Legal Curriculum Development in Iraq: Stanford’s Iraq Legal Education Initiative

Abstract

Iraq’s legal landscape has changed substantially since the adoption of its Constitution of 2005. The legal education system, however, has not kept pace with recent legal developments. Indeed, Iraqi law schools have long grappled with formidable challenges rendering them unresponsive to the needs of the legal profession. The Iraq Legal Education Initiative (ILEI) was established in 2012 in response to demand from Iraqi legal scholars and practitioners who recognized that quality legal education is critical to building a robust legal system. ILEI develops innovative pedagogical materials critically analyzing the laws of Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, and contributes to efforts in strengthening the legal education system and promoting the rule of law in the region.

Note: “This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by LexisNexis in The MENA Business Law Review on 2021, available online: https://boutique.lexisnexis.fr/6617-the-mena-business-law-review.”

Keywords: Iraq, Kurdistan, Iraqi Law, Legal Education, Curriculum Reform, Legal Profession, Legal Reform, Rule of Law, Legal Pluralism, Islamic Law, Sharia, Comparative Law, Transnational Law, Law and Development