Areas of Specialization

Loyola College of Law has two major areas of specialization: international law and public interest law. The international program is supported by five features: the summer programs abroad, a wide variety of international law courses, an exchange program for professors between Loyola and schools abroad, the Louisiana civil law courses which are very similar to the law in most of Europe, Latin America and Asia and the Certificate in International Legal Studies. This international certification program is designed to help prepare law students for professional careers in the emerging global economy. A student choosing to complete the requirements for this certificate will acquire an understanding of the conceptual framework of the international legal order, and will receive a special certificate at graduation. Students must complete four courses from the extensive array of international law courses offered by the College of Law to satisfy the requirements of the certificate program.

Loyola's commitment to public interest activities and scholarship is best exemplified by the Gillis W. Long Poverty Law Center, established in 1985. The Center is a major community service component of the Loyola College of Law that enables Loyola University to expand its legal education and public service activities both within and beyond the boundaries of the greater metropolitan New Orleans area. The Center supports the primary public interest activities which are the Loyola Law Clinic, Summer Internship programs with the Louisiana Legal Services Corporations, a distinguished speaker series which brings in nationally recognized professionals working within the field of public interest and poverty law, the loan forgiveness program for Loyola graduates who provide civil legal services to the poor, and the Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law, a scholarly student publication dedicated to poverty law issues.

Other areas of significant emphasis are admiralty, taxation, corporate law and environmental law.