Over 100 deans of international law schools meet at IE Law School

Participants are examining the advances and challenges brought by globalization, and the impact of technology in the study, teaching and practice of law. IE Law School has welcomed leading players from the law sector, including Michael Reynolds, former president of the International Bar Association, Jenny Crewe, director of strategy at the Law Society of England, lawyer Antonio Garrigues Walker, Santiago Barrenechea, and Adolfo Suarez Yllana.

The Forum comprises sessions focused on challenges involved in the governance of law schools around the world. There is a special focus on the challenges posed by globalization and technology, and the advances being made in teaching methodologies, given that the main aim is to meet the demands of future generations. Javier de Cendra, Dean of IE Law School said it was an honor for IE University Law School to host and co-organize the Global Deans Forum and the Annual Meeting of the International Association of Law Schools. “It provides an ideal environment to examine key issues for the present and future of education, research and practice in the field of law. We feel sure that both meetings will produce extremely useful ideas and recommendations for the evolution of law schools worldwide in the coming years. On behalf of IE Law School I would like to thank IALS for entrusting IE with the organization of the meetings, and hope this collaboration will continue to yield benefits in the future.”

The meeting will also include the approval of the Madrid Protocol on the Principles of Evaluation of Legal Education, currently being developed by Singapore Declaration on Global Standards and Outcomes of a Legal Education.

The Madrid Protocol will subsequently be developed in greater detail over the coming years through two research projects, led by the Emeritus Deans Council of the IALS (chaired by Mary Kay Kane, emeritus dean of UCL Hastings), Dean Javier de Cendra (IE Law School) and Dean Luis Franceschi (Strathmore University Law School). The ultimate aim is to develop guidelines for the evaluation of education provided by law schools around the world, in order to foster the kind of continuous learning processes that guarantee that education is as relevant as possible, and of the highest quality.  The project has enjoyed the support of all the schools that participate in the Association.

After the meeting held at the IE Law School campus in Madrid, the Annual IALS Meeting will take place from October 27 to 29 at IE University’s Segovia campus. The Meeting will examine the issues involved in developing focuses and standards for globalized education in the field of law. Participants will include some 140 academics comprised of deans and professors. There will be plenary sessions and work groups held over the course of two days in which participants will examine the past, present, and particularly the future of law school education from a global perspective.

Participants will hear contributions from a panel of eminent judges and magistrates who will give their take on the appearance of global standards in the teaching of law. These guest speakers will include:

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, High Court of Kwara State, Nigeria

Justice John Hedigan, The High Court of Ireland, Europe

Judge Boja Tadesse Kassahun, Supreme Court, Ethiopia

Justice Esther Kisaakye, Supreme Court of Uganda, Uganda

Judge Diarmuid, O'Scannlain, U.S. Court of Appeals, United States

Eduardo Menendez Rexach, President of the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High National Court

IALS will be awarding prizes for the best innovations in research and education in the field of law, and for the best articles written by students from participating schools and universities.