law school Forum

[JCougar]

Princeton.

[Mr. Pablo]

So, OP, just in case you can't pierce the cloud of snark (funny snark for sure), 'international law' is massively misunderstood. There really only is international business law (companies doing business across national borders- so taxes, trade agreements, etc..). The concept of the saving Rwandan orphans through moving rhetoric in the Hague is just not all that real. Some people do try cases in international courts, but those people are super-rare (Saddam Hussein did not support a whole legal field in his defense). So, ya, go to HYS, and make some big-time contacts in the US or some foreign government. It's just as rare as being a Senator.

[gatorlion]

As for what schools, NYU and Columbia are ranked the highest for international law, but most people will tell you to go to the best (highest ranked) school you can for this type of law

It's a much smaller field than most people realize, so high grades and a JD from a high prestige law school would probably be a necessity. I've heard it said on TLS before (so take this with a grain of salt) that it's almost not worth pursuing outside of t4 or t6.

I agree -- t6, though.. because I think NYU def will still provide opportunities

Not entirely true- there are people working on international environmental law in government and IGOs from American, Vermont, Tulane.

EDIT: I think there is a tendency on TLS to conflate "international law" with "international human rights law." Not everyone wishing to practice international law wants to be arguing cases at the Hague...

[downstream]

Stetson, IIRC, has a top program for this. I'd say Stetson, HYS or maybe Tulane/American are probably the best places for this. And a bunch of the above poasters are way off. International Lawyers are in high demand right now in places that are building constitutions like Togo, Lesotho and Saipan. I know a guy that landed an international law gig out of OCI but he was top 10%.

[JCougar]

Stetson, IIRC, has a top program for this. I'd say Stetson, HYS or maybe Tulane/American are probably the best places for this. And a bunch of the above poasters are way off. International Lawyers are in high demand right now in places that are building constitutions like Togo, Lesotho and Saipan. I know a guy that landed an international law gig out of OCI but he was top 10%.

LOL.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yale..

[Hey-O]

EDIT: I think there is a tendency on TLS to conflate "international law" with "international human rights law." Not everyone wishing to practice international law wants to be arguing cases at the Hague...

This is very true. There are lots of lawyers out there who are dealing with international issues. There are very few 'international courts', but there is a growing field of 'international law.' The more governments and business interact fluidly across state lines the more need there is for laws that guide those interactions. There is a lot of need for lawyers with a knowledge of international law in the political arena as well in helping to understand the increasingly complex legal ramifications of legislation.

[Regionality]

Princeton.

+

[romothesavior]

American.

[Grizz]

Stetson, IIRC, has a top program for this. I'd say Stetson, HYS or maybe Tulane/American are probably the best places for this. And a bunch of the above poasters are way off. International Lawyers are in high demand right now in places that are building constitutions like Togo, Lesotho and Saipan. I know a guy that landed an international law gig out of OCI but he was top 10%.

You are hilariously misinformed.

You will have miserable time finding any job out of Stetson, much less one in "international law."

[Grizz]

American.

--ImageRemoved--

[Cara]

You can study international law at all sorts of places. But if you actually want to practice it then you should go to Yale, worst case H or S.

[merichard87]

You can study international law at all sorts of places. But if you actually want to practice it then you should go to Yale, worst case H or S.

+1

[Mr. Pablo]

EDIT: I think there is a tendency on TLS to conflate "international law" with "international human rights law." Not everyone wishing to practice international law wants to be arguing cases at the Hague...

This is very true. There are lots of lawyers out there who are dealing with international issues. There are very few 'international courts', but there is a growing field of 'international law.' The more governments and business interact fluidly across state lines the more need there is for laws that guide those interactions. There is a lot of need for lawyers with a knowledge of international law in the political arena as well in helping to understand the increasingly complex legal ramifications of legislation.

You are right. There is a great deal of work for people who can deal with laws written in non-English languages, specifically in business. There just isn't paying work for people who want to battle for the legal rights of citizens in country X. Sure, volunteer all you like, but that kind of stuff just doesn't put actual food on the literal table.

[Regionality]

EDIT: I think there is a tendency on TLS to conflate "international law" with "international human rights law." Not everyone wishing to practice international law wants to be arguing cases at the Hague...

This is very true. There are lots of lawyers out there who are dealing with international issues. There are very few 'international courts', but there is a growing field of 'international law.' The more governments and business interact fluidly across state lines the more need there is for laws that guide those interactions. There is a lot of need for lawyers with a knowledge of international law in the political arena as well in helping to understand the increasingly complex legal ramifications of legislation.

You are right. There is a great deal of work for people who can deal with laws written in non-English languages, specifically in business. There just isn't paying work for people who want to battle for the legal rights of citizens in country X. Sure, volunteer all you like, but that kind of stuff just doesn't put actual food on the literal table.

This man certainly did not work in international law...

[Case2L]

For those of you that believe there is such a field as International Law, please PM me, as I would like to share with you the good news of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I also have some land in the Everglades and a bridge in New York that you might be interested in.

[Mickey Quicknumbers]

For those of you that believe there is such a field as International Law, please PM me, as I would like to share with you the good news of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I also have some land in the Everglades and a bridge in New York that you might be interested in.

Not very funny

[Regionality]

For those of you that believe there is such a field as International Law, please PM me, as I would like to share with you the good news of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I also have some land in the Everglades and a bridge in New York that you might be interested in.

There is law out there that is international in scope...it's just rare, tough to get into and often times it is more business-oriented than politically oriented, more than most people think/hope.

[gatorlion]

For those of you that believe there is such a field as International Law, please PM me, as I would like to share with you the good news of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I also have some land in the Everglades and a bridge in New York that you might be interested in.

See my above post for a brief analysis of why you are horribly wrong.

[Always Credited]

Columbia

lol I love how you edited to keep it in order..

Lol I couldn't remember the rankings after YHS.

That's shocking. I've inadvertently memorized the top 19 at least just by browsing these forums regularly. I haven't even applied to law school yet.

okay, and I've probably looked at the actual list a few times.

Disgraceful anti-GWU trolling.

[General Tso]

Stetson, IIRC, has a top program for this. I'd say Stetson, HYS or maybe Tulane/American are probably the best places for this. And a bunch of the above poasters are way off. International Lawyers are in high demand right now in places that are building constitutions like Togo, Lesotho and Saipan. I know a guy that landed an international law gig out of OCI but he was top 10%.

Yes you do recall correctly! Stetson does in fact have a top program for this.

OP, go to Stetson. You'll be fine.

[merichard87]

OP: Aim high and pray for a miracle. Good luck with the North Korean orphans or whatever.

[Regionality]

Stetson, IIRC, has a top program for this. I'd say Stetson, HYS or maybe Tulane/American are probably the best places for this. And a bunch of the above poasters are way off. International Lawyers are in high demand right now in places that are building constitutions like Togo, Lesotho and Saipan. I know a guy that landed an international law gig out of OCI but he was top 10%.

I had to google Saipan...that place has like 20 people on an island in the middle of the ocean...how on earth could they afford my future legal fees?

Oh, and I KNOW Togo and Lesotho couldn't pay me more than .20/hr...so not sure how that demand is gonna help anyone.

[hadokenstyle]

So after working in The Hague for the past 3 months and meeting attorney after attorney at the ICTY, I can tell you that based on personal observation at a UN Tribunal, 90% of this thread is BS.

(now note that I'm referring to OP's interest in Tribunals, not other forms of international law such as trade, NGO work, etc.)

The highest-ranked school I ran into was U. Penn on a public interest scholarship. I saw Georgetown on there, and then a buttload of T1 and T2 schools. The Georgetown graduate had clerked for the Penn SC and landed work at the ICTR before going to the ICTY. Of course, if you are planning to be a judge, Theodor Meron, the lofty member of NYU's faculty, represents the US there, although I don't think you'd be considering that right now .

The actual attorneys were generally much older and were drawn from regional markets. There were actually many senior prosecution attorneys that came from Houston. And, of course, many barristers from the UK. Most of the judges actually aren't judges but academics and diplomats, which is a little scary when you think of it.

The rankings aren't as important across the Atlantic. I suppose if you go to Harvard or so it won't hurt, but from what I saw, experience is what I saw to be the deciding factor. And those jobs are not as interesting as they seem. The courts tend to bend over backwards for the accused, which can be frustrating.

If you have more questions, PM me...