Introduction
The program consists of two years of law study at Columbia Law School, followed by one year of study in Paris at Sciences Po. At the end of the three years Columbia students will obtain the French Master's in Global Business Law, and the U.S. J.D.
The aim of this highly selective, multidisciplinary, and international diploma in Global Business Law is to provide a small number of lawyers and students with an in-depth theoretical and practical acquaintance with the nature and needs of the global market, in a manner that synthesizes law and political science while borrowing from the best of both civil and common law pedagogical techniques. Classes conducted by leading European experts from the prestigious Institut d'études politiques will provide Columbia students with a European perspective on international law and business issues. In addition to the faculty members from Sciences Po, professors from other leading law faculties in Europe will be invited as visiting professors.
Interactive, bilingual discussion, in small specially tailored groups is emphasized in the program. Participants will also have an opportunity to undertake a research paper that can be supervised by their home faculty or by a faculty member in Paris. Only 30 students will take part in the program each year: 10 from Sciences-Po, 10 from Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and 10 from a select group of American law school partners.
Curriculum at CLS
Students must take all required Foundation courses in their first year at Columbia Law School. In the second year, students must take 32 credits and are are required to consult with the Office of International Programs in the selection of courses. Students are expected to take all required Foundation courses during the 1L year, 32 law credits during the 2L year, and must meet all other requirements of the JD degree. Students will receive 21 credits for coursework in Paris. Note that language courses and courses outside the law school are not counted toward the JD degree for students participating in double degree programs. Participation in this program is subject to a final review of the second year transcript. Moreover, all course selections for the 2L year must be approved by the Office of International Programs.
Developing your 2L Course Load
As students will be at Columbia for only two years, and must take 32 credits in the 2L year, their schedules will have the same priority as those in their 3L year. For this reason, students generally get what they request. However, there is no ranking in the drop and add period. Please read the guidelines below before completing any pre-registration forms -- it is important to plan out your schedule carefully.
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Students should take a few U.S. law subjects, (e.g. corporations, evidence, federal income tax, federal courts, securities, administrative law, corporate tax, etc.). There is no required course beyond the first year curriculum, but you should take some of the basics, focusing on those courses that you will likely use in your future.
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If participating in a journal, students should check with the Editor in Chief to ascertain whether they can participate in the journal in their third year and whether they will get credit for it. If you know that you will be getting 1 credit for journal work in your 3L year, you will only need to take 31 credits in the 2L year. Likewise, for those students who are in F-1 status and plan to use Curricular Practical Training (CPT) in the summer after the 2L year, you will have to register for independent or supervised research in the 3L year, and write a paper relating to your summer work. The credits related to the CPT should be subtracted from the 32 credits needed to be earned in the 2L year (see below about independent and supervised research quotas).
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If you are writing a note for a journal, please make sure that you will get academic credit for the note. You may use the same paper for a seminar as for a journal note, or you may register for one or two points of supervised or independent research under the supervision of a faculty member. (See section on independent research).
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If you are participating in EIP, you may want to have fewer points in the fall than in the spring semester -- interviews can cause students to miss many days of classes.
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You may ask a professor to add an additional credit on to a seminar by writing a longer research paper. This may be better than adding an additional seminar for credits.
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Because of the time commitment, it is not suggested that you take a clinic unless it relates directly to your field of study. If you do decide to register for a clinic, be careful regarding the number of credits you use -- there is a maximum of 12 clinic/supervised research credits that one may count toward the JD (see below about maximum number of clinical/supervised credits).
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Avoid externships as they generally take up a great deal of time for very few credits.
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Take note of corequisites and prerequisites. While professors are generally flexible in allowing students to fulfill a prerequisite with a corequisite, you do want to be careful that you are building a schedule that is not too demanding.
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Be mindful of the number of seminars you take in a semester as they only give 2 credits and sometimes may be as much work as a 3-point lecture.
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Do not only take courses that you think you should -- make sure that you are taking some courses that you are interested in and will enjoy.
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You may take courses outside of the Law School only if they relate to your legal studies (language courses do not qualify). You will, however, need permission from Amanda Maurer to take courses outside of the Law School.
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Make sure you have thought about where you will get your minor and major writing credits.
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You must fulfill the professional ethics requirement at CLS in order to graduate.
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You cannot work on the research project you intend to do in your third year, during your second year. The 3-point research project make build upon a current research paper, but you cannot use the same paper (or large portions of it) for the 3rd year requirement. You should develop the topic of your research while at Columbia, and approach a professor as early as possible to serve as the supervisor of the research.
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VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that you keep track of the number of Independent Research/Journal and Clinical/Supervised credits you have. There is a maximum of 3 independent/journal credits that may be used toward your degree requirements. Since JD/LLM candidates are required to complete a 3-credit research paper under the supervision of a CLS professor in their third year, students may want to reserve their independent credits for the 3L requirement. An alternative is to use supervised research which is under the same category as clinical hours (students may apply up to 12 clinical/supervised research credits toward the degree). However, it is up to the discretion of the professor to agree to call your research "supervised" as this entails more interaction and "contemporaneous discussion, review and evaluation". When you speak to professors about this, remind them that you can make phone calls to discuss research, send written reports, and return to New York during vacations for in-person consultations.
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Students are encouraged to meet with Gail Heatherly or Ilene Strauss for JD advising. For advising specific to the double degree program, please contact the International Programs Office.
Curriculum in Paris
The fall semester runs from early October to mid-January, but Sciences-Po offers a one-month optional French language program during the month of September. Some courses are taught only in English, others only in French, and a few in both English and French. In the first semester, students will take a total of 6 offerings, 4 mandatory and 2 optional. Students may also take a French language course (not for credit) in both the fall and spring semesters. The spring semester runs from mid-February to mid-June. The two graduates of the program were able to take the New York Bar and Sciences-Po will make every effort to give students early exams. However, students should expect to be in Paris through the first of June.
For the most up to date information, please visit the website.
How to apply
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR U.S. STUDENTS
Columbia J.D. students apply in their first year of study. Students must submit a written application, a statement of purpose, a résumé, and a transcript from their first semester at Columbia. In April, applicants are informed if they have passed the initial screening. As this program is taught in both French and English, it is important that students have an intermediate or advanced level of French language. Interviews in English and French may be conducted with selected students. Students are selected on the basis of their academic record at Columbia, strength of their written statement, and professional and educational experience. Only two students will be selected.
CONTACTS
Audrey Baker, Program Manager, Double Degree, Global Alliance or Study Abroad
212-854-8170
Columbia Law School
435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027