SCHOOL OF LAW

Address : Box 23349, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931-3349

Telephone : (787) 999-9565;

Fax : (787) 999-9564

E-mail : srodriguez@law.upr.edu

DEGREE OFFERED

Master of Law (LLM)

ACCREDITATION

American Bar Association (1945)
321 N. Clark Street
Chicago , Illinois 60610
www.abanet.org/legaled

Association of American Law Schools (1944)
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Suite 800
Washington , D.C. 20036-2717
www.aals.org

FACULTY

Marco A. Abarca Díaz , BD, Universidad Autónoma de Centro América, 1990; MAE Universidad Interamericana de Costa Rica, 1997; Post Graduate Diploma ( PgD) Instituto de Estudios de la Haya, 1998; Master of Studies (MSt) on International Human Rights Law, Oxford Universiyt, 2006. Associate Profesor.
Law & Development; International Protection of Human Rights; Law and social change.

José Julián Álvarez-González , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1977; LLM, Yale University, 1978. Professor.
Constitutional law; Torts; Federal Jurisdiction, Comparative Law .

Roberto P. Aponte-Toro , JD, University of Puerto Rico,1969; MA, University of Essex, 1979; LLM, 1986, SJD 1994, Harvard University, 1994. Associate Dean and Professor.
International Business Transactions; European Community Law; Public International Law; Seminars in International Law; Interaction between Civil and Anglomerican Common Law in Puerto Rico.

Rubén Berríos-Martínez , LLB 1964, LLM, 1965, Yale University; Diploma of Law, University of Oxford, 1966. Professor.
Public International Law; Seminars in International Law; Seminars in Constitutional Law.

Ernesto Chiesa-Aponte , MA, 1967, JD, 1974, University of Puerto Rico. Professor.
Criminal Law; Criminal Procedure; Law of Evidence; Theory of Law .

Evaluz Cotto-Quijano , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1992; LLM, Georgetown University, 1996, candidate for a Doctoral Degree from the Advanced Juridical Studies Institute, London. Associate Professor.
Securities Regulation; Corporate Law, Commercial Law; Secured Credit; Payment Systems; Seminars in Commercial Law.

Carmelo Delgado-Cintrón , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1966; Doctorate in Law, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 1974; MA, New York University, 1977. Professor.
History of Puerto Rican Law; History of Puerto Rican Constitutional Law; Law and Literature; Seminars in Advanced Legal Research; Seminars in Theory of Law.

Carlos Díaz-Olivo , JD, University of Puerto Rico, l983; LLM, Harvard University, l985. Professor.
Corporate Law; Civil Procedure; Antitrust; Seminars in Corporate Law

Demetrio Fernández-Quiñones , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1959; Doctorate in Law, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, l960; LLM, Yale University, 1961. Professor.
Administrative Law; Arbitration; Torts; Labor Law .

Guillermo Figueroa-Prieto , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1969. Professor.
Legal Clinic: Civil Litigation; Professional Ethics; The Legal Profession; Sports Law .

Erika Fontánez-Torres, JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1999, LLM, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, 2002. Assistant Professor.
Natural Resources Legislation; Contract Law; Seminars in Environmental Law.

Antonio García-Padilla , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1978; LLM, Yale University, 1981. Professor.
Civil Procedure .

Michel J. Godreau-Robles , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1965; Doctor Juris, University of Munich, 1969. Professor.
Property Law; Contract Law; Special Contracts; Condominium; Seminars in Civil Law.

Luis F. González-Correa , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1959. Professor.
Commercial Law; Corporate Law; Trust; Notarial Law.

Efraín González-Tejera , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1958; LLM,1959, SJD, 1969, Harvard University. Professor Emeritus.
Trusts and Estates.

Glenda Labadie Jackson , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1997; LLM, Harvard University, 1999. Associate Professor.
Torts; Family Law; Civil Procedure; Seminar on Family Law.

Richard W. Markus -Rodríguez , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1971; LLM, Yale University, 1973. Associate Professor.
Labor Law; Constitutional Law; Social Legislation; Seminars in Constitutional Law.

Enid Martínez-Moya , MA, 1973, JD,1976, University of Puerto Rico. Associate Professor.
Mortgage Law; Notarial Law; Decedent Estates .

Ana Matanzo-Vicens , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1977; LLM, Harvard University, 1987. Professor.
Legal Clinic: Civil Litigation, The Legal Profession.

Hiram Meléndez-Juarbe, JD, University of Puerto Rico, 2000, LLM, Harvard University, 2002. Assistant Professor.
Administrative Law, Cybernetic Law, Constitutional Law, Seminars in Constitutional Law.

Enrique Miranda-Merced , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1965. Associate Professor. Legal Clinic: Criminal Litigation.

Myrta Morales-Cruz, JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1994, LLM, Harvard University , 1997, Master Juris, Oxford University, 2000. Assistant Professor.
Legal Clinic: Communitarian and Social Development, The Legal Profession, Law and Poverty.

Luis Muñiz-Argüelles , MS, Columbia University, 1970; JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1975; Doctorate, Université de Paris II, 1989. Professor.
Comparative Law; Contract Law; Property Law; Mortgage Law, Private International Law¸Judicial Management

Vivian Neptune-Rivera , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1995, LLM, University of Columbia, 1998. Assistant Professor.
Labor Law; Evidence, Social Legislation

Ivette Ramos-Buonomo , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1973; LLM, Columbia University,1982. Professor.
Family Law; Civil Procedure; Gender Discrimination; Seminars in Constitutional Law .

Olga Elena Resumil , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1973; Diploma in Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Rome, 1976. Professor.
Criminal Law; Criminal Procedure; Criminology; Seminars in Criminal Procedure .

Efrén Rivera-Ramos , JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1976; LLM, Harvard University, 1981; PhD, University of London, 1994. Professor.
Law of Evidence; Theory of Law; Sociology of Law; Seminars in Constitutional Law.

Luis E. Rodríguez-Rivera , JD, Harvard University, 1987; LLM, University of Cambridge, l998. Associate Professor.
International Environmental Law; Administrative Law; Environmental Resource Legislation; Seminars in Environmental Law; Seminars in Administrative Law

Aurelio Torres-Ponsa , LLB, University of Puerto Rico, 1968; LLM, New York University, 1970. Professor.
Tax Law; Corporate Taxation; Bankruptcy; Seminars in Business Reorganization; Seminars in Corporations .

William Vázquez-Irizarry, JD, University of Puerto Rico, 1994; LLM, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, 1997. Assistant Professor.
Civil Procedure; Governmental Law; Executive Procedure.

Luis M. Villaronga-Arostegui , JD, Harvard University, 1966; MA, University of Pennsylvania, 1973. Professor.
Constitutional Law; Insurance Law; Federal Jurisdiction, Civil Rights Litigation .

David Wexler , JD, New York University, 1964. Professor.
Theory of Law; Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Criminal Law .

MASTER IN LAW PROGRAM

The Master in Law Program has as its aim to develop lawyers and legal scholars well versed in the processes and principles of the Anglo-American tradition as well as the Caribbean and Latin American world. Puerto Rico is a mixed jurisdiction where both the Continental tradition of Civil Law and Common Law interact. That makes the University of Puerto Rico School of Law an excellent location to study, in their own language, efforts at integration in an environment where those traditions converge, and in a cultural and juridical milieu with common foundations. It is the only Masters Degree Program offered in Spanish within the Community of Law Schools accredited by the American Bar Association. Within our alumni we have jurists from Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá and Magistrates from the Dominican Republic.

Requirements for Admission

1. Undergraduate law degree, or its equivalent, in wich the candidate had obtained at least a grade point average, a “B”, at a foreign, primarily Latin American, institution of higher education, which follows the highest academic standards and is fully accredited by the national authorities of its country.
2. Proficiency in Spanish and reading and comprehension skills in the English language, demonstrated by satisfactory results on the TOEFL (Test on English as a Foreign Language, administered by the Educational Testing Service). Special attention will be given to scores achieved on the section on reading comprehension.
3. Submission of the following required documents:
   1. Application for admission to the UPR School of Law;
   2. Evidence of an undergraduate degree, or its equivalent, in Law, as described above;
   3. Two official copies of academic transcripts which include all credits taken at any educational institution;
   4. Scores on the TOEFL, sent directly to the Law School by the Educational Testing Service;
   5. Letters of recommendation from two professors of Law who can describe in detail the academic aptitudes, professional experience, and character of the applicant;
   6. Money order or check made payable to the University of Puerto Rico for US$75.00.
4. Students are admitted only at the beginning of the first semester of the academic year.
5. The application form provided by the Law School must be fully completed and submitted no later than April 15 of the year for which admission is requested.
6. Non-U.S. citizens who have been admitted to the Law School must apply for a student visa from the U.S. Embassy in their country. The University of Puerto Rico will prepare a Visa Eligibility Certificate I-20 for each admitted student. Students must complete and send the statement of finances included in the application for admission, as well as the certificate of good health.

Requirements for Graduation

1. A minimum of 24 credits in the Law School, with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher.
2. Completion of requirements within one year—or two years, in justified cases—with the approval of the LLM Program Committee, the program director, and the dean.
• Comprehensive examination to demonstrate competency in the area of study. This exam will be linked to the student’s research project, and may be repeated once.
• A research project, following the requirements of the research seminar. This project will culminate in the writing of an extensive research paper of publishable quality. The student will defend this project before the member of the faculty who conducts the seminar.
• One year of full-time academic residency at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Class attendance is mandatory. In order to fulfill residency requirements, the student must punctually and regularly attend classes. Frequent absences may affect the student’s final grade and even lead to suspension.

Program of Study

The one-year LLM program requires 24 credit hours—divided into two 15-week semesters. It runs from August to December, and from January to May.

All programs described above have been accredited by the American Bar Association.

Description of Courses (PDF)