The University of Virginia Graduate and Professional School Day Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

I always look forward to the University of Virginia’s Graduate and Professional School Day.  As an alum of Mr. Jefferson’s University, Charlottesville holds a special place in my heart.  And, there’s no better time to visit C’Ville than during the fall. At this event, I received a lot of questions from students who wanted to know what types of opportunities are available for those who are interested in international law.  Fortunately, BU Law recognizes that law practice is becoming more and more global.  Whether it’s through coursework, study abroad programs, or clinics, we want to make sure we’re preparing our students to practice in an international market. We offer a wide variety of international, foreign and comparative law courses through our international law concentration.

Courses in the international law concentration range from International Trade Regulation to Comparative Constitutional Law to International Business Arbitration to International Human Rights.  Our faculty are some of the most eminent scholars in the field.  To learn more about our professors, their professional experience and their research interests, I encourage you to take a look at the profiles of faculty members like Susan Akram, Daniel Berman, Daniela Caruso, Anna di Robilant, Tamar Frankel, Neil Hecht, Prina Lahav, William Park, Dan Partan, David Seipp, Robert Sloane, or Charles Whitehead. To “officially” concentrate in international law, you must complete 21 credits of coursework in this area and complete a substantial written project.  Concentrations here at BU Law are not required and many students pick and choose courses based on what interests them most.  So, if you want to take a few international law classes combined with some business law courses combined with public interest law courses that’s fine, too. For those of you that are thinking about working as an attorney for governments or international agencies, you might want to consider a dual-degree in law and international relations.  In addition to BU law courses, students enrolled in this program will take classes through the Department of International Relations at the Graduate College of Arts and Sciences.

Many of you have probably studied abroad as an undergrad and really enjoyed that experience.  Did you know that you can also study abroad during law school?  Our second and third-year students have the opportunity to participate in one of our 13 our study abroad programs.  We recently added a program in Geneva, Switzerland — specifically for students with an interest in international human rights advocacy.  All of our study abroad programs are full immersion programs that take place during either the fall or spring semester.  You’ll earn 12 credits that will apply towards your JD degree.  Language proficiency is required for programs only in Spain, Argentina, France and Italy.  The rest of our programs are taught in English.  One way to learn more about our study abroad programs is to check out the interactive travelogue of a BU Law student who studied abroad in Beijing.  Here, she shares her experience through photos and journal entries.  Very cool.

If you want to gain practical experience in international law, you can participate in our Civil Litigation Program.  This is a joint program of BU Law and Greater Boston Legal Services where our students can work on international human rights and refugee cases.  Another way to gain practical experience is through our international internship program.  Our Career Development Office coordinates this program that places BU Law students in paid and unpaid summer internships at law firms, NGOs, and intergovernmental agencies around the world. You can also participate in other program activities like the International Law Journal, the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team and the International Law Society. So, if international law is an area that you’re thinking about exploring while in law school, there are a number of ways to pursue this interest at BU.