Contacts:

Director:  Philip Postlewaite
Associate Director:  Genevieve Tokic
Program Office: 312-503-3300; taxlaw@law.northwestern.edu

Program Overview

The Joint JD-LLM in Tax Program is open to both current Northwestern Law students and students at other ABA-approved law schools. Through the joint degree program, students are able to count 14 credits towards both their JD and LLM in Tax degrees, allowing them to complete both degrees in as few as six or seven semesters. Non-Northwestern JD students receive the JD degree from their home institution and LLM in Tax degree from Northwestern.

Degree Requirements

Northwestern Joint Degree Tax Students

Students must complete all requirements for both the JD and LLM tax degrees.  Students may co-count up to 14 credits toward both degrees, and must minimally earn 95 credits.  

Non-Northwestern Joint Degree Tax Students

Non-Northwestern joint degree students must complete the requirements for the JD degree (mandated by their JD institution) and complete the required 24 credits for the LLM in Tax degree.

While a student's home institution may accept all 24 credits earned in the Tax Program in fulfillment of the school's JD requirements, Northwestern will not award the LLM in Tax degree unless the student has accumulated at least 10 credits from either Northwestern or another ABA-approved law school in addition to the number of credits necessary to obtain the JD degree from the student's home institution. For example, if the JD institution requires 85 credits to earn a JD degree, the student must complete 95 credits to be awarded the LLM in Tax degree from Northwestern.

Students are responsible for determining the extent to which credits earned at Northwestern while enrolled in the Tax Program may be used to satisfy the JD requirements of their home institution.