The Best International Law School Programs

As one of the premier law school's in the world, Harvard Law offers a vast array of JD specializations, including a JD in International and Comparative Law. There are over 100 related courses and reading groups available to students, as well as several research programs and centers, and specialized international opportunities for cultural immersion in foreign legal cultures.

The curriculum for the program maintains an 'integrated internationalism' which blends the study of both domestic and international law into each class. This allows students a measure of flexibility within their studies.

In addition to 'classical' legal subjects' students can also pursue specialization in areas such as human rights, global trade, or development finances. The program does not require a set course of study, but rather allows students to pursue what best fits their career goals.

Selection of courses offered:

• Comparative Digital Property
• Poverty, Human Rights, and Development
• Conflict of Laws
• Feminist Legal Theory
• Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic
• International Counterterrorism Law
• Laws, Markets, and Religions

Admissions and transfer credit information: Potential law students must submit all prior transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a personal statement and resume, and LSAT or GRE scores. Students must also register for the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service.

Admissions does accept transfer students with a minimum of one year of full-time study in a JD program.

Accreditation: Harvard University receives accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Yale Law School offers JD programs, graduate degrees including LLM, MSL, and PhD programs, and a joint JD-MBA program. Students may choose from a variety of areas of interests within each degree program such as Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Law and Health, and Law Teaching.

This particular review focuses on the J.D. with area of interest in International Law. In addition to the traditional class room experience, the curriculum encourages students to participate in experiential opportunities such as international legal exchanges.

Related research centers and institutes include the Paul Tsai China Center, the Gruber Program for Global Justice and Woman's Rights, and the Yale Law School Center for Global Legal Challenges.

Credit requirements: 83 units

Selection of courses offered:

• International Human Rights Clinic
• Comparative Law
• Introduction to Transnational Law
• International Trade Law
• International Criminal Law
• Public Order of the World Community
• Comparative Constitutional Law

Program length: Three years

Admissions and transfer credit information: Students must submit previous academic transcripts showing an undergraduate degree from an accredited university along with a personal statement, 250-word essay, a minimum of two letters of recommendation, and LSAT scores.

Accreditation: Yale Law School receives accreditation from the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association.

Columbia Law offers the full array of legal studies for aspiring students. The J.D. with a focus on International Business Law is just one of many excellent programs. The specialization in International Business Law allows students to focus on law and the global economy.

One highlighted program of the specialization is the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership. This program brings research and academics together to help improve the long-term financing of public corporations.

Additionally, students have access to several research facilities such as the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, the Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration and the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy. Both the Law School and the Columbia Business School co-host the Richman Center which offers interdisciplinary research opportunities and events such as the Global Business Forum.

Other international opportunities and programs include study abroad and international dual degrees, social justice externships and fellowships, international journals, advanced graduate legal studies, and the visiting scholars' program.

Selection of courses offered:

• Civil Procedure
• International and Comparative Law
• National Security Law
• Corporate Law
• Administrative Law and Public Policy
• Human Rights
• Transnational Litigation
• International Commercial Arbitration
• Investor-State Law and Arbitration

Admissions and transfer credit information: Traditional JD applicants must submit a personal statement/essay, two letters of recommendation, a resume, previous transcripts, and the Dean's Appraisal Certification form. Admissions may contact students for interviews.

Admissions accepts transfer students who have 28 to 32 completed law school credits.

Accreditation: Columbia University receives accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Berkeley Law School offers a Certification of Specialization in International Law that students can complete as part of a JD or LLM program. As an area of study, International and Comparative Law courses are interdisciplinary in nature and are available through other departments including the School of Business, Economics Department, and the Political-Science Department.

Students also have access to cutting-edge research programs such as the Miller Institute for Global Challenges, the Law and the International Human Rights Law Clinic, and the Human Rights Center. Students may also participate in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition which simulates a dispute between countries in front of the International Court of Justice. Competitive teams come from all over the world to participate.

Selection of courses offered:

• Advanced Human Rights Investigation Practicum
• Anticorruption Compliance
• Comparative Constitutional Law
• Disputes with Sovereigns
• International Trade
• Law of the Sea
• Refugee Law and Processes

Admissions and transfer credit information:Traditional JD applicants must submit prior academic transcripts, two to four letters of recommendation, a personal statement of approximately four double-spaced pages, a resume, LSAT scores, and a Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report. Admissions also recommends, but does not require, that students complete a supplemental socio-economic questionnaire.

Admissions accepts transfer students with one year of full-time law school credit already complete.

Accreditation: UC Berkeley receives accreditation from the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC).

NYU School of Law offers a unique JD-LLM dual degree in International Law for current NYU JD students seeking specialist academic expertise in international law.

In addition to the traditional classes in the history and theory behind international law, the curriculum also encourages students to participate in hands-on clinics and internship opportunities.

Student have access to plentiful resources through facilities such as the Institute for International Law and Justice, the Guarini Institute for Global Legal Studies, the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law and Justice, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, and the US-Asia Law Institute, among others.

Credit requirements: 14 credits of specialized International Law classes

Selection of courses offered:

• History and Theory of International Law Seminar
• International Commercial Arbitration
• International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice Seminar
• International Humanitarian Law
• International Intellectual Property Law
• Conflict of Laws
• Global Data Law

Program length: Four years

Admissions and transfer credit information: Potential students for the JD program must submit LSAT or GRE scores, at least two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and resume. Admissions encourages students to also submit any additional information that supports the student's application.

JD students seeking the dual JD-LLM in International Law degree must apply to the IILJ during their second year and again to the full-time LLM in International Studies during their third year.

Accreditation: NYU School of Law receives accreditation from the Council and the Accreditation Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

The University of Texas School of Law offers a comprehensive LLM with concentration in Latin American and International Law. Students have the further option to specialize in Civil Rights, Human Rights, Immigration, and Transnational Worker Rights through various clinics.

The diverse curriculum includes topics such as human rights, immigration, tax, arbitration, and much more. Students may tailor their academic experience towards their career goals with flexible class options.

Students have access to several research and networking opportunities such as the Law School's Institute for Transnational Law and the Texas International Law Journal.

Credit requirements: 24 total credit hours, including 12 concentration-specific credit hours

Selection of courses offered:

• Introduction to Domestic and International Arbitration
• International Human Rights Law
• International Trade
• Public International Law
• Seminar: Maritime Law: Commercial Problems
• Seminar: Citizenship
• Terror & Consent: Constitutional and International Law

Program length: One year

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must have a prior JD or other foreign law degree and must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese. Additionally, students applying to the LLM must submit previous transcripts, personal statement, resume, and three letters of recommendation.

Accreditation: UT Austin receives accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Students in the JD program offered through GW Law have several areas of study to choose from such as Animal Law, Intellectual Property, National Security, and International and Comparative Law. Professional students may also pursue these areas within an LLM, SJD, or dual degree program.

As an area of study, the International and Comparative Law curriculum is by nature diverse and interdisciplinary. Students are equally likely to address antitrust law, civil procedure, and environmental law as they are patent law or securities regulations.

Students have access to research opportunities through initiative such as the Institute for International Corporate Governance and Accountability and the Dinwoodey Center for Intellectual Property Studies.

Credit requirements: 84 credit hours for the JD program, a minimum of 12 credits for the area of study

Selection of courses offered:

• Trade and Sustainable Development
• Procurement in International Development
• International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism
• International Family Law
• Refugee and Asylum Law
• Law of War
• International Human Rights of Women

Learning enrollment options: Full or part-time

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit prior transcripts and LSAT scores. Additional material includes a resume, two-page personal statement, and a minimum of one letter of recommendation.

Admissions accepts up to 28 transfer credit towards a law school degree.

Accreditation: GW University receives accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.