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The faculty at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law approved a proposal to add a seventh track in International Trade Law to its Master of Laws (LL.M.) program tracks. The school intends to offer the new track in the 2019-20 academic year, once all university and campus administrative processes have been completed.

The new International Trade Law track is one of the benefits of the law school's working relationship with World Trade Center (WTC) Indianapolis. The law school and WTC entered into a memorandum of understanding in December 2018, bringing together higher education and business to provide law students with opportunities to build legal skills in the area of international trade and commerce. IU McKinney faculty approved the new LL.M. track on April 2, 2019.

World Trade Center Indianapolis connects Indiana businesses to a global marketplace through a network of more than 300 World Trade Centers across the world. As the only World Trade Center licensed in Indiana, the organization is uniquely situated to offer opportunities to law students interested in building practical skill sets in international trade.

“The exciting new track is one of many examples of McKinney’s commitment to innovation in legal education and to community engagement," said IU McKinney Vice Dean Karen Bravo. "This is a win-win: the law school contributes to Indianapolis’s expanding globalization and internationalization efforts, while providing new educational opportunities to our students.”

IU McKinney hosts a well-regarded LL.M. program for graduate students. LL.M. students may now choose from among seven different educational tracks, including international human rights law and American law for foreign lawyers. 

“True to its commitment to provide an innovative and international education at the highest level of quality, the McKinney School is the first law school in the world to enter into a formal collaboration with a World Trade Center and to offer a specialized track in World Trade Law within its Master of Laws program," said Professor Frank Emmert. "Students will get a broad range of courses at McKinney to build their knowledge-base and then spend a minimum of six months in an internship at the World Trade Center Indianapolis or one of its member companies. Upon graduation, the newly minted Master of Laws recipients will be uniquely positioned for a career in international business and trade, with state-of-the-art theoretical knowledge, significant practical experience, and an unmatched network of professional connections.”

During a successful pilot of the track in 2018, IU McKinney law students gained valuable experience serving in pro bono service roles with WTC Indianapolis, working with business leaders in other countries to bring foreign trade opportunities to Indiana. Students helped lead trade missions to China, coordinated inbound trade missions with officials from foreign businesses, and assisted in organizing an MOU between WTC Indianapolis and World Trade Center Harbin in China alongside Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. The new educational track will train LL.M. students by putting them to work on real-world trade initiatives.

“I’m very pleased that IU McKinney’s relationship with World Trade Center Indianapolis has enabled us to offer this opportunity to students," said IU McKinney Dean Andrew R. Klein. "I am particularly proud of our international students, who have provided expertise about their home countries, conducting research for WTC Indianapolis, to the benefit of both.”