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News Release

Last modified: Monday, February 20, 2012

IU Maurer School of Law, India's Jindal Global Law School announce new educational initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 20, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Maurer School of Law and India's Jindal Global Law School announced today, Feb. 20, a new initiative in which students can earn a law degree from both schools.

The program, the first of its kind in India, enables students to earn a JD from the Maurer School of Law and an LLB from the Jindal Global Law School in four years and a summer. (Students in Jindal's BA/LLB program can earn degrees from each school in six years.) The program was formalized in a signing ceremony Feb. 19, 2012, when Joseph L. Hoffmann, Harry Pratter Professor of Law, visited Jindal's New Delhi campus on behalf of Indiana University and delivered a distinguished public lecture.

"Law schools like Columbia, Cornell and NYU have law degree programs with partner institutions in other countries," said C. Raj Kumar, dean of Jindal Law and the university's vice chancellor. "However, the partnership with Indiana Law is the first time an Indian law school and a U.S. law school have worked together in this fashion. This is a unique initiative that underscores the importance of globalization of legal education and the legal profession."

"As the world's largest democracy, India is playing an increasingly important role in global commerce," said Jayanth Krishnan, professor of law and director of the India Initiative at the Maurer School of Law. Professor William D. Henderson, director of the Maurer School of Law's Center on the Global Legal Profession, added that "with this experience and background, we believe our students will be particularly attractive to U.S. law firms with growing Asia practice desks and to U.S. companies with operations in India."

This latest collaboration is one of several between the Maurer School of Law and Jindal Global Law School. Other activities have included:

• Bilateral student exchange programs between the Maurer School of Law and Jindal.

• Assistance from Jindal in placing Maurer School of Law's Stewart Fellows in summer internships with Indian law firms, corporations and non-governmental organizations.

• Kumar's appointment as Maurer School's George P. Smith II Distinguished Visiting Professor -- Chair in 2010.

• International conferences co-sponsored by both schools at Jindal in 2009 and 2011.

• Visits to Jindal by Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie; Lauren Robel, interim provost and executive vice president, IU Bloomington; and David Zaret, IU's vice president for international affairs.

In addition, seven Maurer School of Law faculty have visited, lectured or taught at Jindal Global Law School since the affiliation between the two schools was formed in November 2010.

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