Not that long ago, most new lawyers probably stood a better chance of crossing paths with a Supreme Court justice than of handling a case that crossed international borders. Those Beanie Babies knockoffs advertised on the Internet, for instance, are potential exports, and sales may be governed by a United Nations Convention.
Cases involving toxic waste and genetically altered foods often involve more than one country.
Even family law is creating all kinds of jurisdictional tangles, as couples marry in one country, divorce in another, and perhaps raise their children in a third. Small world . Columbia University has upped its international course offerings from 34 five years ago to 46 this year. Foreign heavyweights such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Alexander Boraine, vice chairperson of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, routinely come to New York to lecture or teach classes. Even smaller schools, such as Touro College's law school on Long Island and Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, feature courses on such subjects as Tanzanian law and Latin American legal systems.