Summer Program in Pisa

The Hofstra Summer Program in Pisa is an intensive introduction to the domestic and international laws affecting global trade and technology. With a focus on laws regulating technology, data privacy, and international contracts.

Students will have the option to enroll in a 3-credit two-week program.

Classes are held at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, a top research university located in the heart of the charming Tuscany region of Italy.

Participants earn 3 credits by taking courses taught by a Professor from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and a Professor from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.

Comparative Refugee and Asylum Law (2 Cr)
Throughout this century, millions of refugees have been forced to flee their homes to escape persecution, war, and other threats, and the world has been forced to respond to these crises. This course will look at the international development of modern refugee law. We will examine the treatises and instruments that have attempted to address the problems facing refugees and displaced people, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status, and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. We will review how refugees have been defined and treated in the United States, and we will compare United States asylum law to the laws of various other countries. If time allows, we will discuss the treatment of specific types of asylum/refugee claims, including claims based on gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

Artificial Intelligence Regulation and Risk Minimization in a Data Driven Society (1 Cr) 
Today’s technologies enable the unprecedented exploitation of data for any thinkable purpose, but mostly in business and surveillance.  Algorithms are regularly used for mining data of a highly personal nature, offering unexplored patterns and deep non-causal analyses to those businesses seeking to exploit these advances. Yet, these innovations need to be properly framed under existing legal frameworks that account for protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. For these aims, laws providing data protection plays a significant role. The course aims at enabling students to understand how algorithms and data mining techniques are used in today’s society as well as how those techniques intersect with  applicable legal frameworks.  Students will develop an awareness of the interplay between these techniques and normative rules.
 

Schedule

The Schedule for 2026: TBA

Housing

The program will provide housing at a local hotel in Pisa.

The rooms may be either double or triple. You will be asked to fill out a “Room Selection” form, but the Maurice A. Deane School of Law reserves the right to make the final decision of placement in the housing.

All rooms will have students of the same gender, unless you specifically request to have a person of a different gender as your roommate.

Note: Single rooms may be available upon request for an additional fee.

Students From U.S. Law Schools

2026 Tuition and Program Fees: 

Tuition: $3,772.50

Program Fee: $2,852.50

Additional Financial Aid Available for Related Expenses (Optional)

Please note, you may only apply for financial aid if you are enrolled in 5 credits for the summer session (3-credit program + additional summer courses).

Financial Aid Availability

In addition to the tuition and program fees, financial aid is also available for transportation, expenses, books and miscellaneous expenses.

Download the Application (PDF).

Application Deadline

The application deadline is Friday, March 27, 2026.  Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Upon submitting your application, complete with a statement of interest, and scanned passport you will receive a decision letter. If accepted, a link to make the $500 nonrefundable deposit will be sent to you and you may move forward with the financial aid process.

Note: If you are accepted and cancel your participation after the application deadline, you may be required to pay the full program balance and tuition.

If you apply for financial aid but do not receive the aid by the deadline, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law will accept a letter from your school stating that you will receive financial aid for the program. The balance must be paid as soon as you receive your financial aid funds

Eligibility Criteria, Academic Requirements and Grading

Eligibility

The program is open to all law students who have completed all first-year day courses and who are in good academic standing at an ABA-accredited law school. (Hofstra Law students must have at least a 2.2 GPA.)

Note: If you attend a law school other than Hofstra Law, you must submit a letter from your law school verifying that you meet the above requirements.

Academic Requirements

All students are required to enroll in 3 academic credits as part of this program. There will also be required field trips to local legal institutions.

Grading

Hofstra Law’s grading standards apply, and Hofstra transcripts will be sent out. Acceptance of credits earned during the program is subject to the determination of your home school.

Grades are based on an examination in each course. The grading policy in the program is the same as in the regular course of study at Hofstra Law. The grade scale is: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D and F.

*If you attend a law school other than Hofstra, you must submit a letter from your law school verifying that you meet the above requirements.

Faculty

Giovanni Comandé
Professor of Private Comparative Law, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
Director of the International and Comparative Law Research Laboratory (Lider-Lab)
Attorney at Law

Main fields of interest

• Comparative law
• Information society law (mainly privacy and e-commerce)
• Algorithm’s regulation and Artificial Intelligence
• Data protection
• Tort law
• European private law
• Insurance law
• Health law

Scientific director of several research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Instruction, University Science and Education, the Italian National Council of Research, the European Science Foundation, the EU, Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Public Administrations, public and private companies and organizations, full list available at www.lider-lab.org.

Publications

• Author of four monographs.
• Editor or co-editor of 14 collective works diffusing research results.
• Author of more than 60 articles and notes published in major law reviews.
• Contributor of 68 chapters in collective publications in Italian, English and Spanish.
• Publications main subjects: tort law, information technology, data protection, artificial intelligence, health law, medical malpractice and insurance, privacy and e-commerce.

Lauris Wren

Lauris Wren, started the Political Asylum Clinic at Hofstra University School of Law. Through the well-known Asylum Clinic, students represent applicants for asylum – people who have fled their countries because of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. The Asylum Clinic's clients have come from countries such as Chad, Jordan, Cameroon, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Nepal, Nigeria, Albania, Tibet, Trinidad and Tobago, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo, El Salvador and Haiti.

The Asylum Clinic has been featured in two articles in Newsday: "Their Legal Lifesavers: Truly Remarkable Clinic," (9/2/04) and "When Students Win, So Do Asylum Seekers," (3/14/2005), as well as in the November/December 2005 edition of Immigration Law Today ("Hofstra University's Political Asylum Clinic: Teaching the Benefits of Pro Bono Work"). Ms. Wren has also been honored by the Central American Refugee Center for her "deep commitment and dedicated work on behalf of immigrants and refugees" and by Nassau County for "significant contributions for the enhancement of our region and the betterment of our residents."

Previously, Ms. Wren was the director of the Refugee Assistance Program at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where she recruited, trained and supervised pro bono attorneys in the representation of immigrants applying for political asylum. Ms. Wren also worked for several years at the Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN) in Hempstead, New York, representing Central Americans in political asylum and cancellation of removal cases, as well as with the Criminal Appeals Bureau of the Legal Aid Society in New York, New York. Attempting to assist the victims of human rights abuses abroad as well as domestically, Ms. Wren has worked with many human rights organizations in Mexico and Central America and has participated in human rights missions in various areas of the world. She worked intensively with immigrant victims of the terrorist attacks in New York and also has assisted immigrant communities affected by Special Registration and other policies passed in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

She holds a JD, 1993, from Columbia University Law School; BA, 1988, Williams College.

Administration

Jessika Pineda, Associate Director of International Law Programs and Student Affairs
Send an Email | (516) 463-0417

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries about the program to internationalprograms@hofstra.edu or (516) 463-4547.

The program is open to all law students who have completed all first-year day courses and who are in good academic standing at an ABA-accredited law school. (Maurice A. Deane School of Law students must have at least a 2.2 GPA.).

We require the application, a non-refundable $500 deposit, a statement of interest AND a copy of your passport. If accepted, you will receive information on how to submit the non-refundable $500 deposit. The deposit will be applied to your overall program costs.

Along with materials listed above, visiting students must submit a letter of good standing from their institution.

TBD

Yes, there will be some readings assigned by the professor prior to the first class.

Hofstra does not provide airport transportation, this is the responsibility of the student.

No, participants are required to secure their own travel and arrive on the specified start date.

Yes, participants may arrive early or leave late. Accommodations must be secured and funded by said participant for any extra days/nights.

All breakfasts will be included at the hotel, lunch will typically be on your own, and some group dinners will be provided.

Classes will be held at the beautiful campus at Scuola Sant’Anna Superiore.

Unless specified on application, students will receive either one or two roommates. If you would like a single room, you will incur extra costs (2026 extra cost for single room: $670).

The exams will take place in class at the completion of the program. There will be two exams at the completion of the 3-credit program.

Yes! We do require documentation from your institution certifying and describing the nature of your accommodations but we will work to get as close as possible to what you are offered at your home institution.

Of course. We recommend it for the ease of taking notes electronically and working through real life situations during class. You may or may not take your final exams on your computer – this is decided by the professor.

All students will receive a letter grade on their Hofstra transcript – these courses cannot be taken Pass/Fail.

Students can expect to see their grades reflected on or before August 1st.

Once accepted and admitted to the program, any specific questions about financial aid, please contact Hofstra Law’s Office of Financial Aid. Please call or email: (516) 463-6706 or lawfinaid@hofstra.edu.