Chicago-Kent College of Law and American University in Kosovo (AUK) have signed an agreement to establish a special graduate law study program. The agreement was initialed March 6 by Chicago-Kent dean Harold J. Krent and Ambassador William G. Walker, chair of the AUK board of trustees.

Chicago-Kent College of LawUnder the terms of the agreement, Chicago-Kent faculty will go to Kosovo to teach a graduate-level program designed to give AUK students an introduction to the American and international commercial legal systems, and to enable them to earn a master of laws (LL.M.) degree from Chicago-Kent in two semesters.

The students will complete their first semester at American University in Kosovo in Prishtina, where they will take a number of courses, including Introduction to the American Legal System, Overview of Intellectual Property Law, International Business Transactions, and International Capital Markets. Each course will be offered over a two-week period with three hours of intensive study per day. Upon completion of the course work, AUK students will have earned 10 credits toward the 24 needed to earn the LL.M degree from Chicago-Kent. The students will spend their second semester in the United States at Chicago-Kent.

Administrators from Chicago-Kent and AUK see the program as a way of helping Kosovo develop a corps of young lawyers with exposure to American and other international legal regimes that will, in turn, support and strengthen the country’s commitment to the rule of law.

The program is an outgrowth of an option paper written for AUK administrators three years ago by Chicago-Kent professor and former dean Henry H. Perritt, Jr. In it, he argued that the university was well suited to meet a serious gap in professional education for lawyers in Kosovo. After a series of focus groups of prospective students and consultation with senior political leaders, program concepts were refined.

“The partnership between Chicago-Kent and American University in Kosovo can empower the best young people to overcome the culture of the past and enable Kosovo to become a model of the rule of law,” said Professor Perritt, who will oversee the new program.

“Kosovo’s success as an independent state depends on the quality of its legal system. The country has many young professionals deeply committed to a rule of law. Unfortunately, too many judges are indifferent to results, ignorant about the law, and corrupt. Too many older lawyers perpetuate the perception of corruption and lack the skills to advance legal arguments on behalf of their clients based on careful analysis of the law,” said Professor Perritt.

Professor Perritt has been extensively involved in Kosovo for more than a decade. In 1998, he established “Operation Kosovo,” a multidisciplinary program that began using Internet and database technology to assist Kosovo refugees and help provide technical legal assistance to help leaders construct a rule of law and create an effective set of legal institutions. Professor Perritt is the author of two forthcoming books about Kosovo’s struggle for independence.

Chicago-Kent College of Law

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