International Programs | Columbia Law School
Constitutional Court Clerkships
Since 1994, at least six Columbia Law students have been selected to clerk on the Constitutional Court of South Africa (Hoyt Webb ‘93, Sharon McPherson ‘95, Kristen Wells ‘96, Laboni Hoq ‘00, Angus Tarpley ‘01 and Sherrel Evans ‘01). Both Tarpley and Evans clerked while participating in the exchange program with the University of the Witwatersrand. In addition to clerkships on the South African Constitutional Court, Columbia students have clerked at the Constitutional Court in Israel.
The ICC International Court of Arbitration Clerkships
Columbia is the only American law school to have a standing arrangement with the ICC International Court of Arbitration, under which it designates a candidate every year for a clerkship with the ICC Court. The clerkship is invaluable to those who wish to engage in international arbitration.
The Clerkship with the Commission des Operations de Bourse
The Commission des Opérations de Bourse has ceased to exist. Its new name is Autorité des marchés financiers. You find more information on the following site: http://www.amf-france.org/
Clerkship with the Federal Court of Appeals of Buenos Aires
Up to two students participating in the exchange program with the University of Buenos Aires may apply for a clerkship at the Federal Court of Appeals of Buenos Aires. This Court deals primarily with cases involving maritime and intellectual property law.
International Organization Externships
Students in their second or third year of law studies, as well as LL.M. students, may earn up to 2 points of academic credit through externships with various offices of the United Nations, including the Office of the High Commission for Refugees and the Office of the General Assembly Affairs, as well as non-governmental organizations represented at the U.N. The externship may be taken in conjunction with the seminar Law and Current Problems of the United Nations, taught by the former head of the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs (UNOLA), Dr Roy Lee.
Private Law Internships
For over a decade, students have been participating in a program established by Professor Alejandro Garro that provides both summer associate placement and internship opportunities in Latin America. Many first-year law students interested in Latin America have spent approximately 10 weeks of their summer at law firms in several different countries in Central and South America. Denise Lee '03 spent the summer at the law firm of Barros and Errázuriz Abogados in Santiago, Chile. This law firm has agreed to take a Columbia J.D. each year for a summer internship. For students who have a Latin American focus, this provides a wonderful opportunity to learn first-hand the legal and business practices of the region and to gain important contacts with prominent Central and South American law firms and legal professionals.
Similar opportunities are organized through the Centers for Korean and Japanese Legal Studies. For many years, the Law Firm of Matsuo and Kosugi has offered a paid internship to one Columbia law student in the summer after his or her first year.
Career Placement
In addition to assisting students with summer placements, the regional legal centers and the Career Services Office at the Law School aid students in obtaining associate positions in Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea and Europe as well as other locations around the world. They are also instrumental in guiding graduates to U.S. law firms with a significant foreign and international practice. During the Early Interview Program organized by the Career Services Office at the Law School, more than twenty-six overseas offices have offered employment opportunities to both 2L and/or 3L students. These firms were firms with overseas branches or foreign firms interested in hiring U.S. trained lawyers. In addition, each year the Career Services Office organizes the Overseas-Trained LL.M. Student Interview Program for LL.M. candidates.
For more information about the Career Services Office please visit their site.
The Columbia Society of International Law sponsors an annual conference that includes a discussion on careers in international law, as well as an update of law practice developments in international law. This program provides an opportunity for U.S. and foreign lawyers to discuss the myriad international career options available to students. Contact with Columbia's extensive alumni/ae network also provides a unique resource for students seeking to practice abroad or to engage in transnational law.