Charleston, South Carolina is a high-volume, expanding port and a world-class resort city. Condé Nast Traveler consistently rates Charleston the number one city for travelers in the U.S. The Charleston School of Law is located in the historic peninsula of the city within view of eighteenth-century church spires and the busy waterfront. By combining both historic preservation and vital maritime commerce, Charleston is the perfect place for an Admiralty and Maritime Law LL.M. program.
The primary objective of our Master of Laws degree in admiralty and maritime law is to bring students together with the most experienced practitioners, judges, and professors in a broad range of admiralty law specialties, and with the non-lawyer maritime professionals that make our port such a success.
The degree requires 24 credit hours, which may be completed in one academic year.
Courses that may be offered include:
The Charleston Maritime Law Institute was established in 2004 and serves as an advisory council with regular meetings to support the Admiralty and Maritime Law LL.M. program. This group includes senior maritime lawyers from law firms around the country, chief counsels to major maritime industries, as well as senior State Ports Authority officials and industry leaders from Charleston. With the support of these outstanding people, we conduct trips to the various port facilities to permit our students to see the subjects of their studies in action, from port direction and management to the movement of cargo and vessels.
The LL.M. program also benefits from the Francis Drake Admiralty American Inn of Court. The charter was awarded by the American Inns of Court on September 20, 2011. The School of Law's Inn of Court is the only one dedicated to the subject of admiralty and maritime law. Maritime lawyers and student make up membership of the Inn.