Rule of Law Program
The Rule of Law Program offers opportunities for students to learn the theory and practice of international development and state-building through coursework, experiential learning, and research.
Learn MoreWhere We Work
What We Do
Publications
In the News
Remember Afghanistan?
World Class - Stanford - FSI
Gen. Karl Eikenberry, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, and Erik Jensen, co-director of Stanford's Rule of Law program, talk to FSI about the status of Afghanistan today.
Read MoreRevitalizing Education In Afghanistan
International Educator
Hope For The Rule Of Law - Afghan Attorneys Learning How To Bring Order To Chaos
National Law Journal
Stanford Scholars: Lessons Learned From The Afghanistan War
Center for International Security and Cooperation
Stanford Law School And American University Of Afghanistan To Build Law Degree Program In Afghanistan With $7.2M Grant From The U.S. State Department
SLS News
Stanford Law School and American University of Afghanistan to Build Law Degree Program in Afghanistan with $7.2M Grant from the U.S. State Department
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School and American University of Afghanistan to Build Law Degree Program in Afghanistan with $7.2M Grant from the U.S. State Department
Stanford Law School
About the Rule of Law Program
The Rule of Law Program at Stanford Law School was established in 1999 with the goal of promoting policy-relevant scholarship on the rule of law in developing countries and creating opportunities for students to responsibly engage in applied development work.
Until 2007, the Program generated academic papers commissioned with international scholars and conducted associated workshops on rule of law. After 2007, the Program ran a number of projects in Afghanistan, Bhutan, Timor Leste, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Rwanda, providing Stanford JDs the opportunity to work on legal education and policy initiatives.
The Rule of Law Program has a very well developed and extensive project-focus in the Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP). Apart from ALEP, the Program also provides opportunities to JD students and some graduate students in other disciplines at Stanford to take courses and pursue individualized applied research and fieldwork. In 2016-17, applied research opportunities build on work and established relationships in Kurdish Iraq, Rwanda, and Cambodia.
Supporters
The Rule of Law Program is grateful for current and past support from the Stanford Law School’s Dean’s Fund; the Implementation Lab of the Center for Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law; and Microsoft. The Afghanistan Legal Education Project is generously supported by the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.