Courses & Requirements - Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig LL.M. in Real Property Development

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the LL.M. must successfully complete 30 credit hours of required and approved courses with a C+ (2.5) or better average plus one internship. Full-time students may take as many as 16 credits each semester without incurring additional tuition expenses.

Students may elect to take one course per semester on a pass-fail basis. This option must be elected at registration or within two weeks of the first class meeting.

Flexibility in the RPD Program is emphasized, so the director may make adjustments based on an individual student's experience and needs. If the student does not complete the degree requirements within one academic year, they must be completed within three years after matriculation.

Curriculum 

For thorough preparation and to reflect the issues most relevant to practitioners, the Real Property Development LL.M. program is organized into 4 components: Regular (foundational and elective) courses, concentrated courses, internships, and site visits.*

*Not all courses are taught within an academic year and may vary from term to term.

Semester-Long Course

These provide foundational study in law and theory. Courses are a mix of subjects especially designed for students in the LL.M. program and those from the J.D. curriculum that deal with real estate and related issues. Many are taught by full-time faculty with expertise in real property law and development.

  • Basic Condominiums, Cooperatives and Planned Developments
  • Basic Real Estate Tax
  • Commercial Real Estate Leasing
  • Internships (2)
  • Introduction to Affordable Housing
  • Introduction to Real Estate Development
  • Land Security and Finance
  • Mortgage Law
  • Planning and Zoning
  • Real Estate Documents Workshop
  • Real Estate Project Development Workshop
  • Required Concentrated Courses
  • Environmental Regulation of Real Property
  • Financial Analysis of Real Estate Transactions

Elective courses provide preparation for particular areas of interest.      

  • Advanced Condominiums, Cooperatives and Planned Developments
  • Bankruptcy
  • Construction Law
  • Distressed Property Workouts
  • Environmental Law
  • Individual Graduate Research
  • Real Estate Transactions Workshop
  • Real Property and Government

Special topics are studied in concentrated courses and these are specially designed for RPD students and are taught by adjunct professors who are nationally recognized specialists in their field from across the U.S. These courses typically are valued at one credit and are taught over a relatively short period of time.

  • Current Real Estate Finance Issues
  • Drafting Design and Construction Documents
  • Eminent Domain
  • Housing Law and Policy
  • Negotiation Skills
  • Securitization of Real Estate
  • Takings Law and Legislation
  • The Law of Green Buildings
  • Title Insurance
  • Wetland Regulation and Real Property

Daniela Salvatore"Affordable Housing is at the very center of many aspects of the law – real estate, contracts, business associations, tax – and how they all interplay. I knew early into law school that I did not want to go into litigation, but it was hard to find a practicum that was tailored towards transactional law and this practicum was a great fit. It offers essential concepts and skills that are crucial for any transactional lawyer."

Daniela Salvatore, J.D./LL.M. '18

Practicum on Affordable Housing

The course offers students the opportunity to learn about a very important and extremely current area of real estate development- affordable (and workforce) housing. The course is offered in two parts- fall and spring. Students may take the fall course - Introduction to Affordable Housing - only but are required to take the fall course if they wish to take the spring course.

Fall

Students are introduced to the issues to consider in affordable housing development: the most important areas of applicable laws and regulations on affordable housing; the sources of financing and the role of public/private partnerships and non-profit/ for-profit developers’ joint ventures; and the emerging trends in affordable housing development within urban communities.

Spring

Students continue with a more in-depth study of affordable housing issues, while at the same time working on a variety of documents which are part of an actual affordable housing transaction, and having  an opportunity to meet clients, attend public hearings, and nurture a further understanding of the affordable housing arena.

Cards

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