The University of Wisconsin Law School's International and Comparative Law Program provides students with the tools to address their clients' global needs, to understand the linkages among public and private international law and domestic legal systems, and to gain insight into foreign legal cultures. Law School faculty combine the Law School's traditional strengths in teaching and research, focused on law in action, with expertise in international and comparative law and practice. Numerous professors devote their scholarship and teaching primarily to international or comparative law. Other Law School faculty members integrate analysis of foreign legal developments into their domestic law courses.
Several programs and diverse resources support international learning at the Law School.
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The Law School maintains study abroad programs with law schools in many different countries, providing Wisconsin law students with the opportunity to study law abroad.
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Law students have the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary international studies through joint degree and certificate programs.
- Law students can engage in activities such as the production of
the Wisconsin
International Law Journal and participation in the Wisconsin
International Law Society and the Jessup International Law Moot
Court Competition.
- The Law School benefits from the participation of foreign
students, visiting foreign faculty, and the frequent presentations
of visiting international and comparative law experts.
- The UW Law Library
and the main campus library contain comprehensive collections of
United Nations and World Trade Organization publications, European
Union documents, and other foreign legal materials.
- The Law School's East Asian Legal
Studies Center, the Institute for Legal Studies' Law and
Globalization program, and the University's International Institute
and its wide range of programs enhance law students' academic
pursuits.
- Through the Law School's computer network, students have access to an updated collection of Russian legislation, regulations and scholarly commentaries.
Faculty
The Law School's faculty is noteworthy for its international and foreign law research and teaching experience. Many of the Law School's permanent faculty have worked overseas. The Law School draws on the international law expertise of numerous faculty members who teach courses in the international and comparative law program. Many other faculty members also engage in research on international and comparative law issues.
The following faculty are among those who teach International and Comparative Law courses:
Dual Degree and Certificate Programs
The UW-Madison offers students the opportunity for interdisciplinary study with the ability to earn two degrees. Dual degree programs are provided in Law and International Business (M.B.A.) and Law and Latin American Studies (M.A.). By taking specialized courses, students can also receive a law degree with either (i) a Certificate in International Business, or (ii) a Certificate in Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies. Law students are eligible for Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships that are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and awarded by the area studies programs associated with the International Institute.
Study Abroad
The Law School has exchange agreements with several foreign law faculties. While earning up to 15 credits towards a J.D. degree, students study international or comparative law, as well as the legal culture of a different country. Some of the programs require proficiency in a foreign language. Wisconsin law students also may participate in the foreign study programs of other U.S. law schools or create their own foreign study programs. For more information about study abroad programs, visit www.law.wisc.edu/international/foreignex.htm.
Students can also pursue legal interests in Asia with the help of the East Asian Legal Studies Center at the Law School. The Center provides travel grants to law students proposing research in East or Southeast Asia on a wide variety of topics, including environmental law, securities regulation, human rights, international trade, business law, and intellectual property. Students can also participate in a summer internship program that the Center co-developed with the Thammasat University Faculty of Law to give University of Wisconsin law students an opportunity to learn about the Thai legal system and work in international law firms in Bangkok, Thailand during the summer. The Center also has established a cooperative relationship with a law school in Vladivostok, Russia.
The Law School hosts international students and professors, bringing diverse international perspectives to the classroom. Professors from Europe teach courses at the Law School on an annual basis. Scholars in international and comparative law frequently give guest lectures. Law students also have access to guest lectures on international law-related matters hosted weekly by other departments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
International and Comparative Law Resources
UW Law Library
The UW Law Library maintains a strong collection of primary and secondary sources in international law, including selected documents from international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union. (Our campus main library is a European Union depository and has an extensive collection of United Nations publications.) The law library acquires foreign legal materials from the countries of the British Commonwealth, and of the former Soviet Union as well as Germany, France, India, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. Additionally, the law library has developed close cooperative relationships with libraries at law schools in Germany and Latin America for the purpose of facilitating the exchange of resources.
East Asian Legal Studies Center
The East Asian Legal Studies Center has worked since 1990 to strengthen the Law School's interaction with universities, governments and the private sector in East and Southeast Asia. Since its inception, the Center has been actively involved in graduate legal education, student exchanges and internships, scholarly exchanges, professional programs, outreach and research, and curricular development and library enhancement.
Institute for Legal Studies, Law and Globalization Program
The Law and Globalization (LAG) initiative of the Institute for Legal Studies brings together the Law School faculty and faculty from other social science disciplines interested in international and comparative law to work on a common research program and to improve the training provided for law students. The research agenda for LAG is focused on the changing role of law around the world, bringing Wisconsin's strength in the "law and society" tradition to bear on this issue.
LAG currently is in the process of planning an interdisciplinary international conference to analyze the political and legal aspects of transatlantic relations. Additional LAG efforts include the reinforcement of the Law School's curriculum for students interested in international/comparative law and law and development as well as the sponsorship of a cross-disciplinary colloquium for graduate students in law, sociology, political science, anthropology and other disciplines interested in law and civil society.
International Institute
The International Institute of the UW - Madison was created in 1996 to support and encourage interdisciplinary teaching and research in area and international studies. International Institute member programs include African Studies, European Studies, East Asian Studies, Global Studies, Latin American and Iberian Studies, Middle East Studies, the Center for South Asia, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the European Union Center, the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia, World Affairs and the Global Economy Initiative, and the Global Cultures Program. Law students may supplement their law study through courses offered in these programs or by taking advantage of the programs' guest lecturers, workshops, conferences or research circles.
International and Comparative Law Student Activities
Wisconsin International Law Journal
The Wisconsin International Law Journal, established in 1982, is written by both professionals in the field and law students. Student members of the journal edit articles of scholarly and practical interest in various areas of international law and draft articles for submission and possible publication. Each spring, the Journal staff coordinates a conference on recent topics of interest in international law. Past conferences have dealt with issues such as "Legal Reform in Russia: Rhetoric vs. Reality" (1996), "Intellectual Property Issues in East Asia" (1997), "Legal Regulation of Cross-Straits Commercial Activity among Taiwan, China and Hong Kong: After the Transition" (1998), and "Regulation of International Capital Markets" (1999).
Wisconsin International Law Society
The Wisconsin International Law Society is an organization of law students and faculty interested in exploring innovations in international law. They have also coordinated guest speakers and round table discussions on current international law issues. In 2006, an inaugural team was sent to Vienna, Austria to participate in the 13th annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. As part of its training, team members had the opportunity to participate in the Chicago International Dispute Resolution Association Mini-Moot competition held in Chicago, IL.
Jessup International Moot Court Competition
Students may compete in the prestigious Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the UW Law School's participation is organized through the Law School's Moot Court. In recent years, Wisconsin's team has placed third in the nation and won an award for the second best brief.