Part of Salzburg Global's Peace & Justice Pillar and the Lloyd N. Cutler Center for the Rule of Law

Group Picture of International Law Fellows Network Otside the Schloss Leopoldskron

Our Purpose

The International Law Fellows Network, launched in 2025 in partnership with the International Bar Association, is designed to support rising leaders in international law.

It connects Fellows' own international legal skills – whether in economics and trade, human rights, environmental protections, criminal law, or international arbitration – to the fundamental question of our time: How to safeguard the rule of law as a core principle of free, fair, and just societies. 
 


Why It Matters

With the experience to understand how their practice connects to larger legal issues, alongside the flexibility to shape their future professional development, this program allows Fellows to contemplate and maximize their contributions to the international legal sphere. 

Through dialogue and reflection, Fellows strengthen the shared ideals of justice and rule of law that unite the global legal community in addressing the world’s most urgent challenges. 

Our Approach

This program is specifically for lawyers at the most formative stage of their careers (i.e., with five to 10 years of legal practice).  

Through our collaborative initiatives, Fellows: 
 

  • Build a global network of legal professionals dedicated to strengthening the rule of law in their respective fields. 
  • Develop innovative, multipronged solutions to address the complex threats facing justice and governance worldwide. 
  • Create and share resources that integrate rule of law principles more deeply into international legal practice. 

In doing so, this program enables Fellows to develop shared principles and ideas and bring them back into their own legal practice.   


Our Format

This program convenes approximately 30 associates and early-career leading international and transnational lawyers from the US, Europe, and other select countries. 

During a three-day session at the Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Fellows engage in a variety of pedagogical approaches to build expertise and maximize ways in which every participant can share and learn. 

It combines plenary discussion, curated conversations, and small working groups with both Fellows and senior legal experts.  


The Lloyd N. Cutler Center for the Rule of Law

The International Law Fellows Network is part of the Lloyd N. Cutler Center for the Rule of Law, which was established in 2010 to honor the legacy of long-serving Chair of the Board and Washington “superlawyer” Lloyd N. Cutler.

Today, the Cutler Center also hosts the Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program and the  Lloyd N. Cutler Lecture on the Rule of Law in Washington, DC. The latter features a distinguished speaker on a vital legal issue of international interest.  

Lloyd Cutler’s influence on people and institutions is felt in the United States and around the world. In his tradition and in his name, Salzburg Global continues to advance the Rule of Law. 

With a mission, focus, and the global connections equal to Lloyd Cutler’s interests and concerns, and with the support of his friends and colleagues worldwide, his commitment to the Rule of Law will endure. 

Lloyd N. Cutler (1917–2005), described as the last “superlawyer,” had a brilliant legal career. A founder of the Washington, DC law firm, Wilmer Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale), and White House Counsel to two US presidents, he fulfilled the calling of a public servant over his lifetime. 

He was repeatedly nominated for and accepted appointments in Democratic and Republican administrations alongside a vast array of charitable, educational, and legal organizations. 

Cutler was a long-time champion of Salzburg Global, serving as chair of its Board of Directors for a decade and as a Board Director for more than 20 years. 

Believing passionately in the role that law plays in nation-building and in the ability of the law and legal experts to contribute solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, he attracted high court judges from around the world to Salzburg. 

In addition, he was personally committed to ensuring that promising young international lawyers, academics, and jurists had access at Salzburg Global to a rich variety of judicial traditions, international legal institutions, and the international legal community at large. 

Today, Salzburg Global remembers him not only for his intellectual brilliance, but also for his commitment to advancing respect for the law as a tool for resolving the great issues of our times. 

The Cutler Lecture is held under the auspices of the Cutler Center for the Rule of Law and was inaugurated in 2010 to honor Washington “super lawyer” Lloyd N. Cutler (1917–2005). The Lecture focuses on international legal issues and the rule of law. 

The Lecture is held annually in Washington, DC, in a discussion that underscores Salzburg Global’s roots in the United States and its enduring commitment to advancing the rule of law worldwide. 

Former lecturers include Eric Schmidt, former CEO and chairman of Google; Justice Richard J. Goldstone, Former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda; Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; Dr. Fiona Hill, foreign affairs specialist and former deputy assistant to the U.S. President; and Hugh Verrier, Former Chair of White and Case LLP. 


Peace & Justice Opinion
When Compliance Is Not Enough
Salzburg Global Fellow Jami King explains how lawyers can respond when government demands threaten fundamental rights
Sep 18, 2026
Peace & Justice Statement
The Salzburg Statement on the Rule of Law
Salzburg Global Fellows emphasize components of the rule of law that are under strain today, urging all members of society to join their collective commitment to respect, protect, and promote it
Sep 14, 2026
Peace & Justice Feature
Speaking Up for the Rule of Law
International lawyers are building the leadership, networks, and legal integrity needed to defend the rule of law
Jul 24, 2026
Peace & Justice Update
Welcoming the Second Cohort of the International Law Fellows Network
28 of the world’s rising legal leaders are coming together to safeguard the rule of law
Jun 09, 2026
Peace & Justice Update
Defending the Rule of Law: Lessons from the International Law Fellows Network
Salzburg Global Fellow Jacob Bogart reflects on the critical role of international lawyers in safeguarding democracy and legal independence during times of political pressure
Jul 16, 2025
Peace & Justice Statement
The Salzburg Statement on the Critical Role of Lawyers in Safeguarding the Rule of Law
Salzburg Global Fellows release The Salzburg Statement on the Critical Role of Lawyers in Safeguarding the Rule of Law, emphasizing the professional responsibility and moral imperative of the legal profession in upholding and defending the Rule of Law
Jun 10, 2025
Peace & Justice Update
When Democracy Falters: Protecting Racial Justice and the Rule of Law From Political Retaliation
Salzburg Global Fellow Mohamed Sidibay connects lessons from Sierra Leone to the "unraveling of moral commitments" across law firms, universities, and corporations in the U.S.
May 16, 2025
Peace & Justice Update
Reimagining the Rule of Law for a Changing World
How lawyers, law firms, and legal communities can step up to collectively defend democratic norms and the rule of law
May 07, 2025
Peace & Justice Update
Launching the International Law Fellows Network
Salzburg Global and the International Bar Assocation launch a new program for leading young voices on international law
Apr 16, 2025

Partners & Donors

Co-Hosts

Support Our Work

As a nonprofit organization, we rely on your generosity and support to gather open-minded leaders for breakthrough conversations.

Donations, no matter the size, help us create space for dialogue that overcomes barriers and opens up a world of better possibilities.

Stay Connected

Subscribe to Our Monthly Newsletter and Receive Regular Updates

Search
favicon