BU Law to Launch New International JD/LLM Dual Degree Program with the Institute for Law and Finance in Frankfurt, Germany
Program includes internship placements at international law firms and European financial institutions
Boston University School of Law is launching a new international JD/LLM dual degree program with the Institute for Law and Finance (ILF) in Frankfurt, Germany. The program will enable third-year students to complete their JD requirements while earning an LLM in Finance from the ILF, one of Europe’s leading institutions for financial law studies.
“We have long been a leader in banking and financial law studies,” says BU Law Dean Maureen O’Rourke. “Our new partnership with the ILF adds an attractive international option for our students interested in this dynamic field—and in gaining hands-on experience in one of Europe’s most important economic markets.”
As part of their LLM in Finance degree programs at ILF, BU Law students will participate in six- to eight-week internships at leading international law firms and financial institutions in Frankfurt and elsewhere in Europe. Second-year JD students will have an opportunity to study at ILF as visiting exchange students in the spring, and also participate in optional Europe-based summer internships arranged by ILF.
“The program’s ‘built-in’ internships at leading international law firms and financial institutions will guarantee that our students have direct career-enhancing practical training experiences when they study at ILF,” says John Riccardi, Assistant Dean for Graduate and International Programs. ”This is truly a unique opportunity for our students interested in foreign studies and a nice complement to the six- and seven-semester JD/LLM programs we offer in Boston through our own Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law.”
Established in 2002 as a foundation of Goethe University, the ILF attracts approximately 50 students from 25+ countries to its LLM in Finance program. Specialized courses—taught by academics and experienced practitioners from Europe’s legal and financial world—cover the economic, transactional, and regulatory aspects of the global financial service industry.
As part of the exchange agreement, German legally qualified ILF LLM in Finance students will be able to spend a fall semester at BU Law, enrolled in courses offered through the School’s Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law.
“We are very enthusiastic to partner with BU Law,” says Prof. Dr. Andreas Cahn, ILF Executive Director. “This collaboration will enable our German legally qualified students to learn about banking and financial services law from the US perspective, and will greatly enhance their understanding of the global financial system.”
The new program at ILF will be BU Law’s fifth international JD/LLM dual degree program and twenty-first foreign study opportunity for JD students throughout South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.