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11/29/04 Northwestern Law Looking to Expand International Degree Program to Europe

Northwestern Law and the Instituto de Empresa (IE) in Madrid will partner to develop an executive master of laws degree program for European legal and business professionals. Pending a feasibility study, the program is set to begin in Madrid in 2005.

Dean David Van Zandt traveled to Madrid on Nov. 29, to meet with Santiago Iñiguez, dean of IE, to sign a letter of intent to partner with and to develop the executive degree program.

The program will accommodate European legal and business professionals who cannot afford to be absent from their jobs in order to pursue an advanced degree in the United States. The curriculum will be designed and scheduled to attract students from all over Europe.  Through this collaboration with IE, students will have the opportunity to earn a degree from Northwestern, a leading U.S. law school, without leaving Europe for an extended period.  

"We are excited to bring this opportunity to young European professionals who work in the international legal and business world," said Van Zandt. "In-depth knowledge of the American legal system is vital not only to their success as international lawyers and executives but also to the success of the companies for which they work. Those who take advantage of the executive program will be able to immediately apply the skills they learn in their workplaces." "Today the practice of law is becoming truly global, with principles and models of common law applied in all European jurisdictions," said Iñiguez. "This program will equip business lawyers with the best analytical tools to develop their international careers."

The curriculum will be taught entirely in English and will focus on important aspects of the U.S. legal system and Anglo-American common law, including the study of the relationship between civil and common law insofar as it affects the practice of law in Europe.

Scholars of distinction from both schools will teach courses at times at the IE facility to accommodate students' work commitments. Students may also travel to Chicago at some point to complete a course and participate in a range of activities designed to provide a more in depth study of the U.S. legal community. It is anticipated that the part-time program could be completed within 12 to 18 months from enrollment. 

Northwestern developed a similar program in Seoul, Korea, with the Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technology in 2002. The second class of 34 Korean legal and business professionals is scheduled to graduate from the Executive LLM Program in March 2004. The School of Law is also investigating the possibility of developing similar programs in China and Latin America. 

Founded in 1859, Northwestern University School of Law is dedicated to advancing the understanding of law and legal institutions and preparing students to excel in a complex and rapidly changing world. The School of Law's points of distinction include: a student body of mature, experienced leaders; an internationally renowned faculty that contributes to resolving the day's leading issues; a team-based curriculum that focuses on real-word experience and cross-training in business; and a close-knit community that fosters supportive and collaborative learning.  Northwestern has almost 10,000 alumni spread around the world in legal, business, governmental, and non-profit organizations.  U.S. News and World Report annually ranks it among the nation's top law schools.

Instituto de Empresa is a leading European business school, oriented to training entrepreneurs and company directors through its masters degrees and executive education programmes. Instituto de Empresa is characterised by its markedly global approach, its spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation, its applied research projects and the promotion of socially responsible initiatives. Instituto de Empresa has an alumni network that currently comprises some 30,000 IE graduates that hold management positions in 85 countries. IE was recently ranked eighth among all business schools by the Financial Times.

 

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