Georgetown Law Center believes that it is critical for our foreign trained attorneys to be able to operate in an English-speaking work environment. Our goal is to prepare non-U.S. lawyers to communicate effectively with U.S. lawyers on topics of U.S. and international law. Georgetown's LL.M. Program gives non-U.S. lawyers a rich variety of opportunities to improve both their written and oral communication skills.  

The people who come to Georgetown work together and form bonds that they will take back to their home countries. All LL.M. candidates at Georgetown who come from civil code countries may take one course, United States Legal Discourse (USLD) during the fall semester.  Over sixty nations and about 25 different languages are represented.  At the end of the year, our students will be able to work in an English speaking environment. Participating in Georgetown's USLD program is an experience that will last a lifetime.

USLD gives lawyers an opportunity to address important legal issues that are governed by U.S. law. Students attend a weekly lecture together, and they act as a U.S. law firm to solve specific U.S. legal problems. Students do independent legal research, but they share their findings with each other. By engaging with each other in intellectual debate, students build both social and intellectual relationships with their LLM colleagues.  

This year's program explores a range of issues of New York contract law as they apply to the restructuring of sovereign debt. Students are engaged in directed legal research under New York law on the validity of specific provisions of a typical sovereign bond contract. Students are reading several important U.S. cases and influential law review articles as part of their research. Over the semester, students will write one research memorandum.  

In addition to engaging in their own original legal research on New York law, students will be able to question prominent experts in the field.

The research topics in USLD will change from year to year; however, students will benefit from engaging in original research on current and cutting-edge legal issues.  

USLD is a one-credit course taught by Professor Craig Hoffman.

Revised October 12, 2007 (MBJ)