Looking for a "resume worthy" experience this summer?

This Program is Available for Duquesne Law Students and Non-Duquesne Law Students.

Experience

The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University proudly announces a three-week Summer Study of Law in Ireland international program from May 18, 2024 through June 8, 2024.

Learn

This three-week program consists of one-week modules in the Law of the European Union, International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, and Human Rights Law totaling 5.0 (semester) hours of ABA-approved credits. In Dublin, classes meet at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland's premier international university. In Belfast, classes meet at the Queen's University.

Site Visits

In addition to the classroom program, a number of professional and cultural excursions are included at no additional cost. In Belfast these include visiting the Government Assembly at Stormont, the Ecclesiastical Capital City of Armagh, and a day-long tour of the North Coast to see the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. In Dublin these include site visits to the parliament, local courts, the Howth Peninsula, Dublin Castle and the Kilmainham Gaol. 

Eligibility

Enrollment is open to students in good standing with ABA accredited law school. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Affordable Costs

The estimated program cost of $8,000 which includes tuition, airfare ($2,000 flight reimbursement must be paid upfront), lodging and many meals. Included are comprehensive course materials, welcoming and closing dinners, scheduled group transportation and admission costs to local attractions, and the cost of the Medex card (which provides for emergency evacuation anywhere in Ireland).

Please note that incidentals are not included in the price.

Financial Aid

Federal financial aid monies may be available for qualifying students who are enrolled at least half-time during the summer semester.

Cancellation

Duquesne University reserves the right to cancel the program due to insufficient enrollment or other extraordinary emergency conditions. Only in that case will the $500 application deposit be refunded.

Duquesne University will not be responsible for any personal injury, property damage or illness encountered by participating students during the program. All students are advised to purchase appropriate medical, accidental and travel insurance.

NOTE: Students who withdraw from the program after the application deadline, even if before the start of the program, are liable for any corresponding costs already incurred by Duquesne, including, but not limited to, airfare, hotel and transportation costs, up to the amount of the initial deposit.

Frequently Asked Questions

There will be prior reading assigned. The reading is mandatory and counts toward the five credit hours earned.
Your class materials will be posted on Blackboard, meaning that you should bring a laptop. Please notify us if you do not have access to a laptop. The buildings we use will be wireless generally. Most laptops work on the electrical system in Ireland. Check your power cord box or the computer itself for INPUT. As long as it reads 100-240 Volts, it will work. The only thing you will need is an adapter so that your plug will fit into the Irish wall outlets, which take three thick, flat prongs. You do not need a transformer.

This is a good question. In both Belfast and Dublin we will be in the audience of judges and/or legislators. On those days, we dress for court, so wear a suit. Because, however, we are never in the presence of any of these people more than once, one set of court-appropriate clothing is enough--"travel light, travel right!" On classroom days, dress casually. When we go out for our planned dinners, the dress is business casual - no jeans, t-shirts, or flip flops! Always, always wear the most comfortable shoes you have. If you do not have a pair, go and buy one!

Ireland is not as warm as the western Pennsylvania weather that Duquesne students know in June. Daytime temperatures will be in the 70s. There might be rain. (We have had years with no rain at all in three weeks-forget the Hollywood stereotypes.) Thus, bring a light rain coat (because the rain is usually light, not thunderstorms) and a small umbrella (not a golfer's tent, because the sidewalks of Dublin are crowded.)

Your rooms will be available in Belfast on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Most flights will fly you overnight to Dublin or Belfast from North America. Classes do not begin until Monday afternoon, May 20, but we do have an orientation session on the afternoon of May 18.  Also, on Sunday, May 19 we plan on touring the Northern Coast in Northern Ireland.
  1. Go through immigration. Because you are on a program organized by an American University, when they ask you why you are visiting, your answer is "touring." Do not say "study," because they will assume you are studying for a semester at an Irish University and will want to see your study visa, which you do not need for a short program like ours.
  2. Collect your bags.
  3. Go through customs.
  4. Welcome to Ireland! You are now in the arrivals hall. Go to the ATM, use the same ATM card you do in the US, and withdraw some Euros--you'll need them for Dublin and for the bus. If you can withdraw Pounds Sterling, get some too, because you are now headed to Belfast, and as part of the UK, it still uses Sterling, not Euros. If the machine won't give you any, you might want to get some from Thomas Cooke or one of the other money changers in Dublin airport.
  5. Exit the arrivals hall (if you land in Dublin). (You can keep your bags on the baggage cart and go outside.) To your left will be the coaches for Belfast. Ask any of the bus and coach folks for the many companies there. They will direct you to the correct coach. They run frequently enough that you won't need a schedule. The travel time to Belfast is about 2.25 hours.
  6. When you arrive in Belfast Central Bus Station (last stop), change to a taxi and tell the driver to take you to Holiday Inn Express, Belfast - Queen's Quarter, and proceed to the check-in desk.  Give them your name and tell them you are with the Duquesne University School of Law group.
Yes. We will travel as a group from Belfast to Dublin by coach on Saturday, May 25, with a tour stop in the Cathedral city of Armagh, where St. Patrick built his first church, , and where we will visit the Robinson Library, (where the philosopher Berkeley worked and where Jonathan Swift wrote part of Gulliver's Travels.)

Maybe--ask your provider, but don't just ask if it will work, ask how much it costs per minute. The ability to work will depend on the number of bands the phone provides. But often, even if the phone works, you'll pay for a transatlantic call to phone the US, and TWO transatlantic calls just to phone your friend in the next room in Dublin who also has a US number. First, check with your provider to see if your phone number is locked. Second, if the phone is not locked you'll save money by getting a new SIM card when you get to Ireland and put it in your phone. (The shop clerk will do it for you.) You will be able to get one for about twenty-five dollars and you'll get twenty-five dollars of pay-as-you-go calls, so the card costs nothing. You can add time on the phone at any newsstand or convenience store. The only catch is that the new SIM card will mean you have a new phone number. An alternative would be just to buy a new phone in Ireland that would also be pay-as-you-go. You should be able to get one for about fifty dollars. 

Phoning the US. You have four choices:

  1. You can use your cell phone directly as described above.
  2. You can buy a pre-paid card at a convenience store and use it with your cell phone, go to a pay phone, or use someone's private home phone with the international PIN number.
  3. Being an international city, Dublin has small shops that are either combination internet cafés and call centers, or just call centers. You get your own private phone booth and the rates are generally good.
  4. A really good alternative is to buy a headset, sign up for Skype online (audio only will do), and pay pennies per minute to talk to the US through your laptop.
Yes, take your laptop. The buildings we use will be wireless generally. The materials for the course will mostly be the Blackboard website that is designed for this program. Most laptops work on the electrical system in Ireland. Check your power cord box or the computer itself for INPUT. So long as it reads 100-240 Volts, it will work. The only thing you will need is an adapter so that your plug will fit into the Irish wall outlets, which take three thick, flat prongs. You do not need a transformer.
Nope. Both run at a different number of cycles from Irish electricity. Hairdryers at best will run, but very slowly, and more likely will either burn up, or blow open the breaker switch on the wall. Shavers generally just run slowly, but don't burn up or blow the breaker. The solution? If you can't live without a hairdryer, you'll need to buy one there.
No. Blankets, pillows, and towels will be provided at both the Holiday Inn Express and Trinity College, Dublin.
Yes.
Your credit cards will work there, and your cash machine cards will work there as well. We recommend just waiting until you get to Dublin airport and getting cash then. Have some dollars with you in the event of a cash machine emergency in the Dublin airport (whatever that could be). There are Thomas Cooke and other agents who can change the dollars to Euros and Pounds Sterling for you in the Dublin airport.

AMERICANS OVERTIP!

Restaurants: First of all, in other countries, restaurant workers make a living wage, so tipping is not a big percentage of the bill. At most, leave ten percent.

Bars and pubs: NO tipping whatsoever. They won't even know what to do with it.

Taxis: Round up to the next Euro or Pound--that's it. And if you are close to the next Euro already, add one. So for example on a 10.20 Euro fare, give the driver 11 Euro. On a 10.90 fare, give the driver 12. That's it. None of that fifteen percent or higher stuff. They'll happily take it, and might even expect you to give them a big tip (that's why they'll try to cozy up to you and ask "So what part of America are ya from?"), but they know better.

Americans are not required to pay the Value Added Tax that exists in the UK and Ireland to support the European Union. Therefore, if you buy significant items (such as clothing, books, CDs, or crystal) (not groceries or daily goods), you qualify to get a significant portion of the tax back. Take your passport when you go shopping and ask. With luck, they will deduct it immediately. If not, they will give you a voucher you must submit at any European Airport at the point of your departure from Europe. You then either get your cash back or they put it back on your credit card. Look for the "Tax Refund" blue square in shop windows.