Upcoming Events

On the Road

JD/LED Degree Program

Introduction
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM) and the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM or Monterrey), Mexico's leading private law school, have partnered to offer the NAFTA Lawyer Program, a multiple degree program that allows students bilingual in Spanish and English to earn law degrees in the United States and Mexico. Students completing this legal education program are awarded the U.S. Juris Doctor from UDM School of Law and the Mexican Bachelor of Arts in Law, the Licenciado en Derecho(L.E.D.), from Monterrey. While there are many programs that enable students to study in the United States and Mexico, this program is different: it enables students to actually receive the law degrees that will provide the educational qualifications necessary to practice law in both countries. This is, as far as is known, the only program of its kind in which students complete both the A.B.A.-approved J.D. and the Mexican L.E.D.

Students who want to practice in all three NAFTA countries also will be able to earn Mexican, U.S., and Canadian law degrees through UDM's joint U.S./Canadian law degree program with the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada.

An International Perspective
More and more law firms and corporations have cross-border practices, and many law firms are expanding their practices throughout Latin America. Students with linguistic ability and training in both systems could obviously be very appealing for these firms and corporations.

Although Mexico and the United States share a common border, their legal systems are vastly different. Mexico follows a civil law tradition that resembles both Latin American and Western European legal systems such as France, Germany, or Spain. The United States and Canada follow a common law tradition similar to the United Kingdom. These rich traditions reflect differing perspectives about the rule of law and the role of individuals in making law. The NAFTA Lawyer Program prepares students to represent clients in both (or all three) countries, enabling them to practice the legal profession in a global environment and economy. Through knowledge of civil law and common law, students will also be familiar with the underpinnings of the legal systems throughout Latin America and Europe, making it easier for them to understand legal issues in other countries as well.

The NAFTA Lawyer Program Curriculum
Students who begin at UDM in the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program complete all UDM program requirements (ninety credit hours) in three years. These include courses in Property, Torts, Civil Procedure, Legal Writing, Contracts, Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Taxation, NAFTA, and others.

During these three years, students also may take a series of Mexican law courses offered at UDM and taught by professors from Monterrey. These courses, taught in Spanish, cover foundational Mexican and Civil Law principles. If a student chooses to complete all fourteen Mexican law courses (forty two credits) at UDM, the student will graduate from UDM having completed approximately one hundred eight total credits. Monterrey will recognize all Mexican law credits taken at UDM and will count the credits toward the Mexican law degree, enabling students to complete the Mexican law degree in only two years of study at Monterrey. Rather than studying for seven and a half years (the normal track of four and a half years at Monterrey and three years at UDM), students will be able to complete both programs in five years.

The new NAFTA Lawyer Program will give qualified students the opportunity to achieve the NAFTA trifecta: law degrees in all three NAFTA countries. Specifically, students have the unprecedented opportunity to earn, in addition to the UDM and Monterrey degrees, the LL.B. degree from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law in Ontario, Canada.

In order to accomplish this, students will spend three years studying in the UDM/Windsor (J.D./LL.B) joint degree program, during which they complete one hundred four credits. This program is the only U.S./Canadian law program students can complete in three academic years. Given the demanding nature of the J.D./LL.B. program, students who add the Mexican degree may take some, but not all, of the Mexican law courses that Monterrey faculty teach at UDM. They will take the remainder of the Mexican courses at Monterrey, extending the Mexican time of study by approximately one year. The time required for each student will be determined by the student together with advisors at UDM and Monterrey, and based on the extent of the student's ability to handle more extensive work each semester. This will enable many students to complete all three degrees in six years, instead of the more than ten years that would be required if students attended each school separately.

Students who start their studies at Monterrey will study there for three years followed by two years of study at UDM. There is no requirement that students complete the program in five years. For example, students who wish to defer taking some or most of their Mexican law courses until after they have graduated from UDM will be able to do so by taking more courses while in residence in Monterrey.

Mexican Law Courses at UDM
As far as is known, UDM School of Law is the only mainland U.S. ABA-approved law school to offer so many law courses taught in Spanish. As part of the NAFTA Lawyer Program, UDM will offer fourteen courses in Mexican law taught in Spanish by professors from ITESM. Any UDM student-in any of UDM's law degree programs-also may take these courses as electives, giving bilingual students the opportunity to take nearly one third of the credits required for their U.S. law degree in Spanish and the opportunity to increase their competitive advantage in the global job market:

• Mexican Law Theory
• Mexican Law History
• Mexican Criminal Law I
• General Theory of Administrative Law
• Mexican Criminal Law II
• General Theory of the Administrative Order
• Obligations I
• Credit Titles
• Obligations II
• Collective Labor Law
• Business Corporations
• Direct Amparo Trial
• Individual Labor Law
• Indirect Amparo Trial

Locations
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is located in the heart of downtown Detroit, across from the GM World Headquarters in the Renaissance Center. The School is within walking distance of federal and state courts, prominent law firms, and the City's municipal centers. The Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey's Campus is located in Monterrey, Mexico. Monterrey is Mexico's third largest city and an educational and cultural center of the country. Campus Monterrey is five minutes from a downtown that includes a pedestrian mall, Old Town, and La Gran Plaza which is home to many of the city's most important places: the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Contemporary Art Museum, the Municipal Building, and the Court House among others. Monterrey is well known for its cultural activities and beautiful surroundings. The University of Windsor Faculty of Law is located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, just across the Detroit River from UDM, and just next to the Ambassador Bridge, which links the U.S. and Canada. In fact, Windsor and UDM are only minutes apart by car or public transportation.

About UDM School of Law
Founded in 1912, UDM School of Law is a Catholic school sponsored by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The Wall Street Journal, National Law Journal, USA Today, ABA Journal, Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Detroit Legal News, and Crain's Business Detroit have reported about UDM Law's innovative curriculum and clinic initiatives.

As part of the School's commitment to excellence in the classroom and innovative teaching, UDM School of Law adopted and is now implementing its new curriculum, which places greater emphasis on clinical education, provides a more coherent curriculum for the entire law school experience, incorporates a new component to expose students to legal systems other than the U.S., and introduces a "cutting-edge" Law Firm Program. Through this program, third-year law students participate in simulated complex legal transactions, receiving hands-on training that enables them to bridge the worlds of theory and practice.

UDM Law offers numerous clinical opportunities including, but not limited to, the Urban Law Clinic, the Immigration Law Clinic, the Mobile Law Office, the Veterans Clinic, the Mediation Clinic, the Appellate Advocacy Clinic, and, most recently, the Environmental Law Clinic. The School was just awarded a $200,000 grant from the State of Michigan, allowing the School to take its Mobile Law Office and the Veterans Clinic on a state-wide tour to help disabled Michigan veterans.

Because of the many service-oriented projects at the School, the American Bar Association (ABA) Student Law Division awarded the School the 2006 Judy M. Weightman Memorial Public Interest Award, recognizing UDM Law as the top law school in the country for providing public interest opportunities for its students. The award is given annually to a law school or individual in recognition of outstanding community service projects, public interest programming, and strong commitment to helping others in need. In particular, the School's Mobile Law Office, Voice for Justice Auction and Public Interest Fellowship program, Teaching Law in High School course, and Immigration and Urban Law Clinics were noted.

Application
Applicants interested in applying to enter in Fall 2008 the U.S./Mexican portion of the NAFTA Lawyer Program at UDM School of Law complete the UDM Fall 2008 Application for Admission. To remain in the NAFTA Lawyer Program and matriculate at Monterrey, a student from UDM must graduate from UDM with a 3.0 or better and successfully complete Monterrey's Spanish proficiency exam and its Supplemental Application regarding, among other items, the student's character and fitness for the practice of law in Mexico.

For more information:

UDM LAW CONTACT:
Kimberly Jones
Director of Admissions and Multicultural Affairs
Admissions and Student Affairs
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
651 E. Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226
313-596-0253
866-428-1610 (toll free)
joneski@udmercy.edu