DETROIT (Oct. 1, 2009) - The Program for International Legal Studies at Wayne State University Law School is pleased to announce a public lecture by Judge Bruno Simma of the United Nations' International Court of Justice. Simma will address "The International Court of Justice and Human Rights" on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m. in the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. A reception will follow.

Judge Simma's lecture will be the keynote address at a ceremony formally launching the International Legal Studies Program.

"Hosting such a prominent scholar and jurist is a true honor for Wayne Law" said Professor Gregory Fox, program director. "Judge Simma combines the insight of 30 years of scholarship with the practical experience of hearing cases addressing the world's most contentious disputes. I am very excited that we will launch this new initiative with such a leading figure giving the keynote address."

Judge Simma has been a member of the International Court since 2003 and was a lawyer in many cases before the Court prior to becoming a judge. He has been a member of the United Nations' Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the UN International Law Commission and many other international bodies. He was previously the Dean of the Law Faculty at the University of Munich and has taught for more than 30 years at the University of Michigan Law School.

Judge Simma co-founded the European Society of International Law and was its first president. He was also the first editor of the European Journal of International Law. Judge Simma is widely published on many subjects and his book The Charter of the United Nations: A Commentary, now in its third edition, is one of the most widely cited authorities in international law.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information regarding this event, please contact Holly Hughes at International.Law@wayne.edu or (313) 577-3620.

About the Program on International Legal Studies
International law cuts across all aspects of a Wayne State legal education. Fully one-third of Wayne Law's tenured and tenure-track faculty teaches and writes on international subjects. Those faculty members enjoy world-wide reputations as innovative and prolific scholars, publishing on the most important issues of the day. Students can take classes on a remarkable range of international topics, from international commercial transactions to international environmental law to the use of military force and the protection of human rights. And study abroad programs give students a first-hand view of other nations' legal systems and their approaches to legal education.

The Program for International Legal Studies is the focal point for all international activity at Wayne Law and a showcase for the faculty's latest scholarship on international issues. The Program sponsors a conference and lecture series that brings scholars, policy-makers and practicing international lawyers to the Law School from across the country and around the world. A series of brown-bag lunches allow students the opportunity to discuss international issues in a more personalized setting with faculty members and attorneys from the community. A blog in which faculty members highlight and discuss current developments in international law will be hosted on our Web site.

Director Gregory Fox writes and teaches about international organizations, human rights and the international administration of territory. He has been a visiting fellow at Cambridge University, the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg and Yale Law School. His many publications include Humanitarian Occupation and Democratic Governance and International Law, both published by Cambridge University Press.

About Wayne Law
Wayne State University Law School has educated and served the Detroit metropolitan area since its inception as Detroit City Law School in 1927. Located at 471 West Palmer Street in Detroit's re-energized historic cultural center, the Law School remains committed to student success and features modern lecture and court facilities, multi-media classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, and the Arthur Neef Law Library, which houses one of the nation's 40 largest legal collections. Taught by an internationally recognized and expert faculty, Wayne Law students experience a high-quality legal education via a growing array of hands-on curricular offerings, five live-client clinics, and access to well over 100 internships with local and non-profit entities each year. Its 11,000 living alumni, who work in every state of the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, are experts in their disciplines and include leading members of the local, national and international legal communities. For more information, visit www.law.wayne.edu.