Oxford Summer Law Program

Applications for acceptance to the Oxford Summer Law Program 2024 are now open

Who May Apply

J.D. students who will have completed at least one academic year and who will be in good standing at an ABA-approved law school by June 30, 2024 may apply via our online application for admission. Graduate students in law-related fields will be considered for admission on an individual basis.

Application Process

1. Complete and submit an online application. The application deadline is March 1, 2024. This is a strict deadline. An application fee of $150 is due by credit or debit card at the time of submitting the online application. The application fee is non-refundable except where (i) the applicant withdraws application before March 1, 2024, (ii) the applicant is denied admission to the program, or (iii) the program were to be cancelled.
2. For non-Ohio State University students currently enrolled in a JD program at an ABA-approved law school: please fill out this online interest form before applying. The interest form requires that non-OSU students submit a written statement from the dean or other appropriate official at his or her home law school, certifying that (i) the applicant is in good academic standing and (ii) the applicant’s law school will accept the credits earned from the Oxford Summer Law Program. If your law school will not accept the credits, please contact the Oxford program administrators at MoritzOxford@osu.edu before applying.
3. We will notify you of the preliminary acceptance decision within 3-5 days from the receipt of your complete application (i.e., preliminary acceptance notifications will be sent out on a rolling basis).
4. The official acceptance notification will be communicated immediately after the March 1 deadline. Applicants have 10 days from the date of receipt of the official acceptance notification to commit to the program or decline the offer of admission. If you do not take any action within this 10 day window, you will be administratively withdrawn from the program and forfeit your application fee.
   • For OSU students: If you request a scholarship along with your application for admission, granting of a scholarship is dependent upon acceptance to and participation in the program. Scholarship decisions will be announced around mid-March.

Withdrawal/Cancellation

• By committing to the program (i.e. accepting the offer of admission), you are agreeing to participate in the program, and you understand and are bound by the Program's Cancellation Policy if you withdraw from the program after committing to the program.
• In addition, since global conditions may change rapidly, you acknowledge that The Ohio State University reserves the right to cancel this program at any time should conditions warrant, including but not limited to the event of under-enrollment or other compelling circumstances that prevent the program from being held. All fees, including application fee, will be immediately returned in the event of cancellation.

Contact Information

For information, please contact program administrators at MoritzOxford@osu.edu.

Courses 

There will be four courses offered in the Oxford Law Summer Program. All of the courses offered count toward Moritz graduation requirements, and students may take up to six credits toward their J.D. degree. This increases the flexibility of your schedule in the second and third year of law school. The Comparative Legal Professions course satisfies Moritz’s Legal Professions requirement and the Ohio bar’s legal ethics requirement (though not the additional requirement of one hour of instruction on substance abuse). Other law schools have also accepted credits from Moritz's Oxford summer program in the past, although non-Moritz students must confirm the credit transfer with their own law schools. Those planning on seeking bar admission in another state's bar other than Ohio bar should likewise check with that state.

Comparative Legal Professions (3 credit hours)

Professor Todd Starker, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

This course is designed to broadly explore the laws governing the practice of law. To understand the rules governing lawyers in the United States, the course will delve into the Model Rules of Professional Conduct by applying the text of the rules to complex hypothetical problems. This is not a test preparation course for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), but much of the material covered will help prepare for that exam. The course will also explore global issues with respect to the legal profession. It will consider ethical issues facing lawyers who practice in the United States on international matters and examine how the law governing the legal profession is different in other countries.

Comparative Copyright Law (2 credit hours)

Professor Guy Rub, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

Course details are forthcoming.

Legal Protection against Cyber Harms (3 credit hours)

Professor Tsvetelina Van Bethem, Oxford University Faculty of Law

This course will introduce you to the different regulatory regimes – domestic and international – that protect states, organizations and individuals from harms produced through the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). While ICTs have created space for the exercise of our rights in novel ways, they have also ushered in a new era of risks and challenges. Ransomware, disinformation, hate speech, operations against hospitals, IT supply chains all plague the digital environment and threaten the well-being of individuals and societies. How have states and other stakeholders responded to that challenge?

Comparative Climate Change (1 or 2 credit hours): this course will be taught by a law faculty member at the Oxford University. Further details are forthcoming.

Guest Lectures

In addition to the regularly scheduled classes, the program features at least six lectures by prominent scholars in their respective fields. Topics of past lectures have included “Tony Blair’s Domestic Policy Triumphs 1997-2007,” “The Rise and Rise (or Fall?) of Boris Johnson,” “After Brexit: Implications for the European Union and Britain,” and “Parliament, Politics and Lawmaking in the U.K. – The Role of the House of Lords.”

Excursions

The program also includes numerous educational and cultural side trips. Students will visit courts in London (including the Old Bailey), the English Inns of Court (including the Middle Temple,) and the Houses of Parliament. Trips also include visits to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor Castle, Runnymede, and the British Museum or the National Gallery in London.

Faculty teaching in the Summer 2024 program

Prof. Todd Starker
Clinical Professor of Law, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, starker.2@osu.edu

Professor Todd Starker will serve as the Resident Director of the 2024 Oxford Law Summer Program. He will be also teaching the Comparative Legal Professions course in the program.

Prof. Starker teaches Legal Analysis and Writing, Transactional Practice, and Accounting and Finance for Lawyers at the Moritz College of Law. Prior to joining the faculty at Moritz full time, he clerked for the Honorable Alan E. Norris of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, practiced at the international law firm of Squire Patton Boggs, and taught Appellate Advocacy at Moritz as an adjunct professor.

In his practice, Professor Starker represented clients of all sizes in corporate, real estate, financing transactions, and securities offerings, each ranging from a few hundred thousand to several billion dollars. He also represented the United States Department of the Treasury in dozens of transactions in connection with its Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and Hardest Hit Fund.

Professor Starker earned a J.D. from Moritz in 2007, where he served as editor in chief of the Ohio State Law Journal; an M.B.A. from the Fisher College of Business in 1996; and a B.A. in mathematics from The Ohio State University in 1992.

Prof. Guy Rub

Joanne Wharton Murphy/Class of 1965 and 1973 Professorship in Law, rub.1@osu.edu 

Professor Guy Rub will serve as a teaching faculty for the 2024 Oxford Law Summer Program. 

Guy A. Rub is an expert in the intersection between intellectual property law, commercial law, the arts, and economic theory. At Moritz, Professor Rub holds the Joanne Wharton Murphy/Class of 1965 and 1973 Professorship in Law and regularly teaches Copyright Law, Trademark Law, Contracts, and Law and Economics. 

Professor Rub’s scholarship explores how markets shape and are being shaped by intellectual property law. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in the Chicago Law Review, UCLA Law Review, Yale Law Journal Forum, NYU Law Review Online, and Virginia Law Review, among others. He presented his work extensively both domestically and abroad.  

Prior to joining the faculty at Ohio State, Professor Rub was an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles. He worked as a software programmer and engineer prior to pursuing a career in law. 

Professor Rub has served in various leadership roles within and outside the university. He was twice elected as the chair of Ohio State’s IP Committee. Under his leadership, the university rewrote its IP policy for the first time in 30 years. He currently serves on the University’s Senate and the Faculty’s Cabinet. Professor Rub also formerly chaired the Intellectual Property Section of the American Association of Law Schools. 

Tsvetelina van Bethem

Lecturer in Public International Law @ Merton College, University of Oxford

Prof. van Bethem is a generalist international lawyer specialising in international human rights law, the law of armed conflict, international criminal law and the regulation of emerging technologies. Tsvetelina is a lecturer in international law for the Oxford Diplomatic Studies and Foundations of Diplomacy Programmes. She is a seminar leader for the international law stream of the Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and a research officer at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) where she is part of the core team convening the Oxford Process on International Law Protections in Cyberspace. She co-convenes the Oxford Transitional Justice Research group and presides over the Bulgarian-registered educational NGO Centre for International Law ‘Erga Omnes’.

Prof. van Bethem has worked for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the area of cyber threats, for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence project on Ethical Principles for AI in Defence, and for cyber regulation projects funded by the Government of Japan and Microsoft.

The Program is awaiting confirmation of one other professor at Oxford University Law Faculty. More details to come.

1. The Oxford Law Summer Program charges a flat fee that includes:

• Tuition (for up 6 credits); and mandatory lectures, site visits & excursions
• Lodging and meals (dorm style; 3 meals daily on site, including weekends)
• Books
• Supplemental health insurance through GeoBlue Travel Insurance for the duration of the program (NOTE: participants must maintain their primary health insurance from the U.S. while studying abroad)
• Welcome and farewell receptions, and a formal farewell dinner

The program fee for Summer 2024 will be announced in December or early next year. Last year's program fee was $8,300.

2. Out-of-pocket costs:

In addition to the flat program fee, participating students will pay out of pocket for the following expenses:  application fee ($150), administrative fee ($50), transportation (including round-trip airfare to and from UK, and local transportation while in the UK/Oxford), and other personal expenses (such as passport/visa fees, immunizations if required, supplies during the program, entertainment expenses, and personal travel expenses).

3. Financial Aid:

Students may be eligible to get a loan for tuition and other expenses associated with the Oxford Summer Program. You should consult Marc Nawrocki in Moritz’s financial aid office, at lawfinaid@osu.edu or 614.292.8807.

Non OSU students should consult with their own law school's Financial Aid Office as well as coordinate with Mr. Marc Nawrocki at lawfinaid@osu.edu. Each university does financial aid differently. Sometimes the students are given the money from their university, and sometimes the university sends it straight to OSU. In order to complete this process, students should coordinate with Mr. Nawrocki at lawfinaid@osu.edu.

Need-Based Scholarships

1. The Vincent and Elizabeth Buttaci Oxford Scholarship Fund 

Vincent and Elizabeth Butacci established this fund to provide financial support to Moritz J.D. students participating in the Oxford Summer Program. These endowed funds are used to encourage Moritz College of Law students to engage in education abroad opportunities.

The Vincent and Elizabeth Buttaci Oxford Scholarship Fund awards one scholarship of 7,700$ for one Moritz College of Law J.D. student participating in the Oxford Summer Program. The awardee will be responsible for the application fee of 150$, the administrative fee of 50$, his/her own airfare, personal expenses, and any other miscellaneous expenses.

2. Vogel International Fellowship

These endowed funds are used to encourage Moritz College of Law students to engage in international education opportunities. Each year, several awards of varying amounts are granted to need-based applicants to participate in one of the Moritz College of Law’s sponsored education abroad programs for academic credit toward the JD degree, including the Oxford program.

Applicant Eligibility

This funding is available for The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law students only. Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate most financial need.

NOTE: Granting of a scholarship is dependent upon acceptance to and participation in the program. Scholarship decisions will be announced around mid-March.

Scholarship Application Deadline

The scholarship application is to be submitted along with the general application for admission, and is due by March 1, 2024 deadline. You will be required to indicate specifically what scholarship(s) you wish to be considered for, and to upload a PDF version of the following documents when you submit the application:

• a personal statement (max. 500 words) to explain how the Oxford Summer Program will support your career aspirations, and to provide details that demonstrates your financial need, and
• your updated resume

Participants will study and live in one of Oxford’s colleges, in dorm style rooms.

The college also has classrooms, a dining hall, student living and recreational facilities, and faculty/administrative offices. Besides side trips and excursions, all classroom activities take place at the college. Meals are served on site in the dining hall of the college. The college has laundry room for students to use at any time. There is an administrative staff member present in the building 24/7 to assist occupants with logistic needs.

The University of Oxford and its colleges are generally accessible to students with disabilities. The directors of the program are committed to making accommodations, when feasible, to allow students with disabilities to participate fully in the program and in student life.

More details about lodging for the Summer 2024 Oxford Summer Program are forthcoming.

Visa

Students with a valid U.S. passport can enter the U.K. and European countries that are members of the Schengen Agreement and can stay in these countries for up to 90 days for tourism or business. Since participants in the Oxford Summer Program will be present in England to study in a non-degree program a short duration, those with a valid U.S. passport are not required to apply for a visa to enter England for this purpose. Similarly, you can travel within the Schengen area with your U.S. passport without a visa while you are in Europe next summer. Learn more about traveling to and in Europe on the website of the U.S. Department of State.

If you are not a U.S. citizen and hence do not have a U.S. passport, you may need to apply for a visa to enter the U.K. Please check if you need a U.K. visa and how to apply for a visa to visit the U.K. here.

Located 54 miles northwest of London, the ancient city of Oxford is home to a renowned university that dates from the twelfth century. The city enjoys a remarkably rich artistic and cultural life, and is within easy reach of splendid countryside and unspoiled villages. The city and its university provide an exciting setting for a study program in law.

The University of Oxford began as a confederation of independent colleges. The extensive grounds and magnificent buildings of the colleges still exist, each as a self-contained academic unit with a dining hall, classrooms, student living and recreational facilities, and faculty offices.

Read more about Oxford (from The New York Times)

The Moritz Oxford Summer Program has an especially well-established relationship with the University of Oxford. The program offers students an opportunity not only to enjoy one of the world’s most historic and famous universities, but also to take classes with faculty members from the host country – something that many study abroad programs do not offer. In addition, all classes offer the chance to study comparative and international law subjects in a relatively informal setting. The program also includes a number of side trips, as well as lectures by distinguished British academics and policy participants – these are designed to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of Britain’s history, culture, and legal system.

Moreover, in light of the mission of the Moritz College of Law to train a new generation of global lawyers and leaders, Moritz has heavily subsidized the Oxford Summer Program. As a result, the total program cost is very reasonable in comparison with many other study abroad programs at other law schools.

The Oxford program can be of substantial value in helping students find a job. The program offers instruction in comparative and international law subjects, something that is vital in an age where the practice of law has become increasingly transnational. Over the years, many students have reported that law firms and other prospective employers are interested in discussing their Oxford experience during interviews. In addition, getting to know Moritz professors on a more informal basis while taking courses from them can help students develop relationships that form the basis for recommendation letters and other networking opportunities.

All of the courses offered count toward Moritz graduation requirements, and students may take up to six credits toward their J.D. degree. This increases the flexibility of your schedule in the second and third year of law school. The Comparative Legal Professions course satisfies Moritz’s Legal Professions requirement and the Ohio bar’s legal ethics requirement (though not the additional requirement of one hour of instruction on substance abuse). Other law schools have also accepted credits from Moritz's Oxford summer program in the past, although non-Moritz students should confirm the credit transfer with their own law schools. Those planning on applying for another state’s bar should likewise check with that state. Pursuant to ABA guidelines, participants should be aware that it is unlikely that participation in a foreign summer program may be used to accelerate graduation.

Yes, you may be eligible to get a loan for tuition and other expenses associated with the Oxford Summer Program. You should consult Marc Nawrocki in Moritz’s financial aid office, at lawfinaid@osu.edu or 614.292.8807.

Non OSU students should consult with their own law school's Financial Aid Office as well as coordinate with Mr. Marc Nawrocki at lawfinaid@osu.edu. Each university does financial aid differently. Sometimes the students are given the money from their university, and sometimes the university sends it straight to OSU. In order to complete this process, students should request the consortium agreement from their university and ask the university to work with Mr. Nawrocki.

Yes. The program runs for four to five weeks starting in July each year, which allows for at least six weeks of summer work before Oxford classes commence. Many past participants in the program have worked for the first part of the summer before attending the Oxford Summer Program. Students interested in “splitting” their summer between work and Oxford should consider applying for research assistant positions with professors.

Please note that students participating in the Oxford Summer Program are NOT allowed to work for pay, or do any unpaid internships while in the UK. This is a condition of their visa and is not negotiable.

Admission to both the Oxford Summer Program and to each of the courses offered within this Program is on a first-come, first-served basis, so we do not know precisely when the program will fill up. You should therefore apply as soon as possible, and it is strongly recommended that applications be submitted by March 1 of the year in which you wish to participate in the program. You should also be aware that some courses are likely to fill up before others. Those interested in a particular class are advised to get their applications as soon as possible.

See Application Process section above.

This varies a great deal from student to student, and depends on their lifestyle choices while in Oxford and the amount of extra travel they do. The only truly unavoidable expenses are the program fee, transportation to and from Oxford, and the cost of living difference between the US and Oxford (everything here is just a bit more expensive).  Those who travel a lot and eat out/go out often will spend more; those who travel less and eat the meals provided by the host college will spend less. The best source of more precise information about this is likely to be their friends currently in the program.