For the past 30 years, Columbia Law School has been recognized as a leader in Chinese legal studies.
The Center for Chinese Legal Studies
Prepares students to take on leadership roles in Chinese law, and provides them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in China's rapidly changing legal environment;
Serves as a bridge to the Chinese legal community;
Is the focal point for a wide-range of China-related curricular, extracurricular, and exchange activity at Columbia Law School.
History. Columbia Law School is the only school among its peers to have had a full-time faculty member specializing in Chinese law since the early 1970s. Shortly after diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China were restored in 1979, Columbia Law School revived the tradition of exchange with Chinese academics and practitioners. The Center was established under the direction of R. Randle Edwards, the Walter Gellhorn Professor Emeritus of Law. Professor Edwards led the Center until his retirement in 2002. The Edwards Fellowship was named for Professor Edwards. Here is a history of the Center for Chinese Legal Studies written at the time of its 25th anniversary.
Director. The director of the Center for Chinese Legal Studies is Benjamin L. Liebman. Professor Liebman is widely regarded as one of the world's pre-eminent scholars of contemporary Chinese law.
Other Faculty. Numerous Columbia faculty are actively involved in research and teaching about China. For example, during the fall semester of 2009, six senior Columbia faculty traveled to China to participate in conferences; to advise on developing tort law; and to help formulate international policy. The Center is also a global leader in working with law schools in China and Columbia Law School faculty have worked closely with law schools in China to develop public interest law and clinical legal education. Columbia and the Center for Chinese Legal Studies hosts public interest lawyers from China, and Columbia students work in public interest positions in China each summer.
Events. The Center organizes many events to promote discussion of the most recent developments in Chinese law and to strengthen the Chinese legal community. Each semester there is a regular lecture series, which features China experts who explore cutting-edge research and issues in law, economics, and human rights. The Center also works with the student group, the Society for Chinese Law, to create career panels and social events. Other groups, such as the Public Interest Law Institute, the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature, partner with the Center to create programs. The Center also organizes alumni events and large academic conferences, symposia, and roundtables, both at the law school and in China.
Teaching. Columbia Law School offers the widest range of courses on Chinese law of any law school in the United States and enjoys a reputation for innovative teaching. Students take a unique breadth and depth of Chinese law classes covering current topics, such as international trade, media, and the environment. Students also work with world-renowned faculty on original research into the Chinese legal system. In addition, the Center for Chinese Legal Studies works to provide hands-on legal experience for students of Chinese law.
Careers. The graduates from Columbia Law School who specialize in Chinese law may be found in the highest levels of legal careers. Center alumni number more than 600 and are spread throughout the world. The Center assists students through networking opportunities and helps students find internships: firm work, public interest work, government work, or research. Thanks to the generous support of the Oldham Fellowship, the Center is able to offer funding for public interest, government, or research work.
New York. New York City offers students unique opportunity to connect with China. New York has many Chinese and Asian cultural, social, and business institutions, and one of the largest Chinese communities outside of Asia. The school's stature and lengthy history with China allow Columbia Law School and the Center for Chinese Legal Studies to host an impressive array of guests.
