Tulane provides a variety of opportunities to study international law, and many Tulane offerings are comparative in nature, systematically contrasting the law of the United States with the laws of various other countries in dozens of areas.
No lawyer in today's increasingly internationalized economy can be an effective practitioner without an understanding of the law of other jurisdictions. At Tulane, we have always recognized this, if for no other reasons than our own location and history. Tulane offers an array of internationally related courses during the fall, spring, and summer sessions in New Orleans, and in its summer abroad programs. Many of these courses deal specifically with aspects of international law, among them trade, finance, banking, human rights, taxation, environmental controls, the European Union, transnational litigation and arbitration, continental legal philosophy, and Roman law. This array of courses enables students to understand the similarities and differences among the world's legal systems.
Curriculum
Tulane's tradition of offering both common law and civil law courses has evolved into a broader emphasis on comparative and international law. Tulane Law's rich curriculum in international & comparative law supports a variety of educational experiences. JD students may receive a Certificate in International and Comparative Law by enrolling in a variety of courses in comparative, international and transnational law, while US and foreign graduate students may pursue an LLM in International and Comparative Law. Our Summer Study Abroad program offers students the opportunity to study international and comparative law in a variety of international settings. Our Exchange Programs enable Tulane students to spend a semester at a variety of global universities, which in turn send one or two of their own students to study at Tulane for a semester. Tulane also typically offers students non-credit instruction in a variety of languages, often taught by the native-speaker attorneys enrolled in our graduate law programs.
Centers & Institutes
The Eason Weinmann Center for International and Comparative Law is the cornerstone of our international and comparative law program. The Center gives Tulane's international and comparative law activities a firm institutional base by enriching the existing programs of Tulane Law School involving countries outside of the United States. The Maritime Law Center and the Payson Graduate Program for Global Development augment our international and comparative law program with a focus admiralty law and sustainable human development, respectively. The Tulane Law Library contains an extensive collection of EU and international law materials.
Extracurricular Activities
The program also supports extracurricular activities that further engage student interest in issues pertaining to international and comparative law. Tulane students compete in the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court competition, held in Vienna each spring. The Tulane Journal of International & Comparative Law publishes two issues each year, and students also fill editorial positions on the staff of the faculty-sponsored Tulane European and Civil Law Forum. The Eberhard Deutsch International Law Society, a student-run organization, is active in arranging conferences and other programs.
Career Development
The program also supports career opportunities across the globe. Summer internship opportunities have been arranged for Tulane students participating in international programs: In recent years, students have been placed in law firms in law firms in France, England, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Australia. Tulane’s international activities draw upon strong ties with its alumni network practicing law in Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
