal marketplace all over the world. Chicago-Kent College of Law is nationally recognized the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois. Chicago-Kent was gained accreditation by the American Bar Association in 1936 and membership in the Association of American Law Schools in 1951. US News & World Reports, No1 Ranking Agency assigned the following ranking to Chicago-Kent among the most demanded and popular programs: Trial Advocacy the 5th place,  IP Law the 13th place, Legal Writing the 17th place. According to US News & World Reports, Chicago-Kent graduate employment rate right after the graduation amounts to 66.2% and 90.7% within 9 months following the graduation.

Useful Links:

School of American Law: www.salchicagokent.com
Chicago-Kent College of Law: www.kentlaw.iit.edu
Business Facebook Page:  School of American Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
What Makes a Law School Great: Inside Chicago-Kent: http://youtu.be/pKu1V5UTjUQ
For more information, please contact: