The complexity of transnational business and the growing significance of international organizations underscore the need for lawyers to be well versed in international and comparative law. Willamette's Certificate Program in International and Comparative Law was designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of legal careers in an increasingly global profession.
The program offers a rich blend of coursework and practical training for law students interested in the intricate and exacting study of international and comparative law.
The Certificate Program in International and Comparative Law requires 16 hours of specialized study as part of the 90 hours required to earn the JD.
The Certificate Program in International and Comparative Law provides students with a rigorous and comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of international law and dispute resolution, comparative law, and private international law. Students also are given an opportunity to study specialty subjects ranging from international business transactions, admiralty law and comparative constitutional law to immigration law. The Certificate Committee recommends that students select international business transactions to round out their program. Skills training is provided through editorial work on the school's international law journal and international law moot court competition. Off-campus study programs in China, Ecuador and Germany offer invaluable experiences abroad. The certificate program is further enhanced by access to courses in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management in such subjects as international management and foreign investment (see Learning Outcomes).
Interested students must apply for admission to the Program. To be admitted
to the program, a student must at least have a 2.50 GPA following completion
of the first-year curriculum (or 30 credits for part-time students).