News and Developments in International Law and Legal Education Published as an information resource for the ASIL membership, the ASIL Academic Bulletin reports on program developments at ASIL 2008 Academic Partner institutions. January 2008
Columbia University School of Law ASIL Links Home Academic Partnership Program Academic Bulletin Archive Career Development Resouces Comparative and International Law From Francis Lieber, whose work formed the basis of the modern laws of war, to Professor Louis Henkin, the widely regarded father of modern international human rights law, Columbia Law School's faculty have long been on the cutting edge of comparative and international legal scholarship. Columbia Law School was among the first law schools to offer courses in foreign law and comparative legislation, to create joint-degree programs with law schools overseas, and to encourage the enrollment of foreign students. Today, Columbia Law School's commitment to comparative and international law is primarily reflected in the breadth and depth of its permanent faculty and visiting professors who every year deliver the widest selection of international and comparative law offerings of any law school in the United States and possibly the world. These offerings now include over 70 courses, specialized clinics, inter-disciplinary seminars and innumerable conferences that focus on some of the world's most pressing legal issues. Indeed, most Columbia Law School professors, and not merely those who are acknowledged leaders in the fields of international or comparative law, engage in the transnational dimensions of what they teach and the result is a truly cosmopolitan approach to legal education. Columbia Law school professors are particularly noted for integrating transnational insights into even those subjects that are usually considered to be purely "national" in scope, such as family law or corporate law. At Columbia, the entire curriculum, including first year subjects, is attuned to the legal dimensions of globalization. New Faculty In the 2007-2008 academic year, Columbia Law School welcomed several new faculty members. Among the distinguished scholars adding further breadth and depth to our Comparative and International Law Program are: Philip Bobbitt, a leading constitutional theorist and scholar of international security law and the history of strategy, joins us from the University of Texas. He served on the senior staff of the White House, the U.S. Senate, and the National Security Council. Christina Burnett is an expert on international aspects of U.S. constitutional law whose scholarship has focused on the U.S.-Puerto Rico relationship. She served as law clerk for Justice Stephen G. Breyer and for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Sarah Cleveland, an expert on international human rights and constitutional law, she is the co-director the Human Rights Institute and the Louis Henkin Professor of Human and Constitutional Rights. A Rhodes Scholar and former law clerk for Justice Harry A. Blackmun, she joins us from the University of Texas. Matthew Waxman, an expert in the domestic and international legal aspects of fighting terrorism, has held senior positions at the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and National Security Council. He is a former clerk for Justice David H. Souter. Exchange Programs In 1994, Columbia was the first U.S. law school to establish a double degree program providing its participants with both a U.S. Juris Doctor and a foreign law degree, in this instance the French Maitrise en Droit. Columbia has since expanded its foreign double degree programs to include a four-year J.D./LL.B from Columbia and the University of London, and a three-year J.D./LL.M., also with the University of London, a three-year J.D./Masters in Global Business Law with the Institut d'etudes politiques and the Universite de Paris I - Pantheon Sorbonne and a J.D./LL.M. with the Institute for Law and Finance, University of Frankfurt. In addition, Columbia Law School offers the broadest array of semester abroad programs of any U.S. law school; currently 13 semester study abroad programs in 11 countries are available to its J.D. students. Under the American Bar Association Student-Initiated Study Abroad Guidelines, Columbia also encourages students to create their own study abroad programs. Today, Columbia Law School students are participating in law school-sponsored or independent study programs in over twenty countries on six continents. European Legal Studies Center The European Legal Studies Center, under the direction of Professor George A. Bermann, has an outstanding reputation for training students to take on leadership roles in international public affairs and the global economy. An international focus is the cornerstone of its teaching, research and student community. Faculty members are world leaders in their fields and students represent Europe and many other countries. Located in New York City, home to the United Nations, global corporations, embassies, and international cultural centers, the Center provides students with unique opportunities for diverse research and hands-on experience. Additionally, Columbia Law School sponsors a Faculty Research Exchange program with the European University Institute (EUI) of Florence. Center for Chinese Legal Studies A leader in Chinese legal studies for more than thirty years, Columbia Law School is a global center for the study of today's changing Chinese legal system. Established in 1983, the Center for Chinese Legal Studies serves as the focal point for China-related curricular, extracurricular, and exchange activities that attract students and scholars from all over the world to Columbia Law School. The Center hosts one of the largest concentrations, outside Asia, of students and scholars studying the law of China. A dedicated faculty teaches the most expansive range of courses on Chinese law available in the United States. They are joined by many other Columbia Law faculty members who have turned their research toward China. This cross-fertilization of expertise leads to dynamic collaborations and innovative research including the study of Chinese capital market litigation and the impact of the Internet on Chinese Courts. Columbia Law School is a leader in working with law schools and practitioners in China to further the development of clinical legal education and public interest law in China. Each year, the Law School hosts public interest lawyers from China and each summer many Columbia Law School students travel to China to engage in original research or public interest work. Center for Japanese Legal Studies Columbia Law School was the first law school in the United States to offer courses in Japanese law. The Center for Japanese Legal Studies, directed by Professor Curtis J. Milhaupt, actively promotes research on Japanese law, aided by the country's premier collection of Japanese legal materials housed in the Law School's Toshiba Library for Japanese Legal Research. Holding one of the largest collections of Japanese legal materials outside Japan, the Toshiba Library contains approximately 23,000 books and bound periodicals, of which more than 90 percent is in Japanese. The Center's current activities reflect the dynamic process of legal reform underway in Japan, reforms which touch upon virtually every aspect of Japanese society. The Center also maintains extensive ties with Columbia University's Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the Business School's Center on Japanese Economy and Business. Center for Korean Legal Studies With the establishment of the Center for Korean Legal Studies, Columbia Law School became the first American law school to have a center dedicated to the study of Korean law and the only center devoted entirely to the study of both the South and North Korean legal systems. The Center, directed by Jeong-Ho Roh, was established in 1994 with grants from Hankook Tire Group and the Korea Foundation. Serving as the focal point of research and teaching on Korean law and the Korean legal system, the Center has dedicated itself to building the most comprehensive depository of Korean legal materials outside the Koreas. The Center brings together students, scholars, judges and other professionals from the private and public sector to research and address a broad range of critical issues such as North Korea's nuclear capabilities and the economic growth of South Korea. The Center offers a visiting scholar program and hosts a variety of events each year, including the Annual Trade Law Seminar. Center for Global Legal Problems The initiatives of the Center for Global Legal Problems flow naturally from Columbia Law School's rich curriculum. The Law School offers, as part of its regular curriculum, perhaps the largest number of courses and seminars of any U.S. law school focusing on the challenges emerging from the transnational movement of goods, capital, people or ideas. Seminars and courses dealing with the degradation of the global commons, transitional justice in the wake of mass atrocity, international crime and terrorism, the regulation of the multinational enterprise and transnational capital, immigration and human rights form the backbone of the Law School's international and comparative law curriculum. Under the direction of Professor Jose E. Alvarez, the Center addresses the legal dimensions of globalization through diverse interdisciplinary research and scholarship. It participates in joint programs with international organizations such as the United Nations and promotes collaborative research with other schools of Columbia University, including the schools of business, journalism, public health, and international and public affairs. On public policy related projects, it partners with other preeminent Law School and University centers including the Human Rights Institute, the Columbia Program on International Investment, the Earth Institute and the Center for International Organizations. Each year, the Center hosts a numbers of lectures, conferences and roundtables that bring together scholars, practitioners and professionals from international public policy and other disciplines. International guests in the Center's fall speaker series include Jan Wouters, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies; Joanna Mossop, Victoria University of Wellington; and Jean-Marc Coicaud, United Nations University.