A Master of Laws, or LL.M., is an advanced legal degree designed for lawyers or legal scholars who want to demonstrate their expertise in a specific area of law after law school. While a juris doctoris (JD) is the most common degree people receive at law school, an LL.M. is a secondary degree that typically takes an additional year to complete. The LL.M. curriculum includes coursework in U.S., Canadian, and international law, and is meant for an attorney wanting to specialize in a specific area of law. An LL.M. also provides foreign attorneys with the necessary skills and background to practice law in the United States.