Together Like Kimchi and Apple Pie

UC Irvine Law School this week announced its brand new Korea Law Center, partnering with law schools at Seoul National University and Sogang University in Seoul to focus on issues involving U.S. and Korean Law.  The Center will be housed in the International Commerce & Law Institute, and according to UC Irvine Law School Dean, Erwin Chemerinksy, is intended to be followed up by other international collaborative pursuits in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Making use of Orange County's international business climate, the five-member board of directors (including Dean Chemerinksy) hopes for the Center to eventually serve as a multifunctional institute--offering continuing legal education, certification for practitioners, mediation, expert witnesses and policy guidance to facilitate business and legal needs between the communities.

UC Irvine Law School's budding law program has been making headlines since its inception.  For its inaugural class, which will take to the halls this August, it accepted only 4% of its over-2500 applicants, making it tougher to find a spot there than at than at established programs such as Yale and Stanford.  The buzz for admission may have had to do with the three-year, tuition-free ride offered by the University in efforts to support its law cadets in pursuing public service opportunities after graduation---unfettered by pesky student loans.  

Whether tuition free days will be a reality for future classes remains to be seen, but with the creation of the Korea Law Center and other international installations in the works, the topic of cuisine on campus just got a little more interesting.