Loyola University Chicago’s School of Law will launch a new one-year practice-oriented LL.M. program in Rule of Law for Development in September 2011. The program, which will be offered at Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center in Italy, is supported by a $1.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The new Master’s of Law degree program, called PROLAW is designed to provide a transformative and empowering educational experience to qualified U.S. and international law students who aspire to become advisors working to promote the rule of law in developing countries and countries in economic transition.
“We are very grateful to the Gates Foundation for its support of the University and our Rule of Law for Development program in Rome,” says Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., president of Loyola University Chicago. “This program exemplifies our commitment to knowledge in the service of humanity, and we are enthusiastic about preparing graduates who will be uniquely equipped to promote the rule of law around the world.”
PROLAW is a one-year program that offers legal training to law school graduates with an emphasis on the application of practical skills. From their first day on the job, graduates will be qualified to act as advisors in technical assistance projects, and in national initiatives undertaken by legal and judicial authorities in developing countries. The curriculum, which will connect theory to practice, will offer students the opportunity to develop the practical knowledge and skills required for rule of law advisors to succeed in the challenging environments of countries seeking to transform their legal systems and working toward the legal empowerment of their citizens.
To earn an LL.M. in Rule of Law for Development from Loyola University Chicago, students will be required to successfully complete eight three-credit courses in two academic semesters and to produce a major paper.
“The launch of PROLAW underscores the commitment of Loyola University Chicago to the alleviation of poverty and to a vision of a world where respect for justice and human dignity are the norm,” says William T. Loris, program director. “With the launch of PROLAW, law graduates from around the world wishing to use the privilege of their educations to join in that commitment will now have a program to help them do so.”
