University of San Diego School of Law Summer Abroad Programs Span the Globe, and Careers

Published on May 2016 | Categories: Types, Business/Law, Marketing | Downloads: 36 | Comments: 0 | Views: 119
of 2
Download PDF   Embed   Report

University of San Diego School of Law Summer Abroad Programs. Law schools run programs in more USD Law, as well as Santa Clara University Law, Tulane Law, Whittier Law, and Penn State Law.

Comments

Content

SKILL SHARPENER

1. 800. 973.1177

University of San Diego School of Law Summer Abroad Programs Span the Globe, and Careers
[by Erica Winter] To spend part or all of the summer studying abroad, law students can choose from programs in Barcelona, Dublin, Florence, London, Oxford, Paris, Moscow-St. Petersburg, or Mexico City - and those are just the programs run by the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law.

Overall, there are 94 law schools that run summer study abroad programs, according an American Bar Association list. Most of those law schools run programs in more than one country, like USD Law, as well as Santa Clara University Law, Tulane Law, Whittier Law, and Penn State Law. The vast majority of these programs are still to be found in Europe, with programs in Spain, England and France leading that list. There are, however, several programs in Africa and Asia, including the Howard University Law program in South Africa, Santa Clara Law’s programs in Japan and South Korea, Widener University Law’s program in Kenya, and Seton Hall University Law’s program in Egypt.

who they would not otherwise see at home.” USD Law’s programs bring in distinguished faculty, says Lazerow, and also “make a point of bringing in diverse students” to the programs, says Lazerow. The USD Law programs not only bring in students from a wide variety of law schools around the country, but also include ten to fifteen percent international students, mostly Europeans, participating in programs outside their own countries as well. Dave Hall, a participant in this summer’s USD program in Mexico City, had a three-part learning experience there. He studied NAFTA and immigration law in the classroom, and then he took that knowledge and talked about it with the Mexicans he met.

astonishes me is that so few people apply” for the internships, says Lazerow. It is possible that law students are concerned about foreign language proficiency and so do not even apply. To clarify, while there are Spanish-language requirements for the USD Law program internships in Barcelona and Mexico City, and Russian is required for working at a Russian firm in Moscow, there are no foreign language requirements to intern in Paris or London. Even some United States firms in Moscow bring students in to intern, and so there are no Russian language requirements there. These internships could be the most valu-

Also, Hall got to know the international LLM There are many similarities among the 90 total ABA-approved summer study abroad programs, says Professor Herbert Lazerow, Director of USD Law’s Institute on International and Comparative Law. Still, the USD Law programs stand out in some ways. Many law school summer study abroad programs are offering their domestic law courses in another setting, says Lazerow. In the USD Law programs, all the courses taught, no matter what the country, are international or comparative law courses. Most of the other 190 programs, are in-house programs, says Lazerow, in which faculty from that law school and the host institution abroad are those that teach the courses. This type of program, says Lazerow, does “not enrich people by exposing them to others Another aspect of the USD Law programs that set them apart is that half of them offer in-country internships after the course or tutorial programs are completed. “What “We accept law students form all over the world,” says USD program coordinator Cindy King. students on the program with him - one from India, and one from France. The French student was in the same NAFTA course as Hall, and she gave insightful input comparing NAFTA with EU trade agreements, says Hall. The groups also discussed the Indian LLM student’s upcoming arranged marriage, and how she was not feeling the pressure to rebel against it from Western culture - even as NAFTA might be imposing U.S. culture on Mexico.

able pieces of the study abroad program for law students down the line. Career services professionals say, and law students hear time and time again - being in the top ten percent of your class and being on law review help to get you in the door of the top jobs. But then there are the ninety percent of law students left over. To distinguish yourself from the pack, activities and work experience make the difference. An international internship gives work experience to put on a résumé, and it also is “good to show that you can live and work in a foreign culture,” says Lazerow. For law students who want to go on to do international law, and possibly live and work abroad, this kind of experience is very valuable. For law students who are planning a domestic legal career, studying and/or working

PAGE 1

continued on back

SKILL SHARPENER

1.800. 973. 1177

overseas while in law school can also have great benefits. In these programs, Lazerow says he hopes that each student leaves with a “sense that cultural differences are real,” and have developed some skill in bridging them. Lawyers “are engaged in a profession where we do not make anything,” says Lazerow; “our job is persuasion, and cultural differences can impede persuasion.” Even on a domestic level. If a law student goes on to have a local criminal defense practice, there will be vast cultural differences between her and her clients. It is the lawyer’s job to understand her client, and the culture he’s coming from, not the other way around. “It is the lawyer who will be successful,” says Lazerow, “because she can bridge that cultural difference.”

PAGE 2

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close