International Studies

Summer Institutes

Duke Law School sponsors two one-month residential summer law institutes, one located in Europe and the other in Asia. The institutes are designed for students and young professionals interested in studying international and comparative law. They also provide an excellent foundation for studying law in the United States. Courses are taught in English, by faculty from the United States and from other countries. One course taught annually is an introduction to the American legal system. Other courses tend to change from year to year and focus on subjects such as emerging markets, international trade, intellectual property, international dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, human rights, banking, international criminal law, and comparative constitutional law. The institutes each enroll from 50 to 70 students from Duke and other American law schools, as well as from countries around the world.

Asia brochureThe Asia-America Institute in Transnational Law is conducted in cooperation with the University of Hong Kong Law Faculty. It focuses on courses and topics of particular interest to lawyers or students engaged in or contemplating transactional work in Asia.

Europe brochureThe Duke-Geneva Institute in Transnational Law is co-sponsored by Duke Law School and the University of Geneva Law Faculty in Switzerland. It coordinates courses on public international law with visits to the international organizations in Geneva, as well as offers courses in private law areas with special emphasis on European and comparative law.

Both institutes are enriched by a series of afternoon seminars delivered by legal and financial experts from Asia or from international institutions in Geneva. The institutes welcome participation from lawyers, judges, government officials, academics, and pre-LLM students.

Duke Law School is also proud to offer the Summer Institute on Law, Language, & Culture. This four-week intensive program takes place at Duke Law School and is designed to introduce international students and visitors coming to Duke to the American law school experience.