SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 2, 2011 — Santa Clara University School of Law has begun offering students of Korea’s premier university, Seoul National University, a joint master’s degree in law. Under the joint degree, selected Korean students come to Silicon Valley to take an intensive eight weeks of intellectual-property law classes toward an LL.M. degree, which is awarded by both schools.
The students, many of whom are practicing attorneys in Korea, attend classes at SCU’s Silicon Valley campus over one summer, then return to Seoul to finish their required courses and complete a master’s thesis.
“This program is an extension of a longstanding relationship of respect and admiration we have with legal institutions in South Korea especially Seoul National University,” said Santa Clara University School of Law Dean Donald Polden. “We are very pleased with the caliber of students who are pursuing this joint LL.M. program with Seoul National.”
So far, two classes of eight to 14 students each have come through the summer program. The program offers an opportunity for Korea’s next generation of leading lawyers to learn American intellectual-property law and understand how it is applied in global markets for technology.
Many students say they hope to return and take other graduate law courses, in preparation for the California bar exam and for the sophisticated intellectual property issues facing Korean firms, said Matthew Cox, director of graduate legal programs for SCU Law.
“A lot of the students who come to us from Seoul are highly placed in their own companies,” said Cox. “Getting an IP-focused law degree from Santa Clara’s top-ranked program is a distinct advantage for them.”
SCU also benefits from its association with Seoul National, as well as with other top-tier Korean schools, said Polden. The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in Korea mirrors that of Silicon Valley, an area where many of Korea’s leading firms also do business.
SCU Law has a joint LL.M. program with another international school, the University of Vienna, said Cox. Last year three students from that school spent the fall semester at the law school.
For more on SCU’s relationship with South Korea, see www.scu.edu/scunews/scutoday/news-views.cfm?c=12091.
About Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law, founded in 1911 on the site of California’s oldest operating higher-education institution, is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. One of the nation’s most diverse law schools, Santa Clara Law offers its 975 students an academically rigorous program, including graduate degrees in international law and intellectual property law; combined J.D./MBA degree; and certificates in intellectual property law, international law, and public interest and social justice law. Santa Clara Law is located in the world-class business center of Silicon Valley, and is distinguished nationally for our top-ranked program in intellectual property. For more information, see law.scu.edu.
