Overview

The Stanford Program in International Law has undergone tremendous expansion in recent years to keep pace with the rapid growth of global interdependence. The program is founded on the premise that law is a living body of rules and norms that both reflects and shapes the behavior of people, governments, and organizations worldwide. At Stanford, we believe world-class legal scholarship and real-world developments must go hand in hand.

Our international law program blends the benefits of an accessible, dedicated intellectual community with the formidable resources of Stanford University, including interdisciplinary programs and research centers focused on an array of international issues. In addition to addressing the foundations of the international legal order, our comprehensive curriculum explores the dramatic changes in the transnational business environment, evolving global lawmaking and international judicial processes, and questions of global justice. Our faculty members have produced cutting-edge research on international trade, transnational crime, nonproliferation, refugee law, international criminal tribunals, human rights, comparative law, international conflict resolution, presidential powers in the struggle against terrorism, and the use of force, among other topics. They bring in-depth experience to their groundbreaking, policy-shaping research and are deeply committed to mentoring students. And dozens of Stanford Law events every year bring together faculty, students, graduate fellows, lawyers, policymakers, leaders of multinational corporations, NGOs, and many others to explore key issues in international legal practice.

Curriculum

Stanford is the smallest of the country's leading law schools, with an enrollment of only 180 students per class. Nevertheless, we offer an extensive international and comparative law curriculum, the breadth of which is matched only by its excellence. During Academic Year 2009-2010, for example, Stanford will offer approximately 25 international and comparative law courses, ranging from introductory international and foreign relations law courses to more specialized public law courses in human rights law, transitional justice, climate change, international state-building, and terrorism; from international economic law courses in international trade policy and international development to courses in transnational legal practice areas like international arbitration, international dealmaking, international tax, and international intellectual property; from area studies courses like European Union law, Latin American law, and Chinese law and business to courses in international conflict resolution and international negotiation.

Faculty

The interests of Stanford Law faculty members reflect the broad scope of the field of international law - international security, trade, criminal law, business, environmental law, human rights, conflict resolution, development, intellectual property, the foreign policymaking process, and the rule of law - making Stanford Law an intellectual community as diverse and complex as the world its graduates enter.

Stanford faculty members approach international law not just as a subject for academic inquiry but also as a force for change in the world. They understand how law operates in relation to governments, international organizations, and the global economy because they have practiced international law themselves. Our international law faculty members have worked for international tribunals and advised federal agencies seeking to disrupt transnational criminal finance. They have served as lawyers in the U.S. Department of State and litigated terrorism cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Our professors who teach international dealmaking and arbitration have completed complex international transactions and litigated disputes over international agreements. And so on. Most important, Stanford Law faculty members are dedicated educators who embrace their role as mentors to the next generation of international law scholars and practitioners. The experience of our faculty and their commitment to education make them uniquely qualified to instruct students in how law operates in the global arena.

Faculty Leaders

The following are just a few of the leading international law scholars at Stanford:

Margaret "Meg" Caldwell
Senior Lecturer in Law; Director, Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program; Executive Director, Center for Ocean Solutions, Woods Institute for the Environment

Joshua Cohen
Professor of Political Science, Philosophy, and Law; Director, Program on Global Justice, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Lawrence M. Friedman
Marion Rice Kirkwood Professor of Law, Professor (by courtesy) of History and Professor (by courtesy) of Political Science

Paul Goldstein
Stella W. and Ira S. Lillick Professor of Law

Thomas C. Heller
Lewis Talbot and Nadine Hearn Shelton Professor of International Legal Studies; Co-Director, Rule of Law Program; Co-Director, Stanford Program in International Law; Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Senior Fellow (by courtesy), Woods Institute for the Environment

Erik Jensen
Lecturer in Law; Co-Director, Rule of Law Program

Amalia D. Kessler
Professor of Law, Helen L. Crocker Faculty Scholar, Professor (by courtesy) of History

Janet Martinez
Senior Lecturer in Law; Director, Gould Negotiation and Mediation Program

Jenny S. Martinez
Professor of Law and Justin M. Roach, Jr. Faculty Scholar

Helen Stacy
Senior Lecturer in Law; Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Alan O. Sykes
James and Patricia Kowal Professor of Law

Barton H. "Buzz" Thompson Jr.
Robert E. Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law; Perry L. McCarty Director, Woods Institute for the Environment; Senior fellow (by courtesy), Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Michael Wara
Assistant Professor of Law; Research Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Allen S. Weiner
Senior Lecturer in Law; Co-Director, Stanford Program in International Law; Co-Director, Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation