News archive 2008

Unique centre for transnational legal studies

10 Nov 2008, PR 238/08

The new Center for Transnational Legal Studies has been officially launched at King’s. The Center, spearheaded by Georgetown Law, is a first-of-its kind, collaborative project involving ten premier law schools from around the world,  including King’s, to offer transnational legal education.

On 28 October a document-signing ceremony took place with representatives from each of the Center for Transnational Legal Studies’ (CTLS) participating schools in the Weston Room of the Maughan Library at King’s. It was hosted by the College’s Principal, Professor Rick Trainor, and Georgetown University President John J  DeGioia.

In his speech Professor Trainor, noted that it was important for law schools with international reputations to come together, allowing students to learn about their differing legal institutions and to pursue transnational legal studies as a field of research.

President DeGioia noted that it was fitting that this landmark agreement be signed in the UK’s former public record office (now the Maughan Library) and on the birthday of the Renaissance humanist Erasmus, who lived during the ‘first great era of globalization’ and exploration.

‘By helping to teach all of our law students to be better global lawyers, this new Center for Transnational Legal Studies will help ensure the promise of greater global justice [and] a stronger global community – which, as Erasmus recognized nearly five centuries ago, we are all part of,’ he said.

The participating institutions – premier law schools from five continents – include King’s College London, Georgetown Law, the Free University of Berlin, the University of Melbourne, the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Singapore, the University of Sao Paulo, University of Torino, and the University of Toronto.

Wonderful opportunity

Professor Timothy Macklem, Head of the School of Law at King’s College London comments: ‘The Centre will be a wonderful opportunity for top quality Law Schools worldwide to come together to share ideas on education and research, and to enable some of King's students to study global issues with other students from a whole range of different cultures and jurisdictions.’

At an event later in the day the Right Honourable Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond, the first woman to be appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, and Honorary Graduate of King’s College London, congratulated the partner universities on ‘this splendid initiative, bringing together universities from all over the globe’.

Transnational questions, she said, now have a much more direct impact on people’s lives, citing examples involving multiculturalism, international human rights and “the European dimension” that now affects UK law.

Notes to editors

King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has 19,700 students from more than 150 countries, and 5,400 employees. King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of approximately £450 million. An investment £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres, a total unsurpassed by any other university.

King’s College London School of Law
Law at King’s has enjoyed a tradition of excellence for over 175 years and is recognised globally as one of the UK’s top four law schools (The Times Good University Guide 2009). Internationally renowned and research-led, the School scored the highest student satisfaction rating for Law within the Russell Group, (the top 20 British universities) in the 2008 National Student Survey.

CTLS
Located in the heart of London’s legal quarter, CTLS offers its current group of 56 students the unique opportunity to discuss law and perspectives across national boundaries. Georgetown Law Professors Nina Pillard and David Cole are presently serving as co-directors of CTLS; Assistant Dean Scott Foster is the Center’s administrative director. The establishment of CTLS was made possible in part by the generosity of Georgetown Law alumni and the law firms of Howrey LLP, DLA Piper and Skadden Arps.

Further information
Melanie Gardner, Senior Public Relations Officer,
Public Relations Department, King’s College London.
Tel: 020 7848 3073; email melanie.gardner@kcl.ac.uk

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This information is provided by the Public Relations Department
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