Program Overview

Introduction to NACLE

The North American Consortium on Legal Education (NACLE) is a consortium of 13 participating law schools in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It was created in 1998 to promote and share understanding of the legal systems within North American countries. The primary objective of NACLE is to enhance the capability of each member to provide high-quality legal education to students.

NACLE's Objectives

• Promote understanding of the legal systems within North American countries
• Enhance the capability of each member to provide high-quality legal education to students
• Strengthen research, writing, and advocacy skills

Application Process

Deadline

Each member university sets its own application deadline for incoming students.

Process

1. File an application with your home university.
2. Upon approval, file an application to the host university. Each member university has its own admissions requirements regarding grades, experience, and interest level.

Facts

• NACLE schools are bound by the ABA guidelines on foreign study programs.
• NACLE members attempt to achieve a balance in sending and receiving students from each country and school.
• Availability may be limited where a school has already committed to receive or send students.

Student Limits

• The American Bar Association accreditation requirements do not permit a U.S. institution to send more than four students per semester to each foreign member school.
• Each host university may set limitations on the number of students it will accept in any one year.

Course Credit

• Students will receive credit for the courses they take.
• The courses will be graded by the host university and those grades will be transmitted to the home university.
• These grades are recorded as pass/fail and do not affect GPA.

Outside Employment

• Depending on the type of visa obtained, students may be eligible to work.
• Generally, jobs will be on campus and are of limited availability.

Visa Requirements

• Students must comply with applicable visa requirements.

Faculty Involvement

• Each NACLE exchange student will be assigned a faculty advisor by the host university to offer counseling on course selection.
• Students will also be assigned a peer mentor to assist in acclimating to the new environment.

Housing

• Host universities may assist in locating housing, but students are responsible for their own living arrangements.

Member Universities

Canada

• Dalhousie University – Schulich School of Law
• McGill University (Montreal)
• University of British Columbia (Vancouver)
• University of Ottawa (Ottawa)

Mexico

• Centro De Investigacion Y Docencia Economicas, A.C. (Mexico City)
• ITESM (Tecnológico de Monterey) (Monterey)
• Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico – Instituto De Investigaciones Juridicas
• Universidad Panamericana (Mexico City)

U.S.

• George Washington University
• Southwestern Law School
• Suffolk University Law School
• University of Arizona – James E. Rogers College of Law
• University of Houston – Law Center

NACLE Workshops

NACLE assembles periodic academic development workshops that combine research and professional exchange with social interaction. The workshops are built around a central theme or question of real-time legal significance for North America.

Student Exchange

Overview

Through NACLE's exchange program, students learn about the legal practices and judicial structure of neighboring countries. This enriches them both personally and professionally.

Details

• Duration: Most exchanges will be for one semester.
• Eligibility: Students must be enrolled at a NACLE member school and in the final year of study of their law degree to be eligible. Candidates for a Master of Laws and Doctoral Law students are also eligible.
• Location: All NACLE exchanges must be international.
• Cost: Home tuition rule applies, meaning a student who is accepted for a NACLE exchange will pay tuition for the NACLE exchange to their home school, at the same rate at which the student would pay tuition at home.

Student Paper Competition

NACLE offers a student paper competition that brings together student authors of outstanding research papers. The winners have the opportunity to receive paid travel to NACLE's workshop to present their paper.

Requirements for Student Paper Competition

• Students must be enrolled in a law school that is a member of NACLE.
• The paper must address either comparative aspects of North American law or be related to NAFTA.
• The research paper must be unpublished.
• The paper must be written during the current academic year for either course credit or independent study credit at a NACLE school.
• The paper may be written in English, French, or Spanish.