Center for International Legal Education

The Center for International Legal Education ("CILE") is home to the LLM and SJD programs at Pitt Law.  Each year we invite a select number of foreign students to study American law and other substantive specializations that will prepare them for careers as global lawyers. 

LLM students at Pitt Law study alongside their American JD and foreign SJD counterparts and contribute to a diverse community of students and scholars.  During and after their studies they can gain practical internship experience in Pittsburgh, the surrounding region, or in Washington D.C.  The Pitt LLM experience is an investment in individual careers and, collectively, an investment in the global rule of law.

The Doctor of Juridical Science is the Law School's most advanced degree, which is designed for practitioners and legal academics who wish to pursue advanced independent study, research and writing. Every SJD student will be paired with a faculty supervisor who will guide their work, as well as with external and interdisciplinary scholars who will broaden their academic perspective.  CILE engages purposefully with each SJD student to maximize the public impact of their work and enable them to be contributing members of a vibrant academic community.

Preparing JD students for careers as global lawyers is central to CILE’s mission.  Through the courses provided in its International Comparative Law Certificate programming, its sponsorship of various moot court competitions, and its support of the International Law Society, CILE is the hub for the international law and arbitration curriculum at Pitt Law.  It also helps students gain study abroad experience, internships, and scholarships for the study of global legal issues. 

While offering three academic pathways, CILE operates holistically to offer a personalized educational opportunity for every student.  CILE has placed its JD and LLM graduates in some of the largest law firms in the world, in the most dynamic corporate legal departments, and helped them reach the highest levels of their home governments.  Because of our faculty, our curriculum, and our history, CILE alumni stand at the forefront of the global practice of law.

A Statement by the Center for International Legal Education at Pitt Law on the Russian Aggression in Ukraine

On February 21, 2022, the world watched as the Russian Federation violated core principles of international law. Since then, we have witnessed the devastation wrought by those actions, but we have also stood in awe at the resilience and shared sacrifice of the Ukrainian people. They are fighting on behalf of all humanity for peace, justice, and the rule of law. These are the principles at stake, and the Ukrainian efforts to protect them is a source of hope for all of us.

States and individuals who violate international law are subject to exclusion, sanction, and liability. If the post-World War II framework means anything, it means that perpetrators will be held to account before international courts and tribunals. Ukraine has committed itself to both defensive warfare and affirmative lawfare, and the entire world must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in supporting both. Ukraine can lead the way in demonstrating that the global rule of law is achievable, and real. It is a heavy burden for Ukraine to bear, but its outcome will define the future world order for generations to come.

The Center for International Legal Education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (“CILE”) has more LL.M. graduates from Ukraine than any other single country. One of our very first projects in the late 1990’s was to help prepare students at Donetsk National University Faculty of Law for the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, a project that ultimately brought one of the first Ukrainian teams to the competition in 2001. CILE’s history is the history of the broader Pittsburgh region, which has been welcoming Ukrainian emigres fleeing war for over a century. Our Ukrainian friends have taught us as much, including the dedication to principles that the entire world is seeing on full display today.

In the long journey ahead, CILE will be actively engaged with our friends in Ukraine to foster our continued friendship, further our shared commitment to international law, and buttress the stand against tyranny. Today, we are all Ukrainians—your fight is our fight, and we are honored to stand in solidarity with each of you.

Ronald A. Brand, Academic Director Charles T. Kotuby Jr., Executive Director