Internationalising the Australian Law Curriculum for Enhanced Global Legal Practice

Globalisation has impacted on many aspects of society and business, particularly trade, investment and finance, but also in areas such as the environment and human rights. Lawyers working in the private sector or for government or non-government organisations increasingly work in and across different jurisdictions to deal with matters that have an international focus and dimension. Globalisation of the legal services sector has given rise to the ‘global law firm’.

There is a broad consensus among legal academics and practitioners that law schools need to deliver law programs that take cognisance of global developments and the increasing emphasis on internationalisation. The challenge to law schools is to rethink their law programs – their curriculum, approaches to teaching, student support and the student experience in general.