The Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL or PKU-STL) is located in Shenzhen, China. The school started in the fall of 2008 as a part of the Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University. It is the first law school to offer a traditional western-style Juris Doctor (J.D.) curriculum alongside a Chinese-style Juris Master (J.M.) curriculum. Jeffrey S. Lehman is the Chancellor and Founding Dean.
The school only accepts students with a bachelor degree in a subject other than law.[1]
The program is four years and graduates receive both the Chinese Juris Master degree and, by special authorization by the Chinese government, a J.D.[2]
The program is seeking accreditation by the American Bar Association, the first institution outside of the U.S. to seek such accreditation.[3] At its December 2010 meeting the Council of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar - the entity with accreditation authority in the United States - deferred action on a report by a special committee of the Council which recommended that the Council accept applications from law schools outside of the United States if those schools meet the accreditation standards as they would be applied to U.S. law schools. The Council is seeking input from law schools, the legal profession and bar admission groups to inform its decision.