London Summer Program

1. Course Descriptions

   Access to Justice: Public Interest Law from a Global Perspective (3 units)

   This course provides a comprehensive exploration of public interest law through a global lens, with emphasis on the creation of access to justice for marginalized communities. The course integrates both U.S.-based and international case studies of public interest legal advocacy to illustrate commonalities and points of departure in law, theory, and practice. The course challenges students to critically analyze diverse substantive areas of public interest law, including issues such as migrant rights, corporate accountability, workers’ rights, and environmental justice. The course explores both traditional and non-traditional global public interest legal advocacy strategies, including individual representation, policy advocacy, impact litigation, community organizing, narrative/storytelling, and Rebellious Lawyering. The course highlights international policy advocacy & community legal organizing campaigns, such as the post-Brexit migrant rights legal campaigns. The course will also explore the impact of litigation as a legal strategy for international corporate accountability. The course format includes lectures, class discussions, and guest lectures featuring international legal activists, community members, and legal organizers.

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   Disinformation and Fake News: Law and Policy  (3 units)

   This course explores the evolving regulatory landscape as it relates to disinformation (the deliberate distribution of falsity), misinformation (unintended distribution of falsity), and  malinformation (the leak of truthful information intended to cause harm). The focus of this course will be international and comparative. This course surveys the laws and norms associated with efforts to address disinformation and fake news on the world stage, and to mitigate their negative impacts.

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   International Art Law  (3 units)

   Artworks reflect the cultures of their creators, but artworks themselves know no boundaries. Perhaps for this reason, the most interesting and newsworthy issues in art law today are international law issues. This course will address international legal issues related to art as a creative endeavor, art as an article of commerce, and art as a significant cultural artifact. Issues to be examined include international jurisdictions and choice of law conflicts; legal aspects of international sales and resales; legal duties of international dealers and auctioneers; international sales and import taxes required on cross-border shipment of artworks; international recovery of artworks plundered during wartime; and international copyright (and other) protections for artists and their work.

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   International Entertainment Law (3 units)

   International Entertainment Law is a course that explores the intersection of copyright, trademark, moral rights of personality and contract transactions and disputes in the global entertainment industry. This course provides a comparative law look at the interplay of international copyright treaties through the lens of U.S. and foreign nations, and how international norms impact contract-making and breaking between U.S. and foreign entities. Among the fascinating topics are the treatment of indigenous peoples and their creative works in the law.  International Entertainment Law is a class about movies, television, music, and video game transactions and the impact of new technologies, such as AI, on global entertainment projects. From Michael Jackson's copyright infringement lawsuit arising from "Wanna Be Starting Something", to distribution rights for the Beatles "Yellow Submarine", International Entertainment Law provides an exciting look at the entertainment industry on the global stage.

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   International Sports Law (3 units)

   This course surveys current legal issues relating to the global sports industries, with a special emphasis on sports in the European Union. Among the topics to be studied are the following: the nature of the sports industries; sports law as a distinctive discipline of study; the business structures of team versus individual sports; player transfers; cheating, including the use of performance-enhancing substances; licensing of international broadcasting rights; international merchandising; effective sports governance; and dispute resolution by national courts and the International Court of Arbitration for Sports.

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   Law Of, In, and About War  (3 units)

   This course overviews international law as it pertains to the regulation of war, modernly referred to as armed conflict. This body of law, known as international humanitarian law (also referred to as the law of armed conflict, law of war, or laws and customs of war), intersects with other legal paradigms. These include international law governing the resort to armed force by States (the jus ad bellum) as governed by the United Nations Charter and customary international law, as well international human rights law. This course explores these intersections while primarily focusing on international humanitarian law’s rules governing the conduct of hostilities and the protection of those caught up in war through study of the Geneva Conventions, their Additional Protocols, the Hague Regulations, other treaties, and customary international law. This course will highlight for students international law’s bifurcation between international and non-international armed conflict, and the legal ramifications of such division. This three-credit summer course also provides insight into enforcement and accountability mechanisms designed to enhance compliance with international humanitarian law. 

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   Negotiating and Drafting International Entertainment Contracts  (3 units)

   This course provides a foundational understanding of the entertainment industry in a global marketplace, key players, and various negotiation styles. It will be a foundational overview of some commonly used agreements and provisions in entertainment transactions. The course will include a brief examination of the intersection of various bodies of law such as copyright (including, for example, a few relevant differences between US and EU and UK copyright law), labor & employment, tort, contract law, collective bargaining agreements, and their impact on entertainment contracts and industry practices. Students will draft contract provisions and whole contracts and be given professor feedback. This course will also provide some foundational instruction on entertainment-related negotiating, deal-making making and contract drafting best practices.

Faculty

1. Michael Epstein

   Professor Michael Epstein will teach the Disinformation and Fake News Law and Policy course.

   An aspiring journalist in college, Michael Epstein turned to law when a research project for a PBS documentary series on the U.S. Constitution put him in contact with some of the leading lawyers in the country. While in law school, the two interests blended well, leading him to serve as Book Review editor of Columbia Human Rights Law Review. Later, he received a Public Interest Law Foundation Fellowship and served an internship at the Media Access Project in Washington, D.C. Following graduation, he joined the law firm of Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood in New York City as an associate focusing on media mergers and acquisitions, as well as bank refinancing, leveraged leasing and alternative energy projects. Later, with the firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, he expanded his areas of practice to include bankruptcy, corporate and real estate law and lobbying efforts before Congress and federal agencies on behalf of clients.

   Professor Epstein returned to academia to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, and while a graduate student, received his first teaching assignments in the University of Michigan's Departments of Anthropology, Communication, English Language and Literature and in the Program in American Culture. He later taught courses on media law and theory, communication and society, and television industry and regulation at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

   Professor Epstein joined the Southwestern faculty in 1999. Teaching in the areas of business, entertainment and media law, he also created and supervises Southwestern's Amicus Project Practicum and assists students in arranging entertainment law externships. He is the Supervising Editor of the Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law, and serves as a faculty advisor to the Media Law Forum and the Entertainment and Sports Law Society.

   Professor Epstein's most recent book is Mass Media Law: A Survey of Content and Culture (2014). He has published numerous articles in the areas of communications law, access to electronic media, television industry and entertainment culture.

2. Simon Gardiner

   Professor Simon Gardiner will teach the International Sports Law course. 

   Dr. Simon Gardiner is a Professor of International Sports Law and has worked at a number of universities in the UK and in Australia including Middlesex University and Griffith University in Queensland. He has been at Leeds Becket University since 2006.

   Simon has been an active researcher in the area of sports law for over twenty years and has an international reputation. His particular research interests include sports governance and the regulation of sports-related corruption, racism in sport and the construction of national identity and athlete mobility in sport. He has been involved in funded research projects and consultancy for a range of sports bodies and has worked with the European Union concerning a number of projects.  This includes a study on legal issues concerning anti-doping provisions and the related decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport; the regulation of football hooliganism; legal expert with the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency and its study on Racism in Sport; and a study on the Equal Treatment of Non-Nationals in Individual Sports Competitions. He has also worked with the Council of Europe in the area of conflict resolution and human rights in sport together with the ‘Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport’ organization. 

   Simon has published widely in refereed journals, numerous professional journals, and in book collections of edited chapters across a range of sports-related disciplines, including law, sociology, and management. He is lead author and editor of the UK’s principal student-targeted textbook, namely Gardiner et al, Sports Law due to be published in its fifth edition in December 2020.  This book is used by both undergraduate and postgraduate students and practitioners and provides an explicitly socio-economic context to the development and application of law to sport. He has also co-edited two books (2000 and 2009) with seminal collections of articles on the development of the European Union’s sports regulation policy. His published work has had a significant impact on and is heavily cited in other Sports Law literature and more widely in related sports studies disciplines.  The work has also been cited, by the UK Law Commission, the European Commission, and in a number of legal cases.

    

3. Kevin Greene

   Professor Kevin Greene will teach the International Entertainment Law course.

   Kevin J. Greene joined Southwestern’s faculty in 2020. Professor Greene is a nationally recognized entertainment and intellectual property law scholar and an expert witness consultant for copyright, trademark, publicity rights, and entertainment contract disputes. He is a highly committed, outstanding teacher as well as a passionate leader and an IP law influencer. He teaches Contracts and Copyright Law.

   Professor Greene was most recently a tenured Professor of Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. In addition to Contracts and Copyright, he has also taught IP, Entertainment Law, Music Law, Publicity Rights, International Entertainment Law, and IP in the Cannabis Industry.

   Before becoming a law professor, Professor Greene practiced law in New York at the premier law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he represented high profile companies such as Time Warner and HBO in litigation matters. He later joined New York’s top entertainment law boutique firm, where he represented clients such as film production companies, including Director Spike Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule film company, iconic music artists including Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Brown, and the seminal rap group Public Enemy. Professor Greene was the first law professor voted a Top Ten attorney by the San Diego Bar in the field of IP in 2005.

   Professor Greene's scholarship has garnered national and international recognition in the area of intellectual property (“IP”) law, particularly his pioneering work on African-American music and inequality in copyright law. His article on abusive trademark litigation, published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy has been the centerpiece of law conferences at Syracuse Law School and NYU. Greene's copyright scholarship is cited in numerous legal publications and has been cited in Congressional hearings. His current project explores intellectual property in the context of hip-hop music.

4. Henry Lydiate

   Professor Henry Lydiate will teach the International Art Law course.

   Professor Lydiate is an international art lawyer who has specialized in the law relating to visual art and design for over 35 years. A scholar-practitioner who has been a visiting tutor at leading UK art schools and colleges; former Visiting Professor in Art Law at the University of the Arts London; current educational portfolio includes designing and delivering international legal and art business modules for Sotheby’s Institute of Art and Southwestern Law School.

   Commissioned in 1976 by the Arts Council of Great Britain and The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to conduct research into the legal needs of visual artists in the UK, which led to his establishing Artlaw Services, a non-profit national legal advice, and professional practice training service: Chairman and pro bono legal adviser and trainer until 1984. Founding partner of The Henry Lydiate Partnership LLP, the international art business consultancy whose current clients include artists, artists’ estates, collectors, agents & dealers, art fairs, auction houses, foundations, and public-facing art institutions. Henry has published numerous articles and publications and currently writes a regular Artlaw column published by Art Monthly since its first issue in 1976.

   Henry received a Bachelor of Laws, LLB, from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K. Former practicing Barrister and Pupil-master, Inns of Court, U.K.

5. Orly Ravid

   Professor Orly Ravid will teach the Negotiating and Drafting International Entertainment Contracts course. 

   Professor Orly Ravid is formerly Senior Counsel at TUBI (a FOX Corporation subsidiary). After graduating from Southwestern's SCALE program, she was an entertainment attorney (Of Counsel) at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (MSK) and continued running The Film Collaborative (TFC).  She returned to Southwestern in November 2018 as Director of the Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute and as an Associate Professor of Law.  Professor Ravid has over 20 years of experience in independent film (spanning distribution, sales/licensing, development, production, and business affairs).  

   Professor Ravid advised and contributed to Sundance’s Artist Services / Transparency Project and was an Associate Programmer of documentaries at the festival. She has spoken on panels and conferences at film schools and festivals including Sundance, Cannes, SXSW, AFI, IDA, Doc NYC, UCLA, USC, IDFA, and LAFF/Film Independent. Professor Ravid previously served as an executive at Senator Entertainment, Wolfe Releasing, and Maxmedia.  She co-authored the book series Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul and contributed to How Not to Sign a Film Contract.  

   At TFC, Ravid has been committed to educating creators and helping artistically and intellectually important films and series sustainably reach their respective audiences. Having focused on VOD and rights splitting for over a decade and being a regular traveler to content festivals and markets worldwide, Professor Ravid keeps up with the entertainment industry’s trends and challenges so she can best advise clients and law students alike.

6. Julia Vazquez

   Professor Julia Vazquez will teach the Access to Justice: Public Interest Law from a Global Perspective course.

   As the first Clinical Fellow in the law school's Immigration Law Clinic and now as a Supervising Attorney, Julia Vázquez works closely with the Clinic's director, Professor Andrea Ramos, in the representation of clients, supervision of law students and development of course curricula for the clinic and the Immigration Appeals Practicum. She also participates in teaching the clinic seminars and research. She brings both professional teaching experience as well as experience as an immigration law clinic student to her position at Southwestern.

   While in law school, Professor Vázquez was a Public Interest Law Program, Immigration Law Clinic, and Critical Race Studies student. She served as President of the Immigration Law Society, Co-Chair of La Raza Law Students Association, Articles Editor for the Chicana/o Latina/o Law Review and Writing Advisor in the First-Year Lawyering Skills Course. She volunteered as Student Director for the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project's UCLA Detention Center Clinic, and UCLA's Migrant Summer Leadership Program.

   Prior to earning her law degree, Professor Vázquez completed an M.A. in Education with a focus on critical pedagogy and worked for several years as a teacher-and-parent educator in South Central Los Angeles. She eventually left teaching to pursue a legal career with a focus in immigration and public interest law.

7. Rachel VanLandingham

   Professor Rachel VanLandingham will teach the Law Of, In, and About War course.

   Rachel E. VanLandingham, Lt Col. (ret.), is a national security law expert and former active duty judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) who was appointed to the Southwestern Law School full-time faculty in Fall 2014 and awarded tenure as a full professor in 2018. In addition to her award-winning scholarship, Professor VanLandingham is a frequent media commentator sought after for her military law expertise. Her analysis has appeared in leading media including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and CNBC, and in other major outlets.  As both a scholar and president of the leading national non-profit dedicated to improving the military criminal justice system, Professor VanLandingham was instrumental in helping 2021’s passage of the most significant military justice legislative reform since the 1950s.

   During Professor VanLandingham's military career, she served as a senior legal advisor on the international law of armed conflict, military prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, appellate defense attorney, and nuclear surety inspector, stationed around the globe with deployments to the Middle East. She was the chief legal advisor for international law at Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. As the Command's Chief Liaison to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), she worked to  improve procedural safeguards and humane treatment standards for detainees in U.S. custody. At U.S. Central Command, Professor VanLandingham was also detailed to interagency collaborations with the Department of Justice, Department of State, and other federal agencies regarding treaty development and detainee habeas litigation.

   A 1992 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she earned her B.S. in Political Science, Professor VanLandingham completed her Master of Public Management, emphasis in national security, from the University of Maryland, College Park as a MacArthur Scholar in 1994. She received her J.D. with high honors in 2000 from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was inducted into the Chancellor's Society, and her LL.M. in Military Law (International and Operational Law Specialty) in 2006 from the Judge Advocate General's School, where she was named to the Commandant's List. 

   Professor VanLandingham is proudly married to Hermosa Beach City Councilman Ray Jackson, Colonel, U.S. Army (ret.), and is the mother of two incredible boys, Vann and Jax Jackson (Jax is a Type 1 Diabetes warrior).

Additional Details

1. Frequently Asked Questions

   Q. What is good standing for studying abroad?

   A.  To participate in study abroad programs, law students must have completed two semesters of full- or part-time study and be in good academic standing as determined by their home institution. If the student is not in good academic standing once grades are posted, the school in which the student is enrolled has the right to require the student to withdraw and return to the United States. In this case, the student may be refunded tuition, but associated costs, such as living expenses, housing, books, travel expenses, etc., will not be refunded.  Students in their first year of school should consider their performance in the fall semester before applying. 

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   Q. Will I need a passport or visa?

   A.  You will need a current, valid passport to travel abroad for the Entertainment and Humanitarian London Summer Program. You will not need a visa. That’s because you won’t be enrolled in a foreign study program; you’ll be enrolled in a US study program that happens to be taking advantage of UK facilities. Your passport must remain valid throughout your planned stay.

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    Q. Is there any other travel requirement to go to London?   

   A. You must apply to visit the U.K. by completing the new United Kingdom’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) form and paying the required fee. For more information, check the Gov.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta.

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   Q.  How do I obtain a passport?

   A.   Visit the website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html/passport_1738.html for complete details on obtaining a passport.

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   Q. What do I need to go through passport control in the UK? 

   A.  You will receive a hardcopy and e-copy letter explaining that you are admitted to and attending Southwestern Law School’s U.S.-based summer study abroad program. This letter will assist you in returning to London if you leave the country for a long weekend.  This letter is very important!  Students are strongly advised to carry it with them when they travel. Students who have failed to bring it with them or who have lost it have encountered substantial problems. We cannot provide you with a replacement at the last minute. You should also keep the electronic version on your phone to access it. 

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   Q. Does Southwestern provide international medical insurance to enrolled students for this program?

   A. Yes. As part of the program fee, you will be enrolled in a blanket international insurance policy with On Call International. You will be covered for medical emergencies, including medical evacuation or repatriation expenses, should it become necessary. 

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   Q. Will the grades transfer as pass/fail or letter grades?

   A. Confirm with your law school the conditions under which credit can be received for Southwestern’s program.  Some law schools require their students to receive a minimum grade to receive credit for the courses taken in London, and those grades may be higher than the grade Southwestern treats as credit-worthy. This matters because exams will be graded “blindly” (your professors will not know which exams are yours); Southwestern has a required grading curve, which will be used to assign grades in the London program. 

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   Q. What is included in the student housing?  What is the student housing cancellation policy? 

   A.  Students will reside in a single occupancy room with a private bathroom. Breakfast is included every day.  Lunch and dinner are available for an extra fee paid directly to College Hall. 

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   Q. Can I find my own housing? 

   A.  It is strongly recommended that students reside in the housing that Southwestern arranges on their behalf. In some cases, a student may be permitted to find their own accommodations. However, being permitted to do so is at the discretion of the Program Director. 

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   Q. Can I bring my family member or friend?

   A.  Yes. However, student housing is only available to Southwestern’s Summer Program students. Friends and family must arrange their own accommodation. Student rooms are single occupancy.  However, in some cases, a larger room may be arranged for an extra charge to accommodate a family member.

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   Q. What is included in the financial aid budget, and how do I apply?

   A.  The London summer program budget includes budgeted amounts for the application and seat deposit fees, course tuition, books and materials, housing (includes breakfast), trip insurance, meals, assorted personal expenses, and round-trip coach travel expenses.

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   Q. Can I use my Southwestern scholarship to pay the tuition for this program?

   A.  Southwestern scholarships cannot be used for London summer school courses.  The course tuition is the same for everyone.

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   Q. Will there be extra time to travel (i.e., weekend excursions)?  Will financial aid assist with covering that type of expense?

   A.  Yes. This program is designed to provide you with a 3-day weekend every weekend except for the final week.  See the program’s course schedule.  For non-Southwestern students, check with your financial aid counselor to see if aid for that expense is awarded. 

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   Q. Is it advisable to purchase a BritRail or EuroRail pass?  Is that included in financial aid? 

   A. It may be worth purchasing if you plan to travel within the United Kingdom on a long weekend or before or after the program. Check with your financial aid counselor to see if aid for that expense is awarded. 

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   Q. How soon will I be notified of my acceptance?

   A.  Students are typically notified of their acceptance within one week of receipt of their completed application.

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   Q. When should I purchase my plane ticket?

   A.  If you have been notified of your acceptance into the program, you can begin making travel arrangements.  Early booking can often result in substantial savings. However, financial aid proceeds may not be available sooner than 10 days before the start of the program, so you’ll need to pay for your tickets in advance.  We strongly recommend purchasing trip insurance for your airline tickets should worldwide events necessitate a change in your travel schedule. 

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   Q. What happens if I decide to cancel my enrollment? 

   A. Students have the right to cancel their enrollment in the London Summer-Abroad Program before the first day of the program (the “Cancellation Period”). To cancel, a student must notify the Director of the London Summer-Abroad Program, Tamara Moore (tmoore@swlaw.edu), in writing, indicating that they no longer wish to attend the program or be bound by the Enrollment Agreement.  See the program website under “London Summer-Abroad Program Right to Cancel and Tuition Refund Policy” for full details about canceling enrollment. https://www.swlaw.edu/curriculum/study-abroad-summer-session/summer-abroad

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   Q. As a visiting student receiving financial aid, what will I need to do if I withdraw?

   A. In accordance with the London Law Summer Program Consortium Agreement, the student’s home school is the parent institution for all financial aid matters. Visiting students receiving federal financial aid for this program should contact their home school and Southwestern if they intend to or do withdraw from the program so the home school can complete the federally required R2T4 process.

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   Q. What happens if the Program is canceled?  Will I get a refund of tuition? Airfare? Housing?

   A.  Students who cancel their enrollment before the program begins due to a significant change in the London Study-Abroad Program (e.g., change of program dates, change in curriculum, etc.) or program termination, including termination because of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert, will receive a refund from Southwestern of all monies paid.

   Students who withdraw after the program begins due to a significant change in the London Study-Abroad Program (e.g., change of program dates, change in curriculum, etc.) or program termination, including termination because of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert, will receive from Southwestern a refund of all tuition paid and a pro-rata refund of housing and insurance fees.

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   Q. How hard are the classes?

   A. Southwestern’s courses abroad are designed to be of academic rigor comparable to what you would experience in similar courses at your home school. Except for the 1-unit course, all courses require a final written or typed examination.  One-unit courses will require a final paper.

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   Q. Can I take more than one course?  Can I take a course in each Track?

   A.  Yes.  You may select a course for three or six credits from each time slot.  Students enrolled in the Track Two course may choose a course from the second timeslot in Track One. Students who select the Entertainment Business Negotiations course must also take the International Live Theatre Business & Legal Affairs course. 

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   Q. How do I apply?

   A.  Print or complete the fillable application found online and make the $250 application fee payment online. The application can be emailed directly to Tamara Moore at tmoore@swlaw.edu. 

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   Q. Do I need a letter of good standing?   What about a transcript?

   A.  Southwestern students do not need a letter of good standing or a transcript. Visiting students must request a letter of good standing from their registrar’s office and an official transcript. The letter of good standing can be emailed directly to Tamara Moore at tmoore@swlaw.edu. The transcript can be mailed directly to Tamara Moore at Southwestern Law School, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010.  For admission purposes, an unofficial transcript will be accepted pending the receipt of an official transcript. 

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   Q. Should I bring business attire?

   A.  Yes, it's always a good idea to bring one set of smart casual clothes that would work in court, at a formal party, or similar occasion. For instance, at the UK Supreme Court or the Royal Courts of Justice tour -- shorts and open-toed shoes are frowned upon.  It is okay to be casual, but be neat (e.g., no torn jeans or denim, oversized t-shirts, tank tops, etc.). When business attire is appropriate for other events, we'll notify you.  And who knows -- your own networking might get you invited to a formal event! 

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   Q. Will I receive more information about the program before I apply? 

   A.  Yes.  We will provide more information in early spring. You may also contact Program Director Tamara Moore at tmoore@swlaw.edu or call us at 213-738-6602.

    

2. Admissions, Fees, and Deadlines

   Admission and Course Credit

   Southwestern is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The ABA has approved the International Summer Law Program in London. Most applicants must be students in good standing at an American or Canadian law school. Applicants with sufficient English proficiency from law schools in European Union and other countries will also be considered for admission. Before starting the summer program, each student must have completed the first year of law study and submit a transcript and a letter of good standing from his/her home institution. If applications are received from more students than the program can accommodate, applicants' academic performance (as shown by their transcripts) may be considered in deciding which applications will be accepted.  

   Students may register for two courses for a maximum total of six-semester units of credit.  Any requests for class change must be made in writing to the Biederman Institute. Each professor will administer a written final exam and assign grades. Grades will conform to Southwestern's grading policies. Southwestern utilizes an alpha grading system in which the actual grade earned is represented by an alphabetical letter. Grades range from A+ (4.33) to F (0.00).  No unit credit will be granted if the grade received is an F.  Additional information can be found in Southwestern's Institutional Policies. Students are advised to consult their home institution's policies concerning the transfer of credit for coursework.  There are no prerequisite courses for any of the courses offered in this program.

   Southwestern will send a transcript to the student's home institution following completion of the program and final payment of all tuition and fees. Acceptance of transfer credit is subject to determination by the student's home institution. Students should be aware that participation in a summer program is unlikely to accelerate their graduation date; students interested in acceleration should consult their home institution.

   NOTE: Acceptances to the program will be offered to applicants on a rolling basis, beginning in February.

   Courses with an enrollment of fewer than seven will be canceled.  

   Applications will be accepted until maximum enrollment is reached. Enrollment in each course is limited due to classroom size, so early application is strongly encouraged. 

   A seat deposit fee of $750 will be due immediately after acceptance. Until the seat deposit fee is received, the student's spot in the program will not be reserved and may be offered to another applicant.

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   2025 Fees

   Program Cost

   • Application Fee: $250 (nonrefundable; applied toward tuition)
   • Seat Deposit Fee: $750 (nonrefundable; applied toward tuition)
   • Block Tuition (for up to six units): $6,500 (includes educational excursions in the London area and all applicable course materials and books)
     • Course Materials and Books (provided at no additional cost): $0
   • The following mandatory fees are 50% nonrefundable within 30 days of the program start date (May 17, 2024) and 100% nonrefundable after the program start date:
     • On-Campus Housing Fee: $3,500
     • Global Travel Insurance Fee: $200
   • STRF Fee:¹ $0 (nonrefundable following the Cancellation Period, which is defined below)

   Total $10,200

   Students are solely responsible for costs not listed above. Examples of costs that students are responsible for include but are not limited to:

   • airfare to and from London;
   • lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks;
   • transportation in London;
   • entertainment;
   • travel expenses for weekend, out-of-London trips;
   • phone calls; and
   • personal items, including toiletries, clothes, and souvenirs. 

   1. This fee is required only for California residents or those enrolled in a California residency program. 

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    Deadlines

   Confirmation notice and enrollment agreement	Mid-April
   Payment in full or financial aid confirmation	May 1

    

3. Travel and Living Accommodations

   Students will be responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from London. 

   State Department Travel Information

   Visit the United States Department of State website for information about traveling to and within the United Kingdom. If prior to the commencement of the program, a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Alert is issued for the country(ies) in which the program will be conducted, all registrants will be notified promptly of the warning and be given an opportunity to withdraw from the program. If during the program, a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Alert is issued for the country(ies) in which the program is being conducted, students will be notified promptly of the warning and given an opportunity to withdraw from the program. If students withdraw from the program as permitted in these criteria during the course of the program, or if the program is terminated, students will be refunded fees paid except for housing and materials payments utilized prior to the date of withdrawal or termination.      

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   Living Accommodations and Classroom Facilities

   Housing has been arranged at the University of London’s College Hall and will be provided for program participants from Saturday afternoon, June 15, through Friday morning, July 21.  All rooms are single occupancy and have private toilets and showers.  Housing includes breakfast. There are no cooking facilities available to students in College Hall, but College Hall is in the University of London/Russell Square/Bloomsbury District of London, where a wide variety of eating establishments are located.   Brunei Gallery SOAS, the classroom facility, is located in Russell Square and can accommodate up to 40 students in their classrooms. College Hall and Brunei Gallery are committed to making the necessary adjustments (including physical layouts) to support persons with disabilities wherever possible.      

    

4. Liability and Insurance

   Southwestern will not be responsible for personal injuries to students, medical conditions, or for loss or damage to personal property within or in transit to London. Southwestern requires students to obtain health insurance that covers or reimburses for health care abroad.  Students participating in Southwestern’s summer program are covered under ON Call International global travel insurance, which includes medical evacuation, repatriation, and quarantine coverage and is included with tuition.

    

5. London Summer-Abroad Program Right to Cancel and Tuition Refund Policy

   A. Right to Cancel and Refund During the Cancellation Period

   Students have the right to cancel their enrollment in the London Summer-Abroad Program before the first day of the program (the “Cancellation Period”). 

   To cancel, a student must notify the Director of the London Summer-Abroad Program, Tamara Moore (tmoore@swlaw.edu), in writing, indicating that they no longer wish to attend the program or be bound by the Enrollment Agreement.

   Students who cancel before the first day of the London program will receive a 100% refund of the amount paid for institutional charges, except for the following:

   • The $250 Application Fee is nonrefundable;
   • The $750 Seat Deposit Fee is nonrefundable;
   • The $200 Global Travel Insurance Fee is nonrefundable within 30 days of the program start date;
   • 50% of the On-Campus Housing Fee becomes nonrefundable within 30 days of the program start date, and 100% of the On-Campus Housing Fee becomes nonrefundable after the program start date.

   Southwestern will process the refund within 45 business days of receiving the cancellation notice.

   B. Refund Following a Withdrawal

   After the program begins, students have the right to withdraw and receive a pro-rata refund for the program (excluding nonrefundable fees), up to and including 60% of the current period of attendance. If the student has received federal student financial aid funds, the student is entitled to a refund of monies not paid from federal student financial aid program funds.

   The prorated nonrefundable charge is calculated by counting the number of calendar days starting with the first day of the term and ending with the last date of attendance. That result is divided by the number of calendar days in the term. The resulting percentage is then multiplied by the original tuition charged to determine the prorated nonrefundable charge, less nonrefundable fees.

   To withdraw, a student must notify the Director of the London Summer-Abroad Program, Tamara Moore (tmoore@swlaw.edu), in writing, indicating that they wish to withdraw from the program.

   Once the student completes more than 60% of the London Study-Abroad Program, the student will be charged 100% of tuition and other charges, and no amount will be refunded.

   For purposes of determining a refund under this section, a student will be deemed to have withdrawn when any of the following occurs:

   • The student notifies the London Study-Abroad Director in writing of their withdrawal or the actual date of withdrawal, whichever is later.
   • Southwestern terminates the student’s enrollment for failing to maintain satisfactory progress, abide by the school’s rules and regulations, adhere to the attendance policy, or meet other obligations.

   To determine when the refund must be paid, the date of Southwestern’s determination that the student withdrew should be no later than 14 days after the student’s last day of attendance, as determined from the school’s attendance records. An R2T4 (federal) refund calculation will be made along with the California Bureau of Private Post-secondary Education calculation, and if a difference exists, Southwestern will refund the larger amount.

   If the student obtains a loan to pay for this educational program, the student will be responsible for repaying the full amount of the loan plus interest, less the amount of any refund. If any portion of institutional charges was paid from the proceeds of a loan or third party, Southwestern will send the refund to the lender or third party that guaranteed or insured the loan. Any refund amount in excess of the unpaid balance of the loan will be used first to repay any student financial aid programs from which the student received benefits, in proportion to the benefits received. Any remaining amount will be paid to the student, or if the student requests, will be sent to the appropriate lender to pay down the student’s debt.

   C. Special Provision

   Students who cancel their enrollment before the program begins due to a significant change in the London Study-Abroad Program (e.g., change of program dates, change in curriculum, etc.) or program termination, including termination because of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert, will receive a refund from Southwestern of all monies paid.

   Students who withdraw after the program begins due to a significant change in the London Study-Abroad Program (e.g., change of program dates, change in curriculum, etc.) or program termination, including termination because of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert, will receive from Southwestern a refund of all tuition paid and a pro-rata refund of housing and insurance fees.

   D. Visiting Students Receiving Financial Aid

   In accordance with the London Law Summer Program Consortium Agreement, the student’s home school is the parent institution for all financial aid matters. Visiting students receiving federal financial aid for this program should contact their home school and Southwestern if they intend to or do withdraw from the program so the home school can complete the federally required R2T4 process.