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Research Centers and Programs

  1. Faculty and Scholarship
  2. Research Centers and Programs

Columbia Law School’s research centers and programs reflect the breadth of our faculty’s expertise and the exceptional quality of their scholarship. Through their rigorous research, faculty experts explore foundational, emerging, and interdisciplinary areas of the law. In addition to convening academics, policymakers, judges, and business leaders from around the globe, centers and programs offer students valuable opportunities to collaborate with experienced scholars and researchers.

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  • International and Comparative Law

Center for Chinese Legal Studies

The Center for Chinese Legal Studies was the first organization of its kind at an American law school and has cultivated a tradition of rich scholarly exchange with the Chinese legal community for decades. It provides students with a wide range of curricular and extracurricular activities and guest speakers and equips them with the knowledge they will need to succeed in practicing within China’s rapidly changing legal environment. 

 

Areas of Study

Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration

The Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration furthers the teaching and study of international arbitration. Through research and collaborations with other like-minded institutions worldwide, the center develops effective methods of resolving international disputes and encouraging international commerce and exchange. The center also prepares students and young professionals interested in arbitration and dispute resolution for careers in the field.

Areas of Study

Center for Israeli Legal Studies

The Center for Israeli Legal Studies brings together Israeli and U.S. scholars and practitioners to discuss noteworthy legal issues in Israeli society. The center sponsors lectures, seminars, and conferences; creates fellowship opportunities for LL.M. and J.S.D. students; and creates exchange opportunities for Law School students to pursue research or internships in Israel.

 

Areas of Study

Center for Japanese Legal Studies

The Center for Japanese Legal Studies is the first and only center in the United States devoted exclusively to Japanese law. Bolstered by a premier private collection of Japanese law materials, the center facilitates understanding of the Japanese legal system through teaching and research. Through robust programs and events, course and speaker series, and faculty and student exchanges, the center promotes intellectual exchange between American and Japanese students and scholars.

Areas of Study

Center for Korean Legal Studies

The Center for Korean Legal Studies supports research, education, and debate on a broad range of law and policy issues impacting the Korean Peninsula. The first of its kind in the United States, the center hosts programs, events, visiting scholars opportunities, and initiatives that engage leading practitioners and scholars. 

 

Areas of Study

Center on Global Legal Transformation

The Center on Global Legal Transformation sheds light on the ways in which law shapes global relations and how they in turn transform law. The center develops major research projects, organizes workshops and conferences,  sponsors doctoral students, and engages researchers and policymakers from different disciplines, backgrounds, and locations.

 

Areas of Study

Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought

The Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought (CCCCT), a joint project of the Columbia Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Columbia Law School, encourages a critical re-examination of the present and envisions a new critical praxis for the future. CCCCT’s activities include a digital initiative, numerous practical engagements, and a yearly seminar series that challenges the authority of established truths and falsehoods.

 

Areas of Study

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)—a joint venture from Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University—is the only university-based applied research center and forum dedicated to the study, practice, and discussion of sustainable international investment. CCSI conducts rigorous research; provides policy analysis and advisory services; offers educational programs; develops tools and resources; and furthers knowledge sharing among policymakers, development advocates, scholars, business leaders, and community stakeholders.

 

Areas of Study

European Legal Studies Center

The European Legal Studies Center trains students to assume leadership roles in international and European law, public affairs, and the global economy. The center’s New York home provides students with rich research and professional opportunities, including externships at the U.N. or U.N. missions, clinical opportunities in human rights, prestigious international internships and clerkships, and international dual degree and study abroad programs. Students can also take advantage of Columbia Law School’s curriculum, which offers one of the broadest arrays of international, comparative, and foreign law courses of any law school in the United States.

 

Areas of Study