Spetses, Greece
Study Abroad Spetses:
Positioned strategically between East and West, near the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and being a member of the European Union since 1981, Greece is ideally situated as a microcosm of current legal issues. Spetses is the ideal place to observe the gap between rich, represented by wealthy Greek weekenders, and working class, exemplified by the year-round residents who are struggling with newly imposed austerity measures.
This program has been designed to examine legal, economic, cultural, and social issues in both an academic and experiential way.
Our Spetses, Greece program is currently ABA accredited.
If you have any questions, please contact the Spetses Teaching Assistants at spetses@loyno.edu.
June 14-27, 2026
**Apply Here**
Comparative Review of the Rights of Children (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Madeleine M. Landrieu – Dean and Judge Adrian G. Duplantier Distinguished Professor of Law
Class Dates: June 15-19 & 22-26, 2026
Location: Spetses Hotel
Time: 9:00 – 10:10 AM
Final Exam: Saturday, June 27, 2026
This course will provide a comparative review of the political systems and regimes that led to the institutionalization of children orphaned due to war, disaster, epidemic and poverty. Students will review the social, financial and ethical cost of institutionalizing these children; and explore the current state of research in the area of childhood brain development, attachment theory and the effects of deprivation. The course will conclude with a discussion of the constitutional role of the state and the roles of lawyer and the courts in ensuring that the constitutional rights of children are protected.
Art Law & Cultural Property Protection (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Anastasia Grammaticaki Alexiou – Professor Emerita of Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Class Dates: June 15-19 & 22-26, 2026
Location: Spetses Hotel
Time: 9:00 – 10:10 AM
Final Exam: Saturday, June 27, 2026
This course aims to equip students with a sound working knowledge and understanding of key legal issues required in order to operate successfully in the arts market. It will cover the problem of licit and illicit art trade as well as the basic framework for the international protection of cultural property. More specifically, the roles and responsibilities of artists and professional managers in relation to artwork transactions, the protection of artists’ rights, the role of collectors, international art auctions of cultural objects, theft and looting of art objects, bona fide acquisition of stolen art, repatriation/restitution and return of stolen or looted art will be basically the topics to be discussed.
Comparative Property Law (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Martha Thibaut – Assistant Professor of Law, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Class Dates: June 15-19 & 22-26, 2026
Location: Spetses Hotel
Time: 10:20 – 11:30 AM
Final Exam: Saturday, June 27, 2026
At the core of private rights lies the law of property—defining how we protect, use, and transfer what we own. This course explores how property law reflects one of the most striking differences between civil law and common law traditions. We will contrast the civil law notion of absolute dominion with the more flexible, law-and-economics–influenced approach of the American common law system. Topics such as ownership, trespass, and adverse possession will be examined through a comparative lens, juxtaposing civilian jurisdictions such as France, Greece, and Germany with American property law.
Comparative Freedom of Expression and Human Rights (1 credit hour)
Instructor: Ata Hindi – Assistant Professor of Law, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Class Dates: June 15-19 & 22-26, 2026
Location: Spetses Hotel
Time: 10:20 – 11:30 AM
Final Exam: Saturday, June 27, 2026
This course will review and examine the use of jurors in criminal trials globally. Students will compare and contrast the United States Constitution's Sixth Amendment guaranteeing a right to a fair and impartial jury with the right to a jury trial, or lack thereof, in countries like Argentina, Greece, Germany and others. Students will be evaluated based on a final small group presentation reviewing the benefits and potential harms of an assigned country's access, or lack thereof, to a criminal jury trial.
Comparative Judicial Process (1 credit hour)
Instructor: The Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Class Dates: June 15-19 & 22-26, 2026
Location: Spetses Hotel
Time: 11:40 AM - 12:50 PM
Final Exam: Saturday, June 27, 2026
This seminar will analyze and compare facets of the judicial process of different nations, including issues such as the use of technology by courts and the lawyers who appear before the courts, sources of law and weight of authority, selection and staffing of courts, roles of judges and lawyers, use of juries, forum shopping, collective and class actions, and how all of these facets of the systems are influenced by the legal cultures in which they operate.
Upon arrival in Spetses on Sunday, June 14, 2026, students will enjoy a welcome reception, an orientation, and a group dinner at the Spetses Hotel.
On Monday, June 15, 2026, students will enjoy a tour of Spetses by boat + a group dinner and dancing, in which we will join the Loyola-sponsored CLE participants, at a traditional beachside taverna. Also included in this tour is a chance to take a brief hike to Bekiri’s Cave, one of Spetses’ major attractions.
There will be a classical one-day excursion to the ancient Theater of Epidaurus and Nafplion, the first capital of Greece on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a series of cultural tours in Spetses, including an experience at the Monastery of Aghioi Pandes and a visit to the Bouboulina's Museum. These events will either take place at the hotel or within walking distance of the hotel.
Further, the program offers guest visits from a Greek lawyer, an historian, and possibly others who attend the CLE or as guests of the program.
Spetses Accommodations and Class Space
Housing will be based at the Spetses Hotel, located a 10-minute walk away from the port and center of the island, Dapia. The 4-star hotel offers 77 standard and premium rooms in two buildings. All rooms include an ensuite bathroom, hot water, air conditioning, a mini bar and small refrigerator, a telephone, and a hairdryer. The Spetses Hotel offers free high speed wireless internet service. The hotel has its own private beach area.
Classes will also be held at the Spetses Hotel. The hotel offers two conference rooms that can accommodate 50 or 15 people respectively. The conference rooms offer big screens, slide projectors, a PowerPoint projector, a video projector, anatomical seats, white boards, flip charts, laser pointers, audiovisual equipment, wireless internet connection and air-conditioning for a clear atmosphere.
Students will have ample space to study. There are numerous lounge areas in the hotel, as well as pleasant outdoor areas, conducive to study. The classrooms will be available every afternoon and evening for studying. Also, all hotel rooms are equipped with free WiFi internet access.
Administrative services will be provided on-site. An office for the program will be provided on-site with computer facilities, and room for a modest library, although it is expected that all reading materials for courses will be self-contained.
There will also be two teaching assistants and a law school administrator on-site to assist students during classroom and office hours.
The Spetses Hotel has its own restaurant, with two meals per day included in the Loyola room rate (breakfast and your choice of lunch or dinner.)
2026 Room Rates
Mandatory Forms
Content forthcoming March 2026.
Handbook
Content forthcoming March 2026.