Estate Planning, LLM

Program Overview

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Program at a Glance

Program

Estate Planning, LLM

Format

Hybrid

Total Units

24

Fall ’25 Early Application Deadline

July 13

Program Overview

Golden Gate University School of Law is the only law school in the western United States that offers a LLM in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. The program has an unparalleled array of course offerings that reflect both the technical and people-oriented nature of this practice area as well the need for practical experiential learning. Students are taught by practicing attorneys and judges with many opportunities for clerkships and externships with Bay Area law firms and Superior Court Probate Departments. Graduates of this program will be fully capable of starting and running their own practices or sought after as highly trained associates for established firms. This program is designed to be compatible with the State Bar of California Legal Specialist Certification Program.

Admission Requirements

Application Form

Applicants must use the electronic application form available through the GGU website.

Statement of Purpose

Applicants must submit a personal statement. The statement must be no more than two double-spaced, typed pages in 12-point font. The statement should specifically address: the applicant’s motivation for attending law school; why the applicant will make a successful law student and lawyer; and why the applicant wishes to attend Golden Gate University School of Law.

Resume or C.V.

Applicants must include a current résumé detailing educational and work history along with any current or past community service or volunteer experience.

University and Law School Transcripts

Applicants must provide all undergraduate and graduate school transcripts. AT MINIMUM, APPLICANTS MUST POSSESS A JD, LLB, OR EQUIVALENT LAW DEGREE FROM A LAW SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION.

Curriculum

To earn the LLM in Estate Planning degree, students must complete 24 units. Classes are offered both during the day as well as in the evening to accommodate working professionals. Students may attend full-time and complete the program in as few as two semesters. Alternatively, students may attend part-time. All students must finish the degree requirements within five years of matriculation. LLM students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale each semester.

Required Courses — 18 Units

• LLM 317A: Tax Research – 1 unit(s)
• LLM 318: Advanced Federal Income Taxation – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 330: Property Transactions – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 325: Estate and Gift Taxation – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 334: Estate Planning I – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 334A: Estate Planning II – 2 unit(s)
• LLM 344: Federal Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates – 3 unit(s)

Elective Courses — 6 Units

Choose 6 units from any of the following courses:

• LLM 334I: Combatting Financial Elder Abuse – 1 unit(s)
• LLM 312: Estate Planning Externship – 1-3 unit(s)
• LLM 334B: Estate Planning for the Blended Family – 1 unit(s)
• LLM 300B: Estate Planning Practice Management – 1 unit(s)
• LLM 319: Federal Tax Procedure – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 337: Individual Retirement Plans and Distributions – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 351: International Estate Planning – 1 unit(s)
• LLM 334D: Mediating Trust & Estate Disputes – 2 unit(s)
• LLM 393: Probate Court Externship – 2-3 unit(s)
• LLM 334C: Probate Procedure – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 300A: Professional Responsibility for Trust & Estate Practice – 2 unit(s)
• LLM 345: Trust Administration – 2 unit(s)

Dual LLM

Students may earn both an LLM in Taxation and an LLM in Estate Planning by completing only 36 units. To do so, the student must complete the required courses for each degree and the remaining units may be fulfilled from electives.

Certificate in Taxation

This certificate is offered under the auspices of the LLM in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Program. Courses must be taken for credit (i.e., not as an auditor). A student pursuing the Certificate in Taxation who decides to continue in the LLM in Estate Planning Program may apply all credits earned toward the LLM in Estate Planning degree. Students in the LLM Estate Planning degree program may transfer to the Certificate in Estate Planning Program and all qualifying credits will be transferred.

Required Courses — 13 Units

• LLM 317A: Tax Research – 1 unit(s)
• LLM 318: Advanced Federal Income Taxation – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 319: Federal Tax Procedure – 3 unit(s)
• LLM 330: Property Transactions – 3 unit(s)
• Choose one additional 3-unit LLM Tax course.

LLM Tuition

The tuition for the LLM degree programs at Golden Gate University is $1,860 per unit, covering the cost of high-quality, career-focused education led by experienced faculty. This investment supports essential resources, including personalized academic advising, state-of-the-art technology, and student services designed to help adult learners succeed.

Learning Outcomes

• Students graduating from the LLM Program will be able to demonstrate that they understand the legal rules, principles, and theories in the respective field of substantive and procedural law.
• Students graduating from the LLM Program will be able to demonstrate that they can apply the legal rules, principles, and theories in the respective field of substantive and procedural law in order to resolve legal problems and provide advice for prospective clients.
• Students graduating from the LLM Program will be able to demonstrate that they can clearly and effectively communicate in a professional legal setting within the respective field of law.
• Students graduating from the LLM Program will be able to succeed in the respective field of law.

J-1 Visiting Scholar Program

GGU Law’s J-1 Visiting Scholar Program is intended to provide foreign nationals with opportunities to participate in educational and cultural programs in the United States and return home to share their experiences. It is also intended to encourage Americans to participate in educational and cultural programs in other countries.

Application Requirements

In addition to the application requirements listed above we recommend that LLM and SJD applicants from other nations bring with them an extra copy of their official transcripts of undergraduate and law studies as well as any official documents they have received from the courts or bar associations of their home country indicating that they have been admitted to practice law in that country. Students planning to prepare for a bar examination may need a transcript evaluation by an independent agency. This evaluation can be completed after students arrive to begin the LLM or SJD programs.

English Proficiency

Applicants who received their degrees outside the United States must satisfy the Admissions Committee of the proficiency of their English language abilities. An official TOEFL score report sent directly from the Education Testing Service (ETS) to the appropriate program at GGU Law satisfies this requirement. Visit the TOEFL Website.

• The TOEFL Institution Code for Golden Gate University is 4329
• The TOEFL Department Code for the School of Law is 03

Applicants must receive a minimum TOEFL score of 580 Paper-based test (PBT), or 92 Internet-based test (iBT) for the LLM (Master of Laws) Programs in U.S. Legal Studies, International Legal Studies, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Taxation, and the SJD (Doctorate) Program in International Legal Studies.