The Law School of Catholic University of Portugal (Católica) in Lisbon is proud to announce the launching of its innovative project: the Católica Global School of Law (see Regulations of the Global School).

With Católica's world class graduate programs and its solid institutional support as our base, we decided to take a step forward and to create a truly global law school, different from any other. Creating a global law school involves a serious effort to bring together:

• Global faculty;
• Global students;
• Global environment and staff.

Lisbon is the perfect place to establish this venture. As part of the Católica, it benefits from the Law School's longstanding reputation and international experience. Moreover, the Lisbon location provides the additional historical benefits of being in the place where the first step toward globalization was taken centuries ago, with the beginning of the European exploration of the new world. At the same time, Lisbon has a vibrant modern ambiance, affordable living costs, and sits poised as the geographical and strategic bridge between Europe and the United States.

Building on these many advantages, the Católica Global School of Law seeks not to focus on local law teaching and research, but to prepare students to practice in the Global legal world. Its classes and seminars will equip students with the skills and knowledge that are essential for a successful transnational law practice.

Crucial for the Global School of Law's success are partners who support our vision about legal education in the 21st century. They have provided us with material support and collaboration in the development of our project. We are happy to acknowledge the strong support we have received from major law firms and major corporations, and from Luso-American Foundation, Fulbright Commission and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Although the Global School of Law is not a finished project, we have already been successful in achieving the following goals:

• We have attracted a remarkable group of scholars from prestigious Law schools from all over the world, in order to have an outstanding resident Faculty in Lisbon. First steps towards this goal have already been taken.
• We have launched two state of the art programs: an Advanced LL.M. in International Business Law directed at practitioners who want to deepen their skills or to enhance their opportunities in an international career and an LL.M. Bologna Master of Laws - Law in a European and Global Context directed at young and bright graduates who want to learn law in a European and global context.
• We are launching the Global Ph.D. Programme.
• We have attracted classes of highly motivated graduate students coming from all over the world.
• We are developing, in Lisbon, an important centre of graduate Law teaching and research.