So, you want to study Elder Law. Earning an Online LLM in Elder Law from Stetson is a smart way to do that. The online format is specifically designed for working professionals. Our diverse student body is made up of people who have just completed their JD, and those who have spent years in the field.
All your questions about what to expect, applying, financial aid and more will be answered below. As always, if you still have questions our team is here to help.
Your Elder Law faculty are made up of distinguished members of law and academia. You’ll learn from working practitioners residing all over the country who can teach you not only the academic aspects of elder law, but what you’ll need to know as a practitioner, too.
The Director of the Center for Elder Justice and the Elder Law LLM is Rebecca Morgan. Professor Morgan is one of the most renowned academics in Elder Law and well-known throughout the U.S. and the world — and is one of only two academics to be the President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. (The other is Professor Roberta Flowers, formerly the director of the Elder Law program).
Both the LLM and the CELA are excellent credentials to distinguish yourself in the field of Elder Law. One real difference is that your LLM counts as an academic credit. When others see you have an LLM, they know you did advanced studies in the field.
The Elder Law LLM at Stetson Law is earned completely online. Each semester runs for 13 weeks, and the Summer Semester is shortened to seven. The classes are fast-paced. You have one week for each assignment, so while you can’t work ahead, you can complete work at any time during the week. The classes are asynchronous, so you don’t have to be online at a specific time.
The program has three components to the online portion, and which you will complete in each week. First, you’ll watch a lecture. These are taped by the faculty and are often 20 minutes or longer. Next, you’ll have a reading assignment or outside research. Most of this reading will be online, but some classes require you buy a book. These books aren’t your typical law school textbooks, these are books for working professionals.
Finally, there’s the discussion board. This is the virtual classroom and where you’ll interact with your professor and with other students. On the discussion board, your professor will pose questions to fuel a conversation. Much of the learning occurs as you discuss the topics with students on the discussion board.
The LLM is a more advanced degree than the J.D., so the classes are more advanced, too. Not only because of the content, but also because the classes go beyond academic ideas and discuss the application in practice.
Including the lecture, reading, and the discussion board, you should estimate about 6-10 hours per week. Remember that depends on the class and the specific assignments.
Most students take one or two classes per semester, with three being the absolute maximum. Unless you are certain you can devote your time to three classes, taking a full load is discouraged, especially for the first semester. Instead, it’s recommended that you start slow, especially if it’s been a while since you last attended school.
If you were to take a full load of classes each semester, the program could be completed in two semesters and one summer. Most people don’t do this — and instead spread the courses out to make them manageable. All that is required is you complete the program within six years.
The total program is 25 hours, and the required curriculum includes the courses like Ethics, Guardianship, Long Term Care Planning, Law and Aging, and a basic tax course. The electives include Disability Law, Veteran’s Benefits, Estate Planning and Drafting, Financial Exploitation, Frauds, and Scams, Special Needs and Disability Planning, Government and Private Health Benefits.
If you have no elder law experience, you will take an elective course “Introduction to Elder Law” first, where you’ll get a broad overview of the subject. All students who have taken this class have always been happy that they did so.
There is also an Elder Law Capstone Class in which students will complete written projects through a series of connected problems involving an aging client and their family, while focusing on specific substantive areas of law, including capacity assessment, benefits eligibility, estate and special needs planning, crisis response, and potential dispute scenarios. This class is a 1 credit capstone class that will be completed during your final semester.
Classes have about 5 to 7 students, with no more than 20 allowed. Overall, there are 30 to 45 students in the program at any given time.
The grading system for the LLM in Elder Law is based on an honors scale, not the traditional 4.0 scale. Available grades are high honors, honors, credit, pass, or fail. Your grade comes from a combination of your discussion board participation, any assignments, and the end of the semester exam. It depends on the professor, which is weighted more assignments.
The LLM in Elder Law costs $1,507 per credit hour (most classes are 3 credit hours each), and there is a $100 technology fee per semester.
How can you pay for it? If you’re lucky, your firm will pay for it, but we realize that’s not always the case. If you’re a veteran, you can use your benefits (Stetson is a Yellow Ribbon School. In addition to your Chapter 33 benefits, we award up to $5,000 per year toward tuition and fees and the VA matches it). Some people pay for it themselves out of pocket, in which case Stetson can work with you to create a payment plan (20% down at the start of the semester and payments are spread out over the rest of the semester, with a $100 payment plan fee).
Other people opt for Federal Student Aid. To qualify you need to be taking 5 credit hours, usually 2 courses, which makes you a half-time student and qualified for loans.
The good news is that scholarships are available based on merit and need. These scholarships can cover up to one‑third of the cost of the credit hours taken. We encourage all students to apply for these. When you apply, share with us why you need help and why you deserve it. If awarded, you need to reapply every year, but if you keep your grades up you can continue to receive the scholarship.
When you decide to attend Stetson’s LLM program, it’s time to start the application process. If you’re only applying to Stetson (and why wouldn’t you?!), apply online through our website. There’s no application fee! If you decide on applying to a few different schools, you might consider using the LSAC application.
You’ll need to send a transcript from every school you’ve attended along with two letters of recommendation. You also need to write a personal statement. This statement is only a page or two and explains exactly why you are interested in elder law. What is it about elder law that makes you want to take this next step? Many people go into it for personal reasons, and if that’s your case, share it. Think about what has brought you to elder law, and why you want to dig deep into it.
When your application is received, it goes to a committee. We make a decision and you are notified fairly quickly. When you’re accepted, it’s time to pay your deposit, start on administrative enrollment tasks, and collect information about your classes.
Stetson begins accepting applicants as early as January. While Stetson accepts applications on a rolling basis, it’s advisable to apply by July 1st. The deadline to send all of your materials is August 1st.
We are proud of our alumni. The program has graduated 178 students since its inception. Our very first graduate of the program served as the president of NAELA, as have some of our LLM faculty. If you want to hear about the program from one of our alumni, we can put you into contact with them. Our alumni are very active and would be happy to answer your questions.
Our alumni come out of the program feeling much more competent about elder law and they are very comfortable and knowledgeable about their practice. Making time for professional development and advancing your knowledge and skills in Elder Law will be worth it to your future success.
Stetson works with you. We know you live a busy life outside of school. If you ever have a big trial coming up, or a big life event, we can adjust your schedule — that’s the beauty of an online course! And if you need to take a break from the course, we can grant you a leave of absence for a semester or two.
Whatever your questions, our team is available to talk to you. Email, call, Skype, or visit us.