For Immediate Release
October 8, 2008


Media Contact:

Kara Tershel, (202) 662-9500

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Georgetown University Law Center Dean T. Alexander Aleinikoff is pleased to announce the establishment of a first-of-its-kind Center for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS) in the heart of London’s legal quarter. The Center brings together faculty and students from 10 nations and five continents to study international, transnational and comparative law.

"Legal practice is increasingly global, and today’s law school graduates need to understand other cultures and legal systems," said Aleinikoff. "We are delighted to partner with premier law schools from around the globe in taking the lead on transnational legal education."

Georgetown Law Professors David Cole and Nina Pillard are serving as the academic directors during the first year. The curriculum includes a core course focused on transnational legal theory, a weekly workshop featuring some of the world’s leading transnational law scholars and a participatory exercise to introduce students to one another and to the different perspectives that they bring to their legal studies.

Several courses are co-taught by professors from different countries.  Offerings include transnational issues in art, culture and law; globalization, governance and justice; national security and human rights in transnational and comparative perspective; and international legal institutions.

Spearheaded by Georgetown Law, CTLS is a joint venture with Free University of Berlin, University of Fribourg (Switzerland), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, King’s College London, University of Melbourne, National University of Singapore, University of Sao Paulo, University of Torino and University of Toronto. Each school will send faculty and students to the Center, and students will earn credits toward graduation from their home institutions.

An inaugural celebration for the Center, which opened its doors to students in September, will take place on Monday, October 27 and Tuesday, October 28. Baroness Brenda Hale, the first woman to serve on Britain’s highest court, will be the keynote speaker.

An article about CTLS appears in the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Georgetown Law magazine.

The establishment of CTLS was made possible in part by the generosity of Georgetown Law alumni and the law firms of Howrey LLP, DLA Piper and Skadden Arps. 

 

About Georgetown University Law Center 

Georgetown University Law Center is one of the world's premier law schools. It has the largest full-time faculty in the nation and is pre-eminent in several areas, including constitutional, international, tax and clinical law. Drawing on its Jesuit heritage, it has a strong tradition of public service and is dedicated to the principle that law is but a means, justice is the end. With this principle in mind, Georgetown Law has built an environment that cultivates an exchange of ideas and the pursuit of academic excellence. It brings together an extraordinarily varied group of teachers, scholars and practitioners, as well as an outstanding student body representing more than 60 countries.