Budapest Summer Legal Studies
Two-Week Session: June 22 - July 5, 2008
In conjunction with the Eötvös Loránd University College of Law, the Budapest Summer Legal Studies Program presents a two-week, two-course comparative law offering for those students interested in the evolving political and legal landscape of Europe. Participants will have the opportunity to witness firsthand the dramatic evolution of this dynamic Eastern European country now that is has entered the European Union. Budapest provides a spectacular site for such an experience, displaying its famous Danube vista contrasting the twin cities of Buda and Pest with their diverse architectural showpieces—the national Parliament, St. Matthias Cathedral, and others—facing one another on opposite sides of this wide, historic river.
The comparative law curriculum is complemented with visits to key legal institutions in Budapest, including the Hungarian Supreme Court, the Parliament, and an international law firm. Classes will be conducted at the distinguished Eötvös Loránd University law faculty, conveniently located in the downtown part of the city, and students are offered their choice of a three-star program hotel in the neighborhood or arranging their own lodging.
Course Descriptions
Comparative Judicial Systems (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Professor James Klebba
Class Dates: Monday, June, 23 - Friday, July 4 Class Times: 9 - 10:10 a.m.
Final Exam: Saturday, July 5
This course examines the organization, structure, and jurisdiction of the court systems in the United States, Hungary, and other European countries. This is a comparative version of a course in the American federal judicial system and federal jurisdiction. Emphasis is placed on such issues as the power of the legislative or executive branches to assign or withdraw jurisdiction to the judiciary and the power of the courts to review the actions of other branches. We will examine the organization of court systems and jurisdictional conflict points between courts and between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches in various countries, with particular emphasis on the U.S., Germany, Russia, Austria, and Hungary.
Visiting lecturers and tours to the courts and parliament will enrich our study of court systems in Hungary.
Central European Legal Systems in Transition (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Professor Gabor Hamza
Class Dates: Monday, June 23 thru Friday, July 4
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 11:40 p.m.
Final Exam: Saturday, July 5
The course will focus on the historical backgrounds of the post-socialist legal systems of countries in Central Europe. The diminishing role of government in the economic sphere and the problems and opportunities of privatization, as well as harmonization and unification with legal systems and economies of the member states of the European Union will be explored.
The course seeks to convey an understanding of the changing nature and function of both public (constitutional) and private law in Central Europe.
International Business Transactions in the Enlarged European Union (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Professor Francis A. Gabor
Class Dates: Monday, June, 23 - Friday, July 4 Class Times: 9 - 10:10 a.m.
Final Exam: Saturday, July 5
This course provides an introduction to the understanding of the institutional and legal framework of the enlarged European Union. Selected international business transactions will be explored in the European Union from the American perspective. Within this framework, the following topics will be covered: American Perspective on the Enlarged European Union for Expanding Transatlantic Security, Trade and Investment: Legal and Institutional Framework, United States—European Union Trade Relations; Developing Effective Private International Law Safeguards for International Business Transactions. There will also be some treatment of case studies and practice problems.
Faculty
Professor Francis A. Gabor, is a Professor of Law at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and a regular visiting professor at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. He has been teaching in the area of public and private international law and comparative and immigration law. Professor Gabor’s research interest is focused on current issues of international trade and investments in Central-Eastern Europe. His treatise on Foreign Investment in Hungary was published by Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law at Columbia University of New York.
Gabor Hamza, is Professor of Law and Chairman of the Center for European Studies and Chair Professor of the Department of Roman Law at the Eötvös Loránd University Law School in Budapest. He received a J.D. degree from that university in 1973 and a diploma from the International School of Comparative Law in Amsterdam in 1973. He is a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences since 2004. He has been a visiting professor of law at the University of Memphis, Syracuse University and a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. He has also lectured, or been a visiting professor, at the Universities of Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Liège, Amsterdam, Milano, Rome, Parma, Salerno, Verona, Cologne, Munich, Madrid, Valparaiso (Chile) and Fukuoka (Japan) among others.
James Klebba, is the co-director and the Victor H. Schiro Distinguished Professor of Law at Loyola of New Orleans. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and has taught at Loyola since 1973. He is a former Dean at Loyola and has been a visiting professor at several other U.S. schools. He has written in the areas of civil procedure, water law, evidence and comparative procedure. In the fall of 2004, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Belgrade.
What Will It Cost
Tuition : $1000 for two credit hours, or $500 per credit. A program activity fee of $175 covers the welcome reception, tour of Budapest, and all course texts and materials. Due to the advance preparations and cost inherent in presenting a law program abroad, no refunds are possible after April 1, 2008. (Tuition is reduced to make international travel affordable for law students.)
Accommodations : Students may choose between the hotel recommended by the program or are welcome to make any housing arrangements. In downtown Budapest near the law school, the Hotel Erzsebet offers three-star accommodations for 45 Euros a day per person for a double and 36 Euros a day per person for a triple. Breakfast is included. This hotel is close to the law school and will serve as the center for many program activities. One student who stayed at this hotel last year recommended it as “convenient and comfortable, with American bathrooms and a nice breakfast, within walking distance to a cyber-cafe, grocery, and good neighborhood restaurants, two blocks from the main pedestrian mall and shopping district” (refer to website www.danubiusgroup.com/erzsebet). Keep in mind that prices will change with currency fluctuations.
Additional Expenses : Students should realistically estimate some expenses for souvenirs, entertainment not included in the program, and other incidentals. These expenses depend on individual budgets and desires.
How To Register
To apply, please fill out the Secure Online Application Form or Print Application Form (available in Adobe Acrobat PDF). If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader it is available as a download from the Adobe web site. Mail or fax the application form with a $25 application fee (nonrefundable) and $100 nonrefundable registration deposit. Credit cards are accepted. Enrollment is limited to 40 in each course. You are required to have your law school certify that you are in good standing so the credit earned in this summer program will be accepted by your school.
It is unlikely that participation in foreign summer programs may be used to accelerate graduation. Students interested in acceleration should be referred to their home schools to review this issue in light of Standard 305, Interpretation 4.
Registration deadline is May 1, 2008.
Academic Policies
Loyola's general academic policies apply to foreign programs. Thus, students must attend 80 percent of all classes, and final examinations will be graded on the traditional A through F scale. Students must check with their law schools to determine that the credit and grade will be accepted toward graduation requirements at their institutions.
Any student currently enrolled and in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school may register for the Budapest program. As foreign students are invited, a few students from Budapest and other foreign countries may participate.
Applicants should be aware that participation in foreign programs cannot always be used to accelerate graduation. Students interested in acceleration of graduation should consult an appropriate official at their own law school in light of ABA Accreditation Standard 305, Interpretation 4.
Cancellation Policies
Loyola does not anticipate the need to cancel the program. However, ABA regulations require a disclosure that certain events such as war, natural disaster, or insufficient enrollment could cause cancellation. Should this occur, all deposits and funds paid for the program would be refunded. Furthermore, Loyola would make every effort to find you a comparable program sponsored by another law school.
Also, should any changes occur in the course offerings or other significant aspects of the program, applicants who have paid a deposit for the program will be given the opportunity to obtain a full refund of all fees paid.
Disabilities
Budapest does not have the same facilities for the disabled as the United States. Please contact us to investigate the possibility of arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
For more information contact:
Judy Corcoran
International Programs Coordinator
Loyola University College of Law
7214 St. Charles Avenue - Box 901
New Orleans, LA 70118
Tel. (504) 861-5563, Fax (504) 861-5480
E-mail address: corcoran@loyno.edu
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