Baylor Law Launches Nation’s First Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management
Program responds to changing pressures in the legal industry
Contact: Ed Nelson, Baylor Law School, 254-710-6681
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WACO, Texas (Jan. 17, 2018) – Beginning in the fall of 2018, Baylor Law School will offer the first Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management in the nation. The master's degree program was created to address a critical problem facing professionals in the legal field: how to strategically manage litigation to control the continued escalation of litigation costs.
Open only to attorneys with a minimum of three years in practice, this unique online and in-person program is led by a group of the nation's top experts, leading attorneys and judges. Courses include instruction on the fundamentals of 21st century litigation management and strategy, proving and attacking damages, managing complex arbitration and ADR issues, data analytics and cyber security, managing e-discovery, regulatory issues and practical strategies for successfully navigating through trial.
"Litigation is a fact of life for businesses in America," said David Dial, name partner at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial. "Generally, I inform clients that litigation is 'bad for business.' However, the negative impact can be minimized by effectively managing cases. Doing that necessarily involves understanding the process, procedures and tactics of litigation and developing a working relationship with your attorneys. Successfully and efficiently managing litigation involves teamwork between the client and the attorneys. This cannot happen unless one truly understands the process and has the tools necessary for managing litigation. I believe the Baylor Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management will provide that understanding and equip its participants with the necessary tools."
Baylor Law's Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management has been designed with the working legal professional in mind. Over the course of 14 months, attorneys should expect to spend approximately 10 hours per week working on the LL.M. through interactive online learning. Then, three times throughout the program, attorneys will gather in Waco at Baylor Law for intense, two-week residential learning experiences, where they will work closely with the nation's top experts to synthesize and master the materials.
"Graduates of the program will leave with an agile sense of both the business and the strategy of litigation," said Liz Fraley, Baylor Law professor and co-creator of the degree plan. "We're addressing a key issue both for clients and for attorneys: how to manage complex and expensive litigation in a way that is both cost effective and goal oriented."
Throughout the program, students will learn from national leaders in the field.
"We have been talking almost every day to people from around the nation who are the cream of the crop and who are already doing litigation management well," said Jim Wren, Baylor Law professor and creative drive behind the degree. "We're going out there and finding the people doing various aspects in the very best way and we're bringing them in. It's going to be a melting pot of the best of practices out there."
With benefits apparent for both employers and prospective students, the launch of the Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management is eagerly awaited. Baylor Law is now accepting applications for the inaugural class, set to begin class in fall 2018. To apply or to find more information about Baylor Law's Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management, please visit llm.baylor.edu or email Ed Nelson at Ed_Nelson@baylor.edu.
ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL
Established in 1857, Baylor Law School was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,400 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School has, among its notable alumni, two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as No. 3 in the nation. Baylor Law School also is ranked No. 51 in the magazine's 2018 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training" and No. 4 in the nation in its most recent "Best Law School Facilities" listing. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law School received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.