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International Legal Programs

Connecticut exports more per capita than any state in the United States. One-quarter of the state's economy depends on foreign trade. As a center of finance, insurance, and technological innovation, Connecticut is a leading provider of services to the global economy. Increasingly, Connecticut is a magnet for foreign capital and multinational enterprises.

The economic realities of globalization demand that our graduates are prepared for the complex legal relationships of working in diverse foreign legal cultures. To better prepare our students for the internationalization of legal practice, the Law School has committed substantial resources to the study of international and comparative law and to creating opportunities for student and faculty exchanges.

The Office of International Legal Exchange sponsors innovative and intellectually rigorous research programs, conferences, and student/faculty exchanges. Numerous faculty members have earned international recognition for expertise in international and comparative law, and approximately half of the full-time faculty have studied, visited and taught at foreign universities.

• Connecticut Journal of International Law
• Lectures and conferences
• Opportunities for international careers
• Student Exchange Programs

Connecticut Journal of International Law

The Journal provides a forum for the publication of articles by students and faculty concerning public and private international law. Managed and edited by students, the Journalis published twice annually and has earned an international readership. The Journal also sponsors international symposia and publishes symposium papers.

Lectures and conferences

The Burritt Lecture in International Law brings prominent legal scholars to the Law School each semester. Recent Burritt Lecturers include Professors David Kennedy, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Joseph Weiler of Harvard Law School, Ruth Wedgwood and James Whitman of Yale Law School, John Bridge of Exeter University in England, James Boyle of American University, Philippe Sands of the University of London, and Dr. Jürgen Basedow, Director of the Max Planck Institute.

In cooperation with the student-edited Connecticut Journal of International Law, the Law School has sponsored international law conferences in The Netherlands, Hungary, Puerto Rico and China. Since 1995, more than 150 legal scholars have participated in conferences at the Law School. Participants have included leading government officials, jurists and human rights activists from more than 25 countries.

In addition, the International Legal Exchange Programs Office sponsors faculty exchanges with several foreign law schools. Foreign law scholars from Albania, Argentinia, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan and Ukraine have visited and lectured at the Law School.

Opportunities for international careers

Increased globalization of production and services, the influx of foreign capital, and the opening of foreign markets to U.S. exports are dramatically changing the character of legal practice. Every legal practitioner faces opportunities for working in diverse legal cultures with foreign clients. To prepare our graduates for these challenges, the Law School has constructed an ambitious program of international courses, activities, visitors and exchanges.

For students who wish to specialize in international legal practice, the Law School offers a solid foundation. Opportunities for practice in public and private international law exist in law firms, corporations, state and federal government, non-governmental organizations and international entities. Graduates of the Law School have joined leading international firms in the U.S. and abroad and have worked for governmental agencies and multinational enterprises. Competition for these positions is high, and students need to distinguish themselves both by their experience and academic performance. The Law School offers students the opportunity for gaining the experience and education that can advance a career in international law.

The Office of Career Services and the Office of International Legal Exchange Programs can provide information about international employment and internship opportunities abroad and in the U.S..

Student Exchange Programs

The Law School offers students unique opportunities for specialization in foreign law through study abroad. The study abroad selection process is competitive and the number of students sent to each foreign campus varies from year to year, depending on a variety of factors, including the number of students the Law School receives from abroad. To give a sense of the size and scope of our programs, the maximum number of students who may be selected to study at each foreign university is listed below. Since the program's inception, over two hundred law students have participated in a growing number of exchanges with universities throughout the world.

Typically, first year day division students apply to study abroad during their second year after successful completion of the first semester of study. Day division students may also apply in their second year to study abroad during their third year. Evening division students apply to study abroad after successfully completing their second year of study. It is possible to spend a full academic year abroad, however, must students opt to study for one semester.

In addition to the formal and informal programs we have with the foreign universities listed below, law students have independently arranged to study at universities located in Argentina, the Czech Republic, Italy, Japan and the Philippines with prior Law School and ABA approval. The Office of International Legal Exchange Programs can advise students about alternative opportunities to study abroad. Exchange programs are open only to matriculating University of Connecticut Law School J.D. students.

For more detailed information, see: the Program listing; the red notebooks containing catalogues, course schedules from previous years and other information about the school and location of each program on Reserve in the Law Library; or Blanche Capilos, Deputy Director of International Exchange Programs, who can answer many of your questions or help you find useful resources. You can schedule an appointment, or drop by for short questions (Hosmer 146).