News Release

UDM School of Law and Mexico's Monterrey Tech offer joint law degree program

Groundbreaking "NAFTA Lawyer Program" eliminates borders,
offers unique opportunity for bilingual students to practice law in U.S. and Mexico

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The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM Law) and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech), Mexico's leading private law school recently created The North American Lawyer Multiple Degree Program, more commonly known as The NAFTA Lawyer Program. It is the only known joint-degree program, providing students with the educational background necessary to practice law in both the United States with a J.D. degree and an L.E.D degree in Mexico.

"The launch of this groundbreaking program offers students who are bilingual in Spanish and English a unique opportunity," said Mark C. Gordon, Dean of UDM Law, and the Program's co-founder. "By aligning UDM Law with one of most prestigious Spanish-language law schools in Latin America, The NAFTA Lawyer Program prepares our students to represent clients in both the United States and Mexico and enables them to compete in a more global economy. Sstudents who choose not to continue their studies in Mexico can study Mexican law in Detroit and take one-third of the credits required for their U.S. law degree in Spanish."

Instead of completing the degrees separately within seven and a half years, students can complete both degrees in five. University of Detroit Mercy students would spend three years at UDM and two at Monterrey Tech., Students who begin at Monterrey Tech would spend three in Mexico and two at UDM.

The UDM School of Law will also offer 14 Mexican law courses in Detroit in Spanish by professors from Monterrey Tech. Students who may not want to participate in the full program can choose these courses as electives, which may count toward one-third of the credits required for their U.S. J.D. degree. UDM may be the only U.S. mainland law school to provide Spanish-speaking students with this opportunity.

"We are very pleased to enter this pioneering agreement with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, an institution demonstrating very progressive thinking," said Dr. Salvador Trevino, Dean of ITESM's Monterrey Campus School of Business (of which Law is one division).

While there are several joint-degree programs between Mexican and American law schools, they are traditionally focused on providing American and Mexican LL.M. (Masters in Law) degrees or other kinds of certificates, which do not necessarily give students the educational credentials necessary to practice law in either country. Some states in the United States permit students to take the bar exam with an LL.M. degree while others do not.

This is not UDM Law's first foray into creating unprecedented joint-degree law programs. The school has also joined forces with the University of Windsor Faculty of Law (in Ontario, Canada), and the two institutions offer students the only three-year J.D./LL.B program in the world. Now UDM Law has taken a bold step to include Mexico's esteemed Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech).

While some students may choose to participate only in the American/Mexican aspect of The NAFTA Lawyer Program, others may apply to participate in the joint Canadian degree program as well. It would take students more than 10 years to obtain this trifecta by studying separately at each institution. However, as program participants, students can do so in six years, receiving a U.S. J.D., a Canadian LL.B, and a Mexican L.E.D.

"As cross-border issues have become increasingly prevalent in today's global business environment, more and more law firms are looking to expand their practices, especially throughout Latin America," said former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Hon. Henry Cisneros. "The NAFTA Lawyer Program provides a remarkable opportunity for Mexican Americans and all bilingual students to turn their language skills and aspirations into a significant employment advantage.

"The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and Mexico's Monterrey Tech are putting themselves at the forefront of training the types of students that firms with international practices will be looking to hire. It is also noteworthy that UDM Law is now the leader in the US in providing bilingual students with the opportunity to take many courses in Spanish."

The Director of ITESM's Monterrey Campus Law School, Lic. Marlon Omar López Zapata, LL.M., agrees. "It is one thing to talk about being a NAFTA lawyer, it is quite another to have the training in two - or even three - NAFTA legal systems. This unique program will give students throughout the hemisphere a distinct advantage in practicing law in the 21st century."

Release date: January 09, 2008

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For more information about UDM, or to apply online, go to www.udmercy.edu/apply.