The Global Quarter
Franke Fellows in Global Business Law
The Franke Global Business Law Fellowship and the Global Quarter is a one-of-a-kind opportunity available only at SLS. It provides an immersive experience in the world of international business, law and policy.
This is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in global business, transactional or international work, or a general counsel position. The fellowship will help students develop the skills, conceptual tools and international experiences to prepare them for a globalizing world and for careers in business, law and policy. Franke Fellows will receive 8 units of experiential learning and satisfy SLS’s Pathway B requirement.
In the spring quarter, competitively selected Franke Fellows will participate in the Global Quarter: an intensive, customized quarter focused on global business law and policy, with particular emphasis on the regulation, financing and dispute resolution of international business ventures.
2024 Franke Fellows
During the spring quarter of 2024, Franke Fellows will spend 7 weeks on campus followed by a 3 week long, immersive experience in Mexico City, Bogotá, and São Paulo. Travel, lodging and most weekday meals will be covered by the Franke Fellowship, thanks to the generosity of W.A. Franke (’61). Fellows will also meet occasionally through the year.
Applications for the 2025 Global Quarter program will open during the spring quarter, 2024.
Franke Fellows Reflect on Their Experience
“Participating in this program greatly expanded my horizons and is one of the highlights of my time at SLS.”
Tiffany Lo, JD ’22
Litigation Associate, Paul, Weiss
“Global Quarter was easily the most academically rewarding experience of my law school career.”
Albert Park, JD ’22
Law Clerk, Davis Polk
“Each general counsel we spoke to during Global Quarter offered a fascinating window into the calculus an attorney makes when unbound from the hierarchies of law firms and how they choose to operate as moral actors where legality is gray and fundamental values clash.”Jackie Schaeffer, JD ’23
“The Global Quarter was the capstone of my three years at Stanford Law School. The overseas component was the trip of a lifetime and provided a unique opportunity to engage with a diverse spectrum of scholars and practitioners in Geneva, London, Oxford, Berlin, and Frankfurt. I am grateful to have been a part of the program and it has, without a doubt, prepared me to be a better lawyer, thinker, and citizen.”
Daniel Khalessi, JD ’22
Associate, Latham & Watkins
Global Quarter is how SLS keeps its promise to provide the best legal education in the world. I am incredibly grateful to have participated. It was, without exception, the highlight of my time at SLS.
Tom Newcomb, JD/MBA '23
2025 Information Sessions
Coursework
2024 Franke Fellows will spend the first 7 weeks of the spring quarter on the SLS campus taking required courses. Typical subjects taught might include:
- Deals: Part Two
- Comparative Corporate Law and Governance
- Global Business Law & Policy Seminar: Latin America, and
- Global Business Law Field Study: Latin America
Note: Students are required to take Deals: Part One in the winter quarter and must have taken Corporations beforehand.
2024 Global Quarter Field Study: Latin America
In 2024, Franke Fellows will accompany SLS lecturers and faculty on a 3-week field study trip to Latin America. The 2024 cohort of Franke Fellows will, amongst other topics, explore the startup ecosystem and trade policy in Mexico City, learn about commercial litigation and arbitration in Bogotá, Colombia, and explore the role of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing and regulation in São Paulo, Brazil. Learning exercises will include meetings, roundtable discussions, case studies and negotiation exercises with regulators, general counsels, lawyers and law students.
FAQs
During the 2024 Global Quarter, Franke Fellows will take the following courses:
- Deals: Part Two
- Comparative Corporate Law and Governance
- Global Business Law & Policy Seminar: Latin America, and
- Global Business Law Field Study: Latin America
Note: Students are required to take Deals: Part One in the winter quarter and must have taken Corporations beforehand.
Students who have already taken one of the required courses may elect to take Introduction to Finance (2 units) instead.
Yes, students must take Corporations before beginning the Global Quarter, and Deals: Part One during the 2024 winter quarter.
Franke Fellows who take the core required courses in 2024 will receive 12 units of credit for the quarter: 7 units for classes on SLS campus and 5 units for the field study. If you have already taken one of the core courses, you may take Introduction to Finance instead.
We will select students who will benefit most from the experience, so we will consider applicants’ career and educational goals, as well as background. We are hoping for a mix of student interests and backgrounds.
Franke Fellows are responsible for their standard quarterly tuition, but SLS will cover travel, lodging, and most weekday meals.
21st century lawyers must be prepared for a transnational legal practice. This one-of–a-kind experience will give students the conceptual background, analytical tools and global exposure necessary to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world. You’ll make contacts in different parts of the world and learn about dynamic regions in the world. It is terrific preparation for students interested in business law or an in-house position.
Yes, faculty will accompany students for portions of the trip.
The Global Quarter Field Study will end in early June, in time for students to return for SLS graduation or continue traveling if they choose.
Yes. You do not have to participate in the Global Quarter to take these courses. They will simply end early in the quarter.
Yes! Franke Fellows will receive 8 units of experiential learning and satisfy SLS’s Pathway B requirement.
Pathway B (and the Global Quarter) satisfies the experiential learning requirement for graduation.
Yes. Franke Fellows are encouraged to enroll in a clinic in a different quarter.
Application deadline for 2025: TBD.
For more information, please contact Alice Schneider, Program Director.
Application
Applications for the 2025 Global Quarter program will open during the spring quarter, 2024.