The objective of this conference was to look for new international perspectives in academic legal education in Europe and in Germany. A major issue is whether the Bologna Process’ two-cycle degree structure is suitable to accommodate the specific needs and international demands of professional legal education and training in the 21st century. Reforming legal education and the need for accommodating respective state guidelines are issues of intensive and controversial debates, not only in Germany, but in many countries. Thus, the discussion took into consideration the rich experience in all European countries – especially since many internal controversies have been triggered in the context of implementing the Bologna Process.
 
The conference discussed whether a national design of law study programmes is helpful, especially in the long term, as it tends to pose obstacles to students’ mobility and mutual recognition in the common European Higher Education Area. Selected examples of good practice from Bologna countries, however, served to provide more transparency and comparability, increase awareness for possible and desirable changes and promote the feasibility of reforming legal education.