In its 53rd year, the Florida State University Summer Program in Law at Oxford will be held from June 29 to August 6, 2026. We reside at St. Edmund Hall, an Oxford college which traces its roots to the 13th century, when it was one of the academic halls that formed the basis of the University of Oxford. As the oldest ongoing program in Oxford sponsored by a U.S. law school, it provides students with a unique opportunity to study comparative law and the history of the common law and its institutions in their original setting. All courses are offered by tenured members of the Oxford and Florida State law faculty. Students may enroll in two or three courses. This program is A.B.A. approved.
Note: A letter of good standing and transcripts for non-FSU students are required; because GPA scales vary from school to school, you may enter 0.00.
Questions concerning the application and program may be directed to Shirley Oglesby, assistant to the director.
Information
- 2026 Oxford Brochure
- Program Faculty
- Department of State Travel Information
- Cancellations, Withdrawals, Refund Policy
Courses
An Introduction to English Public Law (Bell, 2 hours)
The course will offer an introduction to constitutional and administrative law in England. Week 1 will offer an overview of three main actors in English public law – the UK Parliament, the courts and the executive – as well as beginning to highlight some of the debates about the scope of their powers and the relationships between them. Weeks 2 and 3 will build on the first week by considering more specifically how the executive is held to account in English law. The main focus will be on judicial review, including the grounds on which it can be sought and the various barriers to access. However, the course will also consider other methods of legal accountability, including the role of tribunals in the English legal system and the possibility of bringing a private law claim against a public authority. Week 4 will consider and evaluate methods of rights protection in the UK, including the Human Rights Act 1998 and common law rights.
The course will aim to foster legal expertise, especially in case law analysis. Each class will be focused on a case, which will serve as a springboard for broader discussion of the themes raised. Assessment will be based on both class participation (15%) and a three-hour exam (85%) at the end of the course.
English Legal History (Hackney, 2 hours)
This course looks at the institutional framework of the Common Law and how that framework influenced the structure of the substantive law. It discusses the initial courts; the emergence of the dominant ‘common law’ courts, King's Bench and Common Pleas, and the competing/complementary Equity jurisdiction; and the writ system and development of the pleading forms and the methods of proof used in trials. Considers tenures, the principal Real Actions for the recovery of land at Common Law and selected writs. There will be a 2.5-hour closed-book handwritten exam.
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) (Wang, 2 hrs.)
This ADR course is premised upon the idea that the essential task of lawyering is to help clients and society solve problems well. To do this, lawyers must not only be able to grasp and promote legal rights and positions but also to identify and articulate the underlying interests and goals that impel people to act. Lawyers must also understand the nature, advantages, and limitations of various dispute resolution methods.
Traditionally, legal practice has emphasized adversarial processes. By contrast, consensual alternatives to trial—negotiation, mediation, and arbitration—require collaboration, understanding, and accommodation. This ADR course helps students meet these challenges by introducing them to the nature of conflict, the fundamental principles of dispute resolution, the law and ethics governing negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, and the considerations that guide lawyers and clients in selecting the most appropriate process. Students will also see how conflict can present opportunities for growth and change, and how the best lawyering strives to achieve those benefits. Final grades will be based on class participation and three major simulation exercises. There will be no final written or take-home exam.
Comparative Appellate Advocacy (Brewer, 2 hrs.)
This course will compare appellate practice in the UK versus the US. We will explore and consider differences in the court hierarchies, briefing, oral arguments, judicial selection, advocates, and histories of the appellate court system. There will be a take-home exam for this course.