ORIENTATION IN THE US LEGAL SYSTEM
ACADEMIC PROGRAM

This year's Orientation academic program has been modified from previous years to focus on American law and legal methods for practicing lawyers and those interested in being exposed to the US legal practice in an academic setting.  

American law is based on the Common Law tradition, an intricate system that uses and values sources of law in a different manner from that of the Civil Law tradition. ILI believes that learning the basics of Common Law gives strong competitive advantage to law students and foreign attorneys trained and practicing under the Civil Law. Understanding substantive differences between the two systems and learning new methods will ease the transition to studying or practicing law in the United States and internationally.

Our program concentrates on both the legal methods and the major areas of substantive law that foreign lawyers are most likely to encounter when conducting business in the United States or with Americans abroad.  Furthermore, the program will cover the role of Common Law in international and supranational organizations such as the WTO, the EU, and other similar institutions. Focusing on the US legal system, we will illustrate how understanding Common Law legal methods is important for all lawyers working at or with any of these organizations.

Below is a list of some topics covered in the program:

• The American Court System;
• Arbitration and American Courts: Enforcement;
• The American Court System: Civil Litigation and Jurisdiction of Courts;
• International Litigation: Extra-territorial Application of US Law;
• International Litigation: US Civil Procedure Abroad; Other Proceedings;
• Commercial Contracts; Negotiation of Contracts with American Lawyers;
• American Torts in the International Setting;
• Products Liability Law in the US Legal System;
• The US Insurance System and Its Impact on Business Claims;
• The American Regulatory System: Administrative Law;
• Sarbanes-Oxley, SEC, and Other Recent Legislation with International Effects on Corporations.

Classes on US legal methods are conducted using the case method, the traditional teaching style of American law schools. This method emphasizes rigorous questioning of the student by the professor. Because the US system of law is based extensively on prior judicial decisions, substantive law is learned by reading cases, followed by detailed analysis. Classes on mastery of specific areas of practice are conducted in a mixture of styles appropriate to the material, including lecture, discussion, and simulations.

Whether you are a foreign lawyer or law student dealing with corporate law, commercial law, administrative law or any aspect of law that deals with the common law or US law in general, this program will benefit you significantly.

Tuition fee: $1800 (discount appplies, if attending more than one 2007 summer course. See Application Process)

Contact Email: orient@ili.org