Thank you for your interest in the Law School’s 2025 International Business and Trade Summer Law Program, Kraków, Poland (IBTSLP) and 2026 International Human Rights Summer Law Program, Rome Italy, which is offered in even years.

For over thirty years, Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law has offered law students from Catholic University and around the world the opportunity to enrich their academic study and preparation for professional life by offering summer legal study abroad. In 2025 Summer, the International Business and Trade Summer Law Program, Kraków, Poland (IBTSLP) is tentatively scheduled from Sunday, June 8 to Thursday, July 10, and consists of two course blocks, each with two 2-credit courses.

          Block 1 runs from June 9-June 20

          Block 2 runs from June 23-July 10

The IBTSLP offers mix-and-match options tailored to a student’s interest and time. Coursework and/or externships in Poland for credit at prestigious law firms and other legal institutions can be combined up to a maximum of 10 credits. Students choose from classes in one or both course blocks (the first beginning June 9, second beginning June 23), with classes alone or combined with externship for packages ranging from 4-10 credits.

The externship includes taking the 2-credit Law of the European Union course from June 9-20; the on-line, 1-credit Becoming an International Lawyer course, coupled with Legal Externship for 1-3 credits for fieldwork. Students schedule the externship before and after the classroom component of the program.

We hope that you will be able to join us for the IBTSLP in Kraków in the summer of 2025! We encourage you to visit the summer abroad website frequently for updates. To receive information on the Law School’s summer abroad programs, join our mailing list now by providing us with your contact information.

If you have any questions, contact Constantia Dedoulis, Director of Institutes and Special Programs at institutes@cua.edu or Monica Allston, Associate Director for Career and Professional Development and Assistant Director of the IBTSLP-Krakow at allstonm@law.edu. For information on the 2026 Rome Program or the Law School's certificate program on Comparative and International Law (CILI), contact Professor Susanna Fischer at fischer@cua.edu. Professor Fischer directs the Rome Program and the CILI and is the faculty advisor for the International Law Students Association (ILSA).

International Business and Trade Summer Law Program Krakow, Poland


June 8 – July 10, 2025

Catholic University’s joint venture with the Jagiellonian University in Krakow has provided students with intensive training in the global aspects of modern trade, comparative perspectives on regulated industries and antitrust laws in the U.S. and the EU, international business transactions, and other substantive areas of law. As the nations of our world become more connected and interdependent, and today's lawyers are increasingly called upon to demonstrate competency in the laws of more than one country, our goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills for global practice.

Poland is an ideal site for our program in law of the European Union and international business and trade, as the nation has undergone numerous transitions to one of the most dynamic economies in the European Union, attracting investment from Germany, China, the United States and many other countries. Foreign investment has driven down labor costs, raised productivity, and contributed to the transformation of Poland into a successful market economy.

While students earn three to six credits, they engage in a true cultural exchange as they study alongside English-speaking Polish students. The rigorous curriculum will be enhanced with activities that include a tour of Krakow and several cultural and historical excursions. For those interested in acquiring practical experience in either an American or Polish law firm or legal institution, externship placements may be arranged through the director of the program either before the program commences or after it has concluded.

2022 - The International Business and Trade Summer Law Program Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

2019 - The International Business and Trade Summer Law Program in Krakow, Poland Remains a Strong Vibrant Opportunity for Law Students

2018 - Law Students Participate in CUA Law's 2018 International Business and Trade Summer Law Program in Krakow, Poland 

2018 (Fall) - CUA Law Reunion Weekend Speaker Series Celebrates 15th Anniversary of the CUA-JU LL.M. in American Law and 27 years of the International Business and Trade Summer Law Program

2016 – CUA 2016 International Business and Trade Summer Law Program in Krakow, Poland Celebrates 25th Anniversary


International Human Rights Summer Law Program Rome, Italy

May 17 to June 6, 2026 (Tentative Date)
The International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome allows students to earn four credits over a concentrated three-week program of study. Students study and live in Rome, the Eternal City, which is home to the Holy See, a major international advocate for human rights and provider of humanitarian relief throughout the world. Rome is also the headquarters of the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization as well as other legal and humanitarian institutions of interest to those studying human rights.

In addition, Rome's historical, cultural, religious, and legal significance make it a perfect setting for a concentrated study of human rights law. Students select two 2-credit courses from a menu of courses that focuses on different aspects of human rights law. Formal study is supplemented with planned visits to local legal institutions and organizations, as well as the opportunity to explore the city of Rome and enjoy some of Italy’s religious, cultural, and historic treasures. At the completion of the program, students still have over two months free for summer employment before classes commence for the fall semester. Alternatively, students may continue their legal studies by applying to participate in our International Business and Trade Summer Law Program in Krakow.

2022 - Catholic Law Students and Faculty Attend International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome, Italy 
2018 - CUA Law students study human rights law in the Eternal City

2016 – CUA Law Students Participate in CUA’s International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome

If you have any questions, please contact Constantia Dedoulis, Director of Institutes and Special Programs at institutes@cua.edu or contact Professor Susanna Fischer, Director of the Rome program (fischer@cua.edu) or Professor Leah Wortham, Director of the IBTSLP-Krakow program (wortham@cua.edu).