Development of international outlook boosts School of Law’s ranking

[Sponsored Article]

CityU’s School of Law has won plaudits for its strengths in areas ranging from Chinese law, maritime law, and commercial law to the teaching on human rights and arbitration and the recurring success of student teams in high-profile mooting competitions.

Another aspect, which contributed significantly to its 45th place in the most recent Times ranking of the world’s top law schools, is the development of an international outlook and the opportunities that allow students to excel.

“A large proportion of our students now go on G-LEAP (Global Legal Education Awareness Project) programmes, and we are expanding the number of options with new links in the US and Europe,” says Professor Geraint Howells, dean of CityU’s School of Law. “In the various rankings, we have shown we do very well in international outlook. We take that as an indication we are doing something that is very successful.”

Under the G-LEAP programme, students can choose to spend anything from a couple of weeks to a semester at partner institutions Monash University in Melbourne and University College, Oxford. There are also internships available at courts in mainland China that are combined with study at Renmin University.

The objective is twofold: to give students an introduction to the academic underpinnings and mechanisms of other legal systems, but also to develop the all-round experience and personal maturity that comes from facing new challenges in a less familiar environment.

“Usually, students prefer the shorter visits, but we are trying to say go for a semester to get broader experience, and we have a course structure to make that possible,” Howells says. “They can do courses overseas which are compatible with the Hong Kong system, and there are plenty of options.”

The number of choices is steadily increasing. A programme at Fribourg University in Switzerland has been added at the Masters level and discussions are under way with Norway’s Bergen University, which is known for its strength in maritime law.

“We believe it is important for students to gain a different perspective, to see how law is taught and thought about in other countries,” Howells says. “They also get essential life skills, becoming stronger themselves and gain a better understanding of the world.”

These links also give more mainland and overseas students the chance to take courses at CityU. They see Hong Kong as a great base for gaining Asia experience and learning about common law, and their presence stirs classroom debate, creating a more interactive dynamic, which enhances the quality of the learning experience.

“We have a very diverse pool of students. Those who come for a semester just fit into the programmes here - that’s what they prefer,” Howells says. “They want to adapt and to be treated like local students. Because we have relatively small cohorts, we are able to accommodate them.”

He notes that the area of law and technology is now very much in the spotlight as far as general curriculum planning is concerned. There are plans for new courses on the legal implications of ways technology is affecting business and how law firms will have to work differently.

One good example is discovery. Previously, Howells explains, standard practice was to employ lots of people to look through documents. Now, you can simply type in search terms and press a button. That may have a big impact, not least in potentially reducing the demand for junior lawyers.

Therefore, it is vital for students to understand how technology is changing the legal environment and the new issues being dealt with. The school is arranging professional development seminars where experts explain why future lawyers need to be good at technology, but that is just the first step.

“For most people, the use of the apps is getting easier, but to address the legal issues you have to understand the background, go back to basics and learn about the building blocks,” Howells says. “You have to understand the implication of the algorithms, what is being used to make computing decisions, and what kinds of controls and surveillance there should be. It is a major challenge.”

He adds that many legal norms can probably be adapted to the tech world. As a result, the law itself may not need to change that much. In some areas, though, new laws may have to be formulated, which means working out how to adapt the system to the environment and how to apply the law in the new context.

“These are the sort of challenges being thrown up,” Howells says. “But we also see it as a way to build up the reputation of the law school as a place where quality research is going on. We already have research centres on Chinese comparative law, commercial and maritime law, and human rights. The topics addressed depend on where an individual’s interests lie; there is a lot of academic freedom on how research time is spent.”