The Lyon Law School's international relations

The Lyon Law School's international relations are under the responsibility of the Dean, Mr. Franck Marmoz, and are run by Mme Béatrice Kan-Balivet, who is also in charge of international development.

Traditionally, the Lyon Law School has always been in touch with foreign legal systems. Before the First World War, the Lyon Law School founded the Law School of Beirut, in Lebanon. The objective was to compete with Paris, which had just created a Law School in Cairo. These two cities, Lyon and Beirut, were both on one of Silk Roads, which started in China and ended in Lyon ; intellectual, artistic and industrial interests converged. The Institute of Comparative Law was created by Édouard Lambert in 1920, and now bears his name. Just before he passed away, this great comparative law specialist wrote the Egyptian civil code, which is still in effect today and has hardly been amended. Cambodia was also the scene of the development of the Lyon Law School, before the Vietnam war. Quite frequently, the Dean of the Lyon Law School had previously been or was to become a Dean in Beirut or Phnom Penh. Cooperation agreements with these universities have lasted until today.

In recent history, the policy of the Lyon Law School regarding international relations has mainly been characterized by Erasmus exchanges and bilateral agreements. Since the mid-1980s, the Erasmus programme has allowed fourth-year students to obtain their Master 1 after spending one year abroad at a partner university. The same principle underlies the bilateral exchanges with universities located outside the Erasmus zone, mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India or China. Students may thus obtain a French diploma allowing them to access regulated professions in France, as well as an international academic experience. These exchanges also concern the teaching staff. Then, relocated diplomas were created: state diplomas in Hungary, Armenia, Cambodia or Lebanon, and university diplomas in Cairo for instance. Finally, the Lyon Law School has a double diploma programme with the University of Essex in the United Kingdom (British LL.B and French Master 1), which allows students to access regulated professions in both countries. There is a project with the University of Sevilla in Spain.

Classes in English have been developed. All students must attend English classes during their first three years at university. About fifteen years ago, the Lyon law School became a member of the Pallas consortium, which it also contributed to found and which grants an LL.M in European Business Law in Essex.
In 2008, it launched its own LL.M in International and European Law in Lyon, which is symbolic of its participation in globalization.

The other languages and cultures have not been left aside. The Édouard-Lambert Institute of Comparative Law grants university diplomas in German law, Spanish law, Italian law, Asian law, in addition to the British and American law diplomas. Apart from Asian law, which is taught in French and English, all classes are given in the language of the concerned country.