Welcome to the vibrant, globally diverse, and growing community of students, faculty, and staff engaged in international law at Colorado Law. With a new JD Certificate in International Law, LLM, and MSL degree programs as well as an expanded curriculum, Colorado Law is dedicated to preparing students for careers in the international and global legal landscape. Our faculty utilize their expertise as leading scholars and diplomats to create robust and engaged educational experiences in a variety of courses in public international law, private international law, and comparative law.

We are dedicated to offering students the best international legal education in and beyond the classroom. From moot court competitions to student groups to our partnerships with the American Society of International Law and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, we are preparing students to engage in the global marketplace. We also frequently host events and speakers at Colorado Law that are open to the law school community and the public.

Our International Law Community

S. James Anaya

S. James Anaya

University Distinguished Professor • Nicholas Doman Professor of International Law
International Law
S. James Anaya is an internationally recognized scholar and author in the areas of international human rights and issues concerning indigenous peoples. He served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples from 2008 to 2014. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Anaya has litigated major cases involving the human rights of indigenous peoples in domestic and international tribunals.
Alexia Brunet Marks

Alexia Brunet Marks

Associate Professor
International Law
Professor Brunet Marks specializes in international economic law and has practice experience in international trade and national security and at the Department of Homeland Security.
Kristen Carpenter

Kristen Carpenter

Council Tree Professor of Law
International Law
Professor Carpenter teaches and writes in the areas of property, cultural property, American Indian law, and indigenous peoples in international law. She also serves on the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as its member from North America.
Justin Desautels-Stein

Justin Desautels-Stein

Associate Professor
International Law
Professor Desautels-Stein specializes in international legal theory and history and has practice experience in antitrust and at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. He is the faculty adviser for the JD Certificate in International Law and the Doman Society of International Law.
Ilseng

Jimmy Ilseng

Director of International Programs
International Law
Mr. Ilseng has more than a decade of experience serving international students, scholars, and professionals, including service as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, coordinating Fulbright and Hubert H. Humphrey fellowship programs at Vanderbilt University, and managing international programs at the University of Texas School of Law.

Degree Programs

JD Certificate in International Law
LLM Concentration in International Law and Human Rights

International Law Curriculum

3-credit courses
Clinics, seminars, and 2-credit courses

    International Law Certificate

    The International Law Certificate Program is designed to ratify a student's completion of a concentrated course of study in international law. This certificate provides a grounding in the foundations of international legal history, reflects the interdisciplinary nature of private and public international lawfrom international business transactions to international human rightsand prepares students for the shifting conditions of contemporary international practice. Learn more.

    Moot Court Competitions

    • Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition: Jessup is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 680 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions. The competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. Recent topics have included expropriation of foreign investment, international terrorism, and child abduction. Teams prepare oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant and respondent positions of the case. At Colorado Law, the Jessup team for the coming academic year is selected in the spring/summer and consists of up to five team members. Our Nicholas R. Doman Society of International Law actively participates in the competition and provides financial support for the team.
    • Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot: An annual international moot court competition that takes place in Vienna, Austria, and Hong Kong with a goal to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes. The moot problem challenges team participants through written and oral advocacy in methods of alternative dispute resolution. The Vis team at Colorado Law is selected every fall and consists of up to three traveling participants.  

    Student Groups and Fellowships

      Study Abroad Programs

      Colorado Law sponsors study abroad programs for our law students to help them understand the international community and to prepare them for an increasingly global legal market. These programs seek to provide students with greater understanding of international and comparative law; to offer exposure to the legal, social, political, and cultural environments of the relevant countries; and to enable students to help clients and communities address the increasingly complicated legal demands of our global community and its multiple legal systems. More information can be accessed here.