Why International Law

Twenty-first century legal practice and legal institutions are inescapably multinational. Law and lawyers face the challenges of massive, rapid flows of capital across borders; the rise of the World Trade Organization as a maker of international legal rules that reach previously domestic matters; business transactions and scandals involving companies with global reach and subject to the laws of numerous jurisdictions; the war on terrorism and other uses of military force and their implications for international law and domestic civil liberties; international criminals; public health concerns that transcend national boundaries; the international regulation of the environment; the regulation of cyberspace; and the reforming and rebuilding of legal institutions in the post-communist and developing world.

Penn Law's uniquely interdisciplinary faculty and the law school's extensive links with the strong international and foreign area studies resources at Wharton, Penn's School of Arts and Sciences and specialized centers and institutes throughout the university prepare students for dealing with the complex and changing legal environment by providing an understanding of the economic, political, social and philosophical contexts of foreign and international law. We offer a rich array of programs and extracurricular activities at Penn Law and at the University of Pennsylvania, complemented by events at other Philadelphia institutions. Our easy access from New York and Washington allows us to host leading scholars, practitioners and public figures in foreign and international law and related fields.

The international programs and opportunities noted above are bolstered by the active presence of more than 90 foreign-trained attorneys from around the globe who come to Penn Law to study in our graduate LL.M., LL.C.M., and S.J.D. programs. These students, representing over 44 different countries, study alongside J.D. students in upper-level courses and provide a broad range of international professional experience and diverse cultural perspectives. These students provide invaluable opportunities for exchanges between outstanding young lawyers from abroad and J.D. students with interests in international and comparative law.