The Center for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS) is a joint venture between the University of Toronto and other premier law schools from countries around the world. It is a global education centre where students and faculty come together to examine and contribute to an understanding of the development of transnational legal norms, institutions, and processes.
The Center is located in the Swan House at 37-39 High Holborn Street at the head of Chancery Lane, in the heart of London’s legal quarter. A few minutes walk south on Chancery Lane, students and faculty will have privileges at the King’s College Law Library.
Two U of T faculty members will join other international faculty in teaching at the centre. Up to ten U of T J.D. students will study there, for one of the two semesters. Each class will have students from a diverse set of legal and national backgrounds. The Centre will encourage a team-based teaching approach between faculty from different schools and legal systems as well as courses and seminars which will bring together faculty and students in a collaborative inquiry.
The program will also include a core course focused on transnational legal theory, a weekly workshop featuring some of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners of international, transnational, and comparative law, and a participatory exercise to introduce students to each other and to the different perspectives that they bring to the Center.
For more information, see the CTLS website on the Georgetown University Law website.
The founding institutions of the CTLS are:
- Georgetown University Law Center
- Free University of Berlin
- Fribourg University Law School
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- King's College London
- University of Melbourne
- National University of Singapore
- University of Sao Paolo
- University of Torino
- University of Toronto
Application Process
The term away is the same as an exchange term - with respect to tuition, credit requirements, credit values etc. The difference is that students are studying at a centre that draws on academics and students from around the world.
Students wishing to apply for this program must read and follow the instructions for a regular exchange program through the Centre for International Experience (CIE).
Attendance and Class Participation
Students attending CTLS are expected to attend and actively participate in all classes, which is critical to the transnational character of the learning experience - not only for the students, but also for their classmates. Specific expectations for class participation depend on the particular professor, but at CTLS class participation typically counts for a significant portion of the course grade. Students will be expected to let their professors know if they must miss a class. Failure to attend a significant portion of classes can result in the student being involuntarily withdrawn from the class and receiving no credit. In this event your eligibility to graduate will be impacted.
Courses and Credits
Students take a minimum of 14 CTLS credits to a maximum of 16 CTLS credits in one term. Students taking courses within this range will be considered to have completed the equivalent of 14 U of T law credits. Note that some courses are required - see the website for details.
Financial Assistance
All financial assistance for student going on exchange is administered by the Centre for International Experience. Students can apply for funding when they submit their exchange application. Late applications for funding are not accepted.
Health Insurance
ALL CTLS students are required to enroll in the Georgetown University Education Abroad Student Health Insurance Plan, as well as domestic health insurance. Students are required to submit their domestic health insurance information on their Student Information pre-departure form. Students will be automatically enrolled in the Georgetown University Education Abroad Student Health Insurance plan, and the cost will be billed to your CTLS student account. You may include this payment with your housing deposit.
Housing
You are responsible for your own housing while abroad, however, the administration of CTLS provides information about and a selection of secure affordable and local student housing options for CTLS students. Please see the CTLS website for more details.
Semester Dates
Each semester, classes will be held for thirteen weeks with an examination period in the final fourteenth week. Please see the CTLS website for more details.
Visa
All students attending CTLS for less than six months are not required to apply for a visa. Instead, we will e-mail you a letter certifying your enrollment in CTLS, which you will present to immigration when you arrive in the UK.
Students from non-EU countries who are staying in London for more than six months are required to apply for a Student Visa. This process may take up to a month. Check with the British Consulate in your home country to determine the application procedure. It is likely you will need the letter from CTLS certifying your enrollment. Please see the CTLS website for more details.
