Our commitment to global education shows in the sheer number of our faculty who teach and write in areas that have an international or comparative law component and in our rich array of international and comparative law class offerings programs, and activities, both here in Ann Arbor and throughout the world.

Even before they graduate, our students have opportunities to work in Geneva for a semester at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, intern during the summer at law firms in Brazil, clerk in Tanzania at the African Court of Human and Peoples Rights, and study Chinese business law in Hong Kong.

Our faculty work with venture capital firms in India, advise the Court of Justice of the European Union, consult on the drafting of statutes and regulations in the People’s Republic of China, counsel the U.S. State Department on issues of international law, serve on editorial boards of international and comparative law journals, and teach around the globe.

And these are just a few examples.

Building Skills for Global Practice

To give our students a solid foundation for successful and satisfying careers in an interconnected world, we offer numerous opportunities for building critical practical skills. The global opportunities we offer focus on helping students understand other legal systems, learn new languages, develop friendships around the world, and gain legal experience abroad. 

Majestic photo Reading Room with Ivy covering the wall

Clara Belfield and Henry Bates Overseas Fellowships

As an endowed fund exclusively for Michigan Law students and alumni, our Bates Fellowship covers student travel and living expenses around the world. This generous gift allows us to send several recipients each year to sate their curiosity about the legal and political institutions of other countries and enrich their practice of law.

About the Bates Fellowship

Clara Belfield and Henry Bates Overseas Fellowships

Center for International and Comparative Law

The Center for International and Comparative Law works to prepare our JD students for success in a global environment. In a fast-moving and increasingly interconnected world, we strive to anticipate the future while providing clear purpose, diverse offerings, and equal opportunity.

Students studying in the Reading Room