American Legal Education Abroad

Bartie and Sandiomerski have brought together a distinguished group of authors who together encourage us to reflect on the extent to which the American model of legal education has been accommodated (or resisted) around the world. In addition to providing revealing insights into the ways in which different jurisdictions have interpreted the notion itself, the collection succeeds in demonstrating the ways in which local circumstances have influenced the way reception of American legal education has played out, with very different results. A fascinating read. ~Fiona Cownie, Professor of Law Emerita, Keele University

This fascinating collection of essays by eminent legal scholars and historians examines the global influence of American legal education. The essays are by no means formulaic, as the impact of American legal education is considered in the light of each country’s varied historical and political context, whether it be decolonization in Nigeria or post-Soviet experience in Estonia. The essays also eschew the simplistic and one-dimensional view that American legal education was accepted without question, as there was actual resistance on the part of France, for example, and Japan regarded it as irrelevant. ~Margaret Thornton, Professor of Law Emerita, The Australian National University

This excellent selection of essays presents the US law school in all its duality as both a powerful global cultural imaginary, and a highly contingent set of local practices. In its nuanced and geographically wide-ranging assessment of the ‘Americanization’ project, this book provides an important resource for scholars of the history and globalization of legal education. ~Julian Webb, Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School, Australia

Contributors to Bartie and Sandomierski’s volume present a critical history of the Americanization of legal education in fourteen countries. They argue that the second half of the twentieth century witnessed the export of power—both hard and soft—throughout the world, and they focus on the effect of US cultural and economic imperialism on legal education. Collectively, these studies challenge the conventional wisdom that American ideas and practices have dominated globally. ~Law and Social Inquiry

American Legal Education Abroad–Critical Histories is a book that deserves to be read by any legal scholar, particularly those interested in comparative legal history… it is an important contribution to the theory of legal transplants and adds a significant piece to the literature on the ‘Americanisation’ of law and legal culture. ~Comparative Legal History