In addition, the Graduate Program contributes to the intellectual life of the School by serving as a focal point for advanced study and research. Each year we sponsor a series of conferences, workshops, and colloquia on developing issues in law, legal education and practice, and legal theory; these events attract not only the internationally-oriented members of the Law School community but also faculty and students whose primary focus is American law. The friendships that our students develop with other members of their class as well as with students in the J.D. program significantly enrich the experience of all students at the School, and form the basis of a lifelong network of professional and personal relationships all over the world. Alumni of the Graduate Program have distinguished themselves as leaders in academia, government, the judiciary, and private practice in more than 80 countries around the world