International Trade Law Certificate
The Certificate in International Trade Law reflects Georgetown Law’s long-standing reputation and expertise in international trade law, in particular, regarding legal aspects of the World Trade Organization (WTO), preferential trade agreements and U.S. laws and regulations affecting international trade, including trade remedies and export controls.
The Certificate combines a course credit component (one basic trade course; minimum of two specialized trade courses) with a trade-related capstone project.
To future employers, the Certificate signals a solid academic and practical background in the important and growing field of international trade, covering trade in goods and services and trade-related issues frequently addressed in modern trade agreements such as digital trade, intellectual property, health and safety, investment, e-commerce, environment and labor concerns.
The program aims to prepare students for work in government, diplomatic missions or international organizations (in particular, the WTO) focused on trade negotiations and the settlement of trade disputes. The Certificate also prepares students for work with a U.S. or foreign law firm engaged in domestic trade proceedings or the litigation of trade disputes at the WTO or under other trade or economic agreements.
The requirements for the Certificate in International Trade Law are:
- Successful completion of International Law I, or its equivalent, either in prior law study in the United States or internationally, or during the first year at Georgetown Law. This course does not count toward the Certificate, but may count toward overall J.D. or LL.M. credit requirements.
- Successful completion of coursework on trade-related subjects, selected from an approved list of WTO & International Trade Certificate courses from the Curriculum Guide, including:
- At least one foundational trade course (List A)
- At least two specialized trade courses (List B)
- At least one capstone project (List C). Capstone projects include not only the courses offered in List C, but also the following co-curricular activities:
- Moot Court – Participate in the Institute of International Economic Law’s (IIEL) John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition.
- Clinic – Participate on a trade team project with the Harrison Institute’s Policy Clinic.
- Writing Competition – Submit a paper that meets the qualifications for the IIEL and Georgetown Journal of International Law’s (GJIL) John D. Greenwald Writing Competition, focused on current issues relevant to international trade law, the jurisprudence of the WTO or regional trade organizations, jurisprudence concerning U.S. trade organizations, an issue relating to the political economy or the efficacy of U.S. or international trade regimes (subject to approval).
- A minimum grade point average of “B” or higher in the courses that are counted toward the Certificate requirements.
- The Certificate in International Trade Law program can be pursued in conjunction with the J.D. or an LL.M. degree.
- Students cannot be admitted into the Certificate in International Trade Law program on a standalone basis.
- Students who wish to apply for the Certificate should do so by:
- Notifying their J.D. Academic Advisor or LL.M. Program Director no later than the last day of add/drop activity in the last semester before their graduation, and
- Submitting the Certificate in WTO & International Trade Studies Notification Form to inform Katrin Kuhlmann, Faculty Director of the Certificate in International Trade Law, of their interest in the program.
Refer to the Curriculum Guide for the current list of offerings that satisfy coursework for the Certificate in International Trade Law. On the left-hand side Search Options menu, select WTO & International Trade Certificate as the option under Courses in a Graduate Program. Additionally, course offerings can be filtered by List A, List B, or List C by selecting WTO & International Trade Certificate – List A, WTO & International Trade Certificate – List B, or WTO & International Trade Certificate – List C, respectively.
For a sample listing of courses and their descriptions offered in previous years that satisfied coursework for the Certificate in International Trade Law, refer to the Certificate in International Trade Law Curriculum Essays page.
The courses listed for the Certificate are all trade-focused. It is strongly recommended that when selecting classes, students supplement these trade-focused courses with one or more trade-related international law courses offered at Georgetown Law. To be a well-rounded international trade lawyer, it can be important to have a basic knowledge of one or more of the following closely related fields: international business transactions & negotiations, international investment, international tax, international financial regulation, international antitrust (competition), international arbitration (investor-state and commercial), anti-corruption, and international environmental, labor or human rights law.
Georgetown Law has one of the highest concentrations of trade-related law courses and faculty in the world. Students can benefit from the expertise and network of both permanent and visiting faculty in the field as well as a variety of Washington, DC based adjunct professors working for world-class trade law firms, U.S. government agencies or international organizations.