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Bucerius Law School

Bucerius Law School
Hamburg, Germany

Cornell Law School can send up to two students each Fall semester to Bucerius.

Language of Instruction: English

Location:

Located in Hamburg, Bucerius Law School is the first privately operated law school in Germany. It was founded in 2000 with the goal of offering prospective law students an alternative to the usual legal education provided at German state universities. The main objective was to create an academically accomplished, practice-oriented, and bi-lingual legal education with a focus on international business law. Exchanges are a central part of its curriculum: all Bucerius students must participate in an exchange; it has partner schools in many nations, including a number of U.S. law schools; exchange students from around the world typically make up about a third of the Bucerius enrollment in the Fall.

Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city, is called “the Venice of the North.” It is a historic, scenic port city with many channels, rivers, lakes and parks. In addition to being a cosmopolitan city, it is also a college town, with over 65,000 university students. Bucerius is centrally located, next to a beautiful park. The public transportation system is excellent and Bucerius students generally receive a free public transportation ticket.

Academic Calendar:

The program is divided into two six-week sessions. In 2008, the academic calendar is:

  • Orientation Program -- 4-5 September 2008 
  • Session I – 8 September to 24 October 2008
  • Session II – 3 November to 19 December 2008

Sample Courses:

Generally speaking, Bucerius courses tend to be the equivalent of two Cornell semester credits. In 2006, the English-language courses offered were:

Session I

  • Biomedical Ethics and the Law
  • Comparative Intellectual Property
  • Comparative Law
  • Comparative Tort Law
  • Corporate Law in Germany and the US
  • EU Consumer (Protection) Law
  • International Conflict of Laws

Session II

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Corporate Governance
  • International Commercial Arbitration
  • Law of the European Union
  • Law of the WTO
  • Mergers & Acquisitions

Courses running over both sessions

  • German Law Survey
  • International Commercial Transactions
  • International Organizations

It is also possible for students to take courses in German if language skills allow. Bucerius offers German and other language courses as well.

Twelve Bucerius "ABA credits" equal 12 Cornell credits.

Further Information:

Interested students should consult the Bucerius website for more details.