Rule of Law for Development Program (PROLAW)

Rule of Law for Development Program (PROLAW) is Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s international rule-of-law training initiative. Based in Rome, Italy, the program delivers graduate legal education and professional training for lawyers, judges, government officials, civil servants, and development practitioners working on justice-sector reform and economic development. Its core academic offering is a one-year Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Rule of Law for Development, taught in English in Rome, with a curriculum that links legal institutions, governance, anti-corruption, human rights, and market development. PROLAW was created to prepare professionals to strengthen legal systems in countries undergoing institutional reform and development. The program combines classroom instruction with practical engagement, including field-based components and exposure to international organizations in Rome. Its audience is explicitly international: participants come from multiple regions and include public-sector officials and legal professionals seeking tools to improve courts, public administration, access to justice, and the legal environment for investment and growth. The program sits within Loyola University Chicago’s legal education mission while operating in a distinctly global setting. Its work centers on the relationship between effective legal institutions and sustainable development, and it frames rule of law as both a justice concern and an economic one. In addition to the LL.M., PROLAW has offered short courses and executive-style training for practitioners, extending its reach beyond degree students. The organization’s identity is therefore not a standalone charity or scholarship fund, but a university-based academic and professional program focused on building rule-of-law capacity through advanced legal education in Rome for an international cohort.