Overview

Today, virtually all Stanford Law School graduates will encounter foreign legal systems and will work with lawyers and clients from other countries in their practices and post-graduate work. That is why learning about foreign legal systems is an increasingly important aspect of legal education. An excellent way for students to gain familiarity with foreign legal systems is through study at a foreign law school. Stanford Law School has established a Foreign Legal Study Program that allows our students to pursue study for Stanford Law School credit at a number of leading foreign law schools with which Stanford has established foreign study arrangements. In exceptional cases, students can also petition to study at a foreign law school of their own choosing.

• Program Overview and Goals
• Study Abroad Opportunities
• Partner Schools
• Self-selected Schools
• Eligibility
• Timing
• Credit for Courses Taken
• Procedure for Applying
• Deadlines
• Withdrawal
• Coordination with the Faculty Advisor
• Stanford Law School Requirements
• Tuition and Financial Aid
• Health Insurance
• Registration with the local United States Embassy
• Petition for Foreign Study

Study Abroad Opportunities

Learn about foreign legal cultures and garner an appreciation for the role of the law in other societies by participating in the Foreign Legal Study Program. Students may choose to study at the following law schools with which Stanford has foreign study arrangements:

• Bucerius Law School - Hamburg, Germany
• CIDE (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas) –
  Mexico City, Mexico
• Peking University Law School – Beijing, China
• European University Institute - Florence, Italy
• Waseda University - Tokyo, Japan

Students also have the option to petition to study at a foreign law school with which Stanford does not have a foreign study arrangement.

Apply 1-2-3

1. Obtain a Faculty Advisor

Students considering studying at a foreign law school should first obtain a faculty advisor who agrees to review in advance and approve a written plan as described in the foreign study guidelines by the student defining the educational objectives he or she seeks to achieve through foreign study.

2. File Your Stanford Petition

After securing the approval of a faculty advisor, the student must file a petition with Foreign Law Programs Committee.

3. Apply for Admission to the Foreign Law School

Students must apply for admission to the foreign law school at which he or she wishes to study. Students approved for foreign study must demonstrate to the Foreign Law Programs Committee that they have been admitted to the foreign law school at the earliest possible date, and in any event before they begin study at the foreign school.

Deadlines

Stanford Law School

For academic year 2010-2011, applications from students who wish to study abroad during Fall Quarter are due February 19, 2010. Applications from students who wish to study abroad during either the Winter or Spring Quarters are due October 15, 2010. Applications should be submitted to:

Office of the Registrar
Room 100
Stanford Law School

Partner Schools

Each law school with which Stanford has foreign study arrangement has its own application deadline. For academic calendar year 2010-2011, the application deadlines for Stanford students to apply to those schools are:

• Bucerius Law School
  March 31, 2010
• CIDE
  May 15, 2010
• European University Institute
  March 31, 2010
• Waseda University
  March 31, 2010