The William S. Richardson School of Law Master of Laws (LLM) program received acquiescence from the American Bar Association in 2003. Students complete 24 credits (including a maximum of 6 credits from departments outside the Law School) and obtain a general LLM degree, with the possibility of certificates in certain specialized fields. <br><br>The LLM program is primarily designed for foreign law graduates, who generally study for one year on a full-time basis. However, the program also accepts American lawyers who wish to gain additional expertise by taking courses that they did not have the opportunity to complete during their JD degree. American lawyers may elect to complete their LLM degree on a part-time basis over the course of two or more academic years. However, LLM students should be prepared to attend classes during regular business hours (as only a selection of elective courses will be offered during the evening in a given academic year). The pathways for these two categories of students are described below.