Rutgers Law School in Newark has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) in South Korea. This allows faculty and students to visit across campuses and paves the way for individual students to earn legal degrees in both the U.S. and Korea through a streamlined pathway program.  

Students from HUFS who have finished a master’s or JD program will be able to apply and obtain a JD at Rutgers through its 2-year accelerated foreign lawyer program. Rutgers law students will be able to apply and earn a law degree in Korea.

“This partnership allows Rutgers law students to become true global lawyers at a time of great need for cross-cultural and international expertise,” said Rutgers Law School Co-Dean David Lopez.

"We, HUFS Law School, are delighted to establish a bilateral relationship with the prestigious Rutgers Law School.  We sincerely hope that our relationship will sustain for a long period of time,” said Dean Han-Jung Jung, of HUFS Law School.

The two schools came to the agreement after Hankuk Professor Junghyun Cho, who is a longtime friend of Rutgers Law Professor Jootaek Lee, visited the law school in Newark in January and met with Rutgers Law School’s Foreign Programs Committee. Lee, who is fluent in both Korean and English, sits on that committee, along with Rutgers Law Professors Christina Ho and Fadi Shaheen.

Rutgers Law already has a successful foreign lawyer program. It is one of just over 20 law schools nationally that offer the opportunity to earn a U.S. JD in two years, for those who have already completed law study in another country. Once admitted, those students can count up to 28 credits from their first law degree towards the Rutgers JD, leaving them needing only 54 credits for graduation. The Rutgers Foreign Lawyer Program, has attracted students from Nigeria, Venezuela, India, China, Russia, Ireland, and other countries. 

“We are delighted to have agreed to this Memorandum of Understanding and exchange of students between Rutgers Law School and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Graduate School,” said Dean Shin-Young Kim, of HUFS’s Graduate School. “In this era of globalization, mutual co-operative partnership with other academically well- known institutions is crucial for future challenges. We believe this partnership will lead us, both universities, to enhance our academic development.” 

HUFS is ranked 8th among Korean Universities, according to the QS World University Rankings and 1st in international faculty. This new collaboration will allow Rutgers Law to expand its international mission and expose faculty and students to the large metropolitan city of Seoul, where HUFS is located. 

Because of current travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rutgers Law administrators hope to be able to act on the Memorandum of Understanding by fall 2021.  In the meantime, Rutgers Law School will continue to offer term courses remotely to visiting students from around the world, including Lee’s U.S. and international law classes, which are available in Korean. 

Click here for more information about Rutgers Law School’s Foreign Lawyer program and here for information for courses available to visiting students. Rutgers Law will continue to update the Academic Affairs page with visiting student registration information for the 2021 Winter and Summer sessions.