The John Marshall Law School in Chicago announces the establishment of the online LLM degree in Estate Planning set to begin in the fall 2012 semester. The program is designed to draw enrollment from around the country.
The Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits will manage the program under the direction of Professor Malcolm L. Morris, associate director of the Graduate Tax Law Programs, who developed the Estate Planning Program. The American Bar Association has given its acquiescence for the program, a step that is required before any new program can be offered.
The entire curriculum will be available online. The program is designed for part-time students.
“The Center for Tax Law and Employees Benefits is excited about the new LLM in Estate Planning,” Morris said. “The degree will be delivered entirely online. Lawyers from around the country will have access to the courses without having to put their law practices on hold.
“Lawyers with this advanced degree will be practice-ready to help clients deal with the wide range of issues impacting, inter alia, transferring personal and business assets to the next generation, tailoring retirement plans to specific needs, and developing successful tax strategies for transmitting wealth,” he explained.
This program will require students to earn 24 credits for the LLM degree. Required courses include Wealth Transfer Taxation I and II; Estate Planning I and II; Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts; and Estate and Trust Administration and Post-Mortem Planning.
In addition to coursework, candidates for the degree will be required to complete the Comprehensive Estate Plan Project. The project will require the student to demonstrate a thorough understanding of estate planning principles in the context of a sophisticated hypothetical fact pattern. It will require The student will work individually on the project with guidance from a faculty member.