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Robert E. Lutz is Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School. He is a former Chair of the ABA Section of International Law and organized the panel at the Section's Fall Meeting in Paris, France, at which the program "Educating Future Transnational Lawyers: European Approaches and Innovations" was presented. He also serves as the Liason from the ABA Task Force on the International Trade in Legal Services to the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20. Professor Lutz hopes that publication of these perspectives will generate greater discussion among academics and practitioners both in the U.S. and abroad about how to more effectively educate future transnational lawyers.

His recent article, Reforming Approaches to Educating Transnational Lawyers: Observations from America, addresses the dual challenges confronting the American legal profession in the 21^st century. The first is how should U.S. lawyers respond to the paradigmatic changes related to legal practice, brought about by various factors such as the information technology revolution and the globalization of national economies. The second is how should U.S. legal educators properly respond to these paradigmatic changes in law practice. As legal practice demands greater understanding of the interrelated nature of legal systems and the subjects they address, law schools can play an essential role in preparing students to face these challenges.