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A passion for law- The dean developing IE Law School speaks
He holds an LLM and a PhD from Harvard. He’s been an adviser to the Spanish prime minister’s office and has been admitted to the New York Bar. Professor José M de Areilza, dean of one of the world’s most prestigious law schools talks to Ann Graham about social structures, complex problems and distinctiveness.
He’s only been at the helm for a year but already Professor José M de Areilza is making his mark. As Dean of IE Law School, Professor Areilza has the challenge of coping with the school’s growth, adding more faculty, launching more international programs and developing more ties with top law schools all over the world.
“IE Law School has existed as part of IE Business School since IE’s inception in 1973. Although the Law School has only recently come to be an entity unto itself, we have a good deal of experience behind us – over 30 years of experience training global lawyers. The founding of IE Law School proper is just another step in the constant innovation and change that is so fundamental to IE,” he says.
"The IE Law School has very close relationships with international law firms and global companies and works directly with them in our innovation".
A passion for law
There is no doubt that Professor Areilza is passionate about law. When asked what excites him about the subject he replies; “The capacity to transform our social structures through law, the inherent connection between law and justice, and the different techniques that lawyers use to advise and litigate cases in different legal systems.” His background is one of law, through and through. As his biography shows, Professor Areilza graduated from Harvard first with a Master of Laws (LLM) and then with a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD). Added to his educational portfolio is yet another law degree with the special university prize from Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.
As dean of IE Law School, Professor Areilza must find a balance between the needs of employers and the needs of his students. “We have very close relationships with international law firms and global companies and we work directly with them in our innovation and programming,” he says. “Our alumni are practitioners in many different firms and corporations and they are very involved in our programs, teaching here, helping with oral exams, and playing a very active role in the admissions process.”
Encouraging diversity
The changes he is implementing to the school will create an even more diverse faculty and student body. “Students will still be offered a hands-on vision of how law is practised in a global market, but IE Law School’s expansion will make the IE Law School experience even more international, and will be of great benefit to all our students, past and present.”
A unique approach
So what is it about IE Law School that makes it so unique? Professor Areilza answers with three distinct points: “The first is our active learning methodology. In our classrooms, students learn to solve increasingly complex problems and gain deep exposure to the practical application of business law; they are asked to work in groups every day before classes and to draft documents for every session.”
The second point he draws attention to is the fact that IE teaches law students both business law and business administration. “This prepares them to handle cases with great professionalism and participate effectively in business decision-making,” he says.
Third is IE Law School’s ‘international reach’. “Not only in what is taught, but also in our professors, our international student body, and the connections we have with other schools and firms worldwide,” Professor Areilza explains. “Our programs are focused on the study of law in the global economy and from a global perspective, and many of them are taught entirely in English. Our Executive LLM is a joint program with Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago and this international reach is something that extends across all of our programs.”
