Interviews for
International LL.M. Scholarship
at the Foreign Studies Program at UMKC
School of Law
December 19, 20 & 21 2009
UMKC School of Law has a long established relationship with China and Chinese Law
Schools, and has been inviting Chinese students to study law in Kansas City for more
than a decade. Now we have established a larger and more formal program, including
commitment of full time faculty resources to this educational activity. We have twenty
students from schools in China this year, and hope to have as many as 20 more next
year. Unlike in the past, however, we have expanded our program to include students
from other countries, and now have students from five countries other than China and
next year expect to include substantially more.
Professor Patrick Randolph, Director of the Program, will be in Beijing on December 19,
20, & 21, and can conduct interviews there for the program.
As before, UMKC’s primary purpose in bringing Chinese students to America is to
broaden the perspective of our American students and faculty, and to bring about better
preparation for the future worldwide marketplace, in which American and Chinese
lawyers must cooperate. We are not interested in making a lot of money from Chinese
student tuition.
Therefore, UMKC Law School offers a Generous Scholarship Program for LLM
students from China. We will offer as many as twenty partial scholarships, to reduce
the already low cost of our high quality LLM program. The cost of a UMKC LLM degree
is about half the cost of the same degree at many U.S. schools. In addition, we have
over $150,000 in scholarship money available. After application of the scholarship, the
total estimated cost of education for an LLM at UMKC will be about 200,000 yuan. This
includes tuition, books, room and board and insurance. We believe that this is likely the
lowest cost of any U.S. program. But we also believe we have one of the highest
quality programs, and our students agree!!
In addition to our partial scholarships, we will have at least one full LLM scholarship.
Xinan graduates have received this scholarship in the past.
A high percentage of the LLM graduates from UMKC who have taken the New York and
California Bar exams have passed. The percentage is much higher than that for all
foreign students taking those exams. UMKC provides a special bar preparation course,
and more than 95% of those who take that course pass the bar.
UMKC LLM graduates now serve as partners in major Chinese law firms and associates
in international law firms in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Several
others are practicing law in New York and Chicago in the U.S. Some are teaching in
Chinese law schools. A group of UMKC graduates has come together to form a
commercial and international law firm in Shanghai.
A number of students who have done outstanding work in the LLM program have been
permitted to transfer to the J.D. program. Their work at UMKC, rather than LSAT
scores, have been the primary deciding factor.
The statement set forth at
http://www1.law.umkc.edu/academic/china/llm/overview.htm
will give you complete information about the LL.M. program at UMKC School of Law. At
that website, you can watch interviews (in Chinese) with many of our current LLM
candidates concerning their experiences studying in America and their experience at
UMKC. You also will find email contacts for every one of our current students. You
are free to contact any of them. Note that there are a wide variety of home schools and
backgrounds, but still, all of them seem happy with their choice of UMKC.
An interview is required to qualify for admission and scholarship.
Professor Patrick Randolph, director of the Chinese programs at UMKC School of Law,
and director of the Peking University Center for Real Estate Law, will conduct interviews
for the programs. Interested candidates may arrange for an interview by contacting Ms.
Nancy Kunkel, Administrative Assistant, at kunkeln@umkc.edu or by phone at 816 235
1647. It is helpful, but not necessary, to have completed your application before the
interview.
If you have difficulty contacting Ms. Kunkel, you may email Professor Randolph at
randolphp@umkc.edu or phone him on his Chinese cell phone (after December 12)
13681008820. It is better to go through Ms. Kunkel if you can. Interviews will be
conducted at Professor Randolph’s apartment in Lan Qi Ying, near to the Beida and
Tsinghua campuses. Ms. Kunkel will provide precise directions.