NYU School of Law

NYU Law in Latin America: Buenos Aires

About the Program

The NYU Law Abroad Program in Buenos Aires provides up to 25 J.D. students in their third year the opportunity to immerse themselves in the law and legal culture of Latin America while studying in an academic program established and administered by the Law School. 

This Program provides exposure to domestic legal structures throughout Latin America, and the challenges faced by legal systems in the region. It has a particular focus on economic and institutional development, which provides a platform for addressing the crosscutting social, legal, and business challenges that this dynamic and fast-growing region faces. Courses focus on administrative issues in dispute resolution in Latin America; transnational bankruptcy and sovereign debt restructuring; commercial transactions in Latin America; and the legal and economic history of institutions in Latin America. A clinic is offered that focuses on policy advocacy on a variety of issues, such as human rights, access to justice, and institutional development in Latin America.

All courses are taught in English by faculty from the region and are held in NYU’s Academic Center in Buenos Aires. These faculty members consist of leading academics and practitioners in Buenos Aires and Brazil.

The program offers the opportunity to study Spanish at NYU’s Academic Center in Buenos Aires and to interface with regional law firms and legal institutions. Students may also choose to take select law courses in Spanish offered by our local partner, the University of Buenos Aires School of Law. 

The Program encourages students to delve into the cultural context of the region's legal issues. It includes planned excursions to places of academic and cultural interest in Buenos Aires, such as court houses and the Colon Theater. Midway through the spring 2014 semester, students can participate alongside University of Buenos Aires students in a conference pertaining to emerging legal issues. Through a partnership with Fundacao de Getuilio Vargas, students also have the opportunity this year to spend their spring break in Sao Paulo learning about Brazilian legal institutions.

Students also have the opportunity to pursue Directed Research in their fields of interest. 

Professor Florencia Marotta-Wurgler  is the NYU Faculty Program Director. She oversees the program in coordination with the On-Site Program Director, Professor Marcelo Alegre, a law and philosophy professor at Universidad de Buenos Aires School of Law.

For more information about the site facilities, please visit: http://www.nyu.edu/global/global-academic-centers/buenos-aires.html.

 
Courses

Some courses may be subject to the adjunct cap. For more information about the J.D Program requirements please visit the Academic Service page here.

Proposed courses

Law and Institutions in Latin America (Three Credits)
Martin Böhmer

This course covers institutional design and legal ideology in Latin America, as well as Latin American legal and socio-economic history, such as coups, human rights violations and human rights movements, and constitutional transitions. The course includes guest speakers, such as judges and practitioners, offering differing perspectives.

Deals: Commercial Transactions in Latin America (Three Credits) 
Mariana Pargendler

This course examines value creation by business lawyers by examining how private parties structure their transactions in deals involving Latin America. The first part of the course explores barriers to contracting, such as strategic behavior, risk and uncertainty, information problems, contract enforceability, and the Latin American legal and economic environments, as well as the tools available to overcome those barriers. The second part of the course applies the concepts explored earlier to a series of transactions that reflect the changing economic landscape in Latin America. 

This course is designed in collaboration with and taught by faculty from Fundação Getuilio Vargas São Paulo.  

Transnational Insolvency in Latin America (Two Credits)
Andrés de la Cruz

This course discusses the documentation used to access external credit through loans and bonds, and provides an overview of the history of insolvency and debt restructuring in Latin America, including sovereign debt. It also discusses transnational bankruptcy law, including proposals to apply bankruptcy reorganization principles to sovereign debt crises, such as the International Monetary Fund’s “Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism.” It then explores alternatives to sovereign bankruptcy, such as collective action clauses. The last part of the course focuses on sovereign debt restructuring, the limits of sovereign immunity, the debate over the legitimacy of foreign debts, and economic consequences of such events.

Clinic on Policy Advocacy in Latin America (Two Seminar Credits and Three Fieldwork Credits)
Eduardo Bertoni and Florencia Saulino

The students in this clinic work on projects for a variety of clients working in the areas of free speech, human rights, and environmental protection. Clients include local or international NGOs, advocates in Latin American countries, and research centers affiliated with local universities. The students prepare petitions and draft public comments on proposed regulations, white papers, model laws, as well as amicus curiae briefs to be presented in cases before local and international courts, among others. The goal of the clinic is to provide students with the opportunity to explore different approaches to public policy advocacy in the region. Students begin by researching their policy area, and then prepare a background paper and present their field-work to the class. The seminar component of the course  focuses on developing skills in strategic planning, directive drafting, policy advocacy, and factual inquiry. The course is taught by two clinical faculty members with extensive experience in the above-mentioned fields.

Dispute Resolution in Latin America (Two Credits)
Julio César Rivera (h)

This course introduces the legal framework for the resolution of disputes in Latin America, from litigation to arbitration, including investment arbitration, as well as a comparative study between dispute resolution mechanisms in Latin America and the United States. Class discussion focuses on the various mechanisms used to resolve disputes, and the issues that lead to the widespread use of arbitration in international transactions involving Latin America.

Language Courses: Students who have a working knowledge of the Spanish language generally receive a greater benefit from their experience. Students are therefore encouraged to take language courses at NYU or elsewhere before participating. Students may also find it useful to take language courses while in residence in the host country. No law school credit will be awarded for courses intended solely for language instruction, however; NYU language courses will appear in transcripts.

Tuition and living costs

Students participating in the study abroad program pay full tuition to NYU for the semester. Tuition covers a full course load; students who wish to take additional courses may do so at an additional expense. Information about NYU Law School tuition can be found in the following link: http://www.law.nyu.edu/financialaid/budgetandbudgeting/studentexpensebudget/index.htm

For information about cost of living and other expenses please visit: http://www.nyu.edu/global/global-academic-centers/buenos-aires/admitted-students/costs-budgeting/cost-of-living.html

Housing

NYU offers students assistance in finding apartments. Homestays may also be an option.

Passport, Visa and Permanent Resident requirements

Students should obtain the necessary passport and visa to study in Argentina. Students can coordinate the process with the NYU Office of Global Services.

Access for persons with disabilities

Unfortunately, the NYU Buenos Aires Academic Center facilities are not fully accessible for persons with disabilities. Should you have any questions regarding access, please contact us at globalstudents@exchange.law.nyu.edu     
More information about travelling for persons with disabilities can be found here.  

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