The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law inaugurated its LL.M. program in Tribal Policy, Law, and Government in August, 2005. Please contact the College about your interest and the program office will update you via e-mail. The LL.M. in Tribal Policy, Law, and Government is designed for lawyers and law school graduates who desire to work on issues related to tribal law and federal Indian law at the professional and academic levels. The program provides students with a detailed understanding of the nature of tribal government, law, and policy development within the domestic federal structure. LL.M. candidates will benefit from the extensive resources committed to the Indian Legal Program (ILP) at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, including a full-time Director and staff, an award-winning Indian Legal Clinic (ILC) with its own full-time Director and staff, and a Tribal Economic Development Program, including a Director and staff. This LL.M. program is administered by the ILP and consists of two different tracks intended to serve two distinct groups of students.
The LL.M. Practicum track is oriented toward students who seek practical experience in tribal law and federal Indian law. It provides intensive instruction to students who graduated from a law school that had few or no courses in Indian law and who now seek to practice in these areas at a professional level. This track requires a minimum of 24 credit hours of study, including a clinical law experience. A thesis is not required.
Students will immerse themselves in the study of tribal law and federal Indian law and will apply the knowledge and experience they gain through the practical component of the degree program which may consist of state, tribal and federal court practice, tribal code drafting, and research projects for tribal courts and governments. Graduates will be well equipped for professional positions that require knowledge and expertise in tribal law and federal Indian law. Students on the practicum track will have the option of pursuing the degree on a part-time basis.
Tuition is $25,000 for a full-time program completed in one year or a part-time program completed in more than three years. If a student enrolls on a part-time basis, the $25,000 program fee will be divided over the terms of enrollment on a per credit hour basis. Employee tuition remission is not available on these special program fee portion of the program costs.
Arizona State University is a very attractive location for an LL.M. in Tribal Policy, Law, and Government. The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law graduates more Indian law specialists than any other law school in the country. ASU is located in the heart of the southwest United States, home to roughly one-third of the Native population in the United States and where many of the largest Indian nations in the country reside. ASU sits on land that was within the traditional use and control of the Native communities that now border Tempe, including the Gila River Indian Community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, and the Ak-Chin Indian Community. Native student enrollment at ASU reflects the strong ties that the University has to Indian nations throughout the Southwest.
ASU’s curriculum is among the country's strongest on subjects related to Native peoples. In addition to the Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, strong programs already exist or are being developed in the College of Education (Center for Indian Education); the W.P. Carey School of Business (American Health Policy Collaborative); the College of Nursing (American Indian Students United for Nursing Project); the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (American Indian Studies Program); and the College of Public Programs. SU is the academic home for several nationally known scholars who do research on American Indian issues, and ASU houses many unique resources for such scholarship, including the Labriola Collection at Hayden Library. In short, ASU and the ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law are well positioned to support an outstanding LL.M. program in the area of Indian law.
Ann Marie Downes, Interim Executive Director of Indian Legal Program Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Arizona State University 1100 S. McAllister Ave. PO Box 877906 Tempe, AZ 85287-7906 Ph: 480.727-0616 Fax: 480.727-0345 Email: ann.m.downes@asu.edu or LLMASU@asu.edu