William & Mary Law School and Alliance University of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, have officially entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen their academic collaboration and promote mutual cooperation in various fields of education, research and innovation.
The MoU was celebrated by Dean A. Benjamin Spencer and leaders at Alliance University during a virtual signing ceremony held on April 1, 2024.
The MoU aims to facilitate initiatives including academic exchange programs, joint research initiatives, joint conferences and workshops, exchange of academic resources, and more.
“Establishing networks and international partnerships like this is a really important part of what we do, because we can combine our expertise with the expertise that Alliance’s leaders and faculty bring to the table,” said Spencer. “We definitely have a shared vision here, so by signing this MOU, the great geographic distance between our two institutions is going to become a little bit smaller.”
Alliance is particularly eager for collaboration with the Law School’s strengths in areas including corporate law, climate change and sustainability, data protection law, human rights law, intellectual property law, artificial intelligence, alternative dispute resolution and experiential learning.
For its part, as William & Mary strengthens its in-person and online LL.M. program, collaboration with Alliance is especially welcome because India is the second largest source of LL.M. candidates in U.S. law schools. Many prospective LL.M. candidates pursue their degrees after several years of law practice (particularly in online programs).
The signing of the MoU marks the beginning of an exciting collaboration between William & Mary and Alliance University. Both institutions are committed to nurturing this partnership and exploring new avenues of cooperation to benefit their academic communities.
Alliance University is ranked 25th in law among all higher education institutions in India. It is a private university and approved by the Bar Council of India. Alliance has a well-appointed, modern campus in the suburbs of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), known as the “Silicon Valley” of India and the 27th largest city in the world.
