Loyola University New Orleans College of Law’s emphasis on comparative and international law has generated curricular innovation and numerous programs offering students and faculty opportunities to study and develop expertise in this growing field. Loyola regularly offers the Foreign Summer Legal Studies Programs.
In addition to these programs, the College of Law regularly sponsors or offers:
- Distinguished foreign scholars to offer special seminars on current issues of international law;
- The VIS International Arbitration Moot competition in Vienna, Austria involving Loyola faculty and a team of Loyola students; and
- Regular visits of law faculty between Loyola and many foreign institutions.
The above programs offer many opportunities for the study of international and comparative law, including frequent scholarly events, such as public addresses and faculty colloquia, and many faculty publications in international and comparative law journals.
Foreign Summer Legal Studies Programs
Loyola’s foreign summer legal studies programs are an important component of Loyola College of Law’s international focus. Loyola regularly sponsors programs in two foreign countries: Austria (in cooperation with the University of Vienna Law School) and Greece.
These sessions offer a broad selection of comparative and international law courses, with particular emphasis on those relevant to the host countries’ legal systems and cultures. Loyola’s foreign summer legal studies programs are open to students in good standing from any ABA accredited law school; Loyola students must hold a cumulative GPA of 2.20 in order to study abroad. Foreign law students and Loyola LL.M. students may also join the programs. In 2026, 55 students studied abroad on Loyola Law's programs.
Vienna, Austria
The University of Vienna Law School is the site of Loyola’s oldest foreign summer program. The Vienna Program offers multiple comparative law courses taught by University of Vienna and Loyola College of Law faculty. The program also includes an academic and cultural excursion to Prague.
For more information on the Vienna program, please visit our website.
Spetses, Greece
Positioned strategically between East and West, near the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and being a member of the European Union since 1981, Greece is ideally situated as a microcosm of current legal issues. Spetses is the ideal place to observe the gap between the rich, represented by wealthy Greek weekenders, and the working class, exemplified by the year-round residents who are struggling with financial austerity measures.
This program offers multiple seminars examining legal, economic, and social issues in both an academic and experiential way.
Students will enjoy a tour of Spetses by boat with a group dinner at a traditional beachside taverna. There will be a classical one-day excursion to the ancient Theater of Epidaurus and Nafplion, the first capital of Greece on the middle Saturday of the program. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a series of cultural tours in Spetses, including an experience at the Monastery of Aghioi Pandes and a visit to the Bouboulina's Museum. These events will either take place at the hotel or within walking distance of the hotel.
For more information on the Spetses program, please visit our website.
International Moot Court Team
Since 1995, Loyola’s Commercial Law Arbitration students have been invited to compete in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition at the University of Vienna School of Law in Austria. The invitational competition features teams from approximately 135 universities and 42 countries.
Certificate in International Legal Studies
As described further in this bulletin, Loyola JD law students may also pursue special certification in the area of international law.
Visiting Faculty
Loyola College of Law has enabled our students to benefit from having visiting professors from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Additional faculty exchanges have placed Loyola faculty around the world in places including Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Greece, Poland, South Korea, Lithuania, Brazil, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Speakers from Egypt, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, and South Africa have also graced the portals of the law school. In addition, Loyola faculty members have published books, articles, and papers with presses and learned journals in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, and Malaysia.