Summer Abroad 2016 Wrap-Up

Costa Rica 2016 – Francisco Rivera Juaristi

“It was a great experience!” “I would definitely recommend it to other students!” “This opportunity, both the classes and the internship, completely changed my life!” “Prof. Rivera should win the Nobel Prize!” OK, three of these four statements were said by students who participated in Santa Clara Law’s Costa Rica Program this summer.

Ten bright and motivated students spent three weeks in Costa Rica learning international human rights law from some of the leading experts in this field. Nine of those students decided to put into practice what they learned by working as interns with the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Students traveled to Costa Rica’s countryside to learn firsthand about pineapple plantation workers who complain of grave labor rights violations and environmental and health risks. As interns, students visited maximum-security prisons to investigate alleged police abuse in Puerto Rico, researched women’s human rights violations in Mexico City, worked on a submission on the human right to water before the United Nations, and assisted refugees and asylum seekers in Costa Rica. They say the beaches, volcanoes, white water rafting, food, and cultural experiences were pretty cool too.

Geneva 2016 – Claudia Josi

The 2016 Geneva Summer Program was, once again, an amazing experience for students from Santa Clara Law and other schools around the country (and Canada!). Over the course of four weeks, 25 students enjoyed classes in international law, intellectual property, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law, all of which were taught by professors who are some of the most highly respected scholars and lawyers in their field.

The program also offered students an extraordinary opportunity to exploring the work of international organizations firsthand, visit their headquarters and talking to their staff.

Highlights included visiting the headquarters of the United Nations, the International Committee for the Red Cross, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the World Health Organization, as well as observing two sessions of the U.N. Human Rights Committee. The contact with our lecturers, Santa Clara alumni, as well as the professionals that received us at their respective organizations, inspired students to consider careers in international law.

Our ice cream social, weekend trips all throughout Europe, as well as the final boat trip on Lake Geneva were other highlights for our students of this year’s exciting program.

Overall, Santa Clara Law’s Geneva program enjoyed another successful year, and many program participants expressed that they would highly recommend the experience to interested students. Some students are already organizing their next summer with Santa Clara Law, aiming for one of the highly coveted three-month internships with one of our partner organizations.

The Hague 2016 – Margaret Russell

The Hague 2016 program was a rich and content-filled two weeks at the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Twenty-four students from twelve law schools across the U.S., under the directorship of Professor Margaret M. Russell, met with judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and other legal staff to learn about each court’s history, structure, jurisdiction, and current practice challenges. Highlights included many riveting speaker presentations, including explanations of the unique roles of victims’ advocates and trial interpreters in international criminal tribunals. In three days at the International Criminal Court, students observed trial proceedings in:

• PROSECUTOR v. GBAGBO and BLE-GOUDE, in which the defendants are charged with four counts of crimes against humanity in the post-2010 election violence in the Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire); and
• PROSECUTOR v. NTAGANDA, in which the defendant is charged with 13 counts of war crimes and 5 counts of crimes against humanity committed in 2002-2003 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In addition to the court curriculum, students had group opportunities to visit the Peace Palace, the International Court of Justice, and a publication launch sponsored by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Of course, partaking of the delicious chocolate and other culinary / cultural wonders of The Hague rounded out a terrific group experience.

Munich 2016 – Tyler Ochoa

Santa Clara had a small group of students in our Munich summer program this year, from both UC Davis and Santa Clara. The students learned about European Intellectual Property Law and were able to travel around the continent on weekends. We took the students on field trips to the European Patent Office, where they observed an oral proceeding in a post-grant opposition to a patent; and to BMW, where they got a lecture on BMW’s protection of intellectual property and a factory tour. We also had a social outing to Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer residence of the ruling Wittelsbach family of Munich. Four of the students were placed in internships with local law firms and patent firms. We look forward to having a larger group of students join us in Munich next year!

Oxford 2016 – Gary Spitko

In the summer of 2016, seventeen students studied in Santa Clara’s program at the University of Oxford. The seminar on English Legal Systems and Institutions featured lectures by professors from several Oxford colleges (Magdalen, Jesus, and Corpus Christi). Lecture topics included the English legal educational system (including the Oxford tutorial system), an introduction to English land law, the development of a privacy tort in the United Kingdom, and the nature of parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom. A highlight of the seminar was a tour of “Legal London” including a visit to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and a lecture and tour of the four Inns of Court in London. The seminar also featured a visit and talk at the Oxford criminal courts including an observation of an assault trial. All students in the program also enrolled in an Oxford tutorial in such subjects as Comparative Environmental Law, Comparative Property Law, Comparative Tort Law, International Criminal Law, International Trade & the Environment, Jurisprudence, Law of Armed Conflict, and Transitional Justice. Professors from Magdalen College, Jesus College, and Worcester College at the University of Oxford as well as from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Reading tutored the students in one-on-one or one-on-two sessions. The summer concluded with a cocktail hour on the Mews Lawn at Magdalen College followed by a formal dinner at the College.

Shanghai 2016 – Deep Gulasekaram and Anna Han

This summer, 8 students joined the study abroad program in Shanghai. Quite a few of them were from Shanghai and fluent in Mandarin, which made the experience even more meaningful. But, even those without language skills had an amazing time navigating the legal and business center of one of the most vibrant cities in the world.

The first week, in addition to classes at Jiao Tong University’s modern law school (KoGuan Law School), we took a field trip to visit Apple Inc. There, we received an excellent briefing by Apple’s Vice President Jun Ge. He outlined Apple’s strategies in China and even shared some insights on Apple’s one billion dollar investment in China announced by Tim Cook the week before. The students also visited a Chinese court that first week. We took the weekend to visit a nearby water town. It was raining so we experienced the mist and beauty of the town without the crowds. We also got quite wet.

The second week, students continued their studies at Jiao Tong, but also attended a meeting with the general counsel and legal staff of Intel Corporation’s China headquarters in Shanghai. There, students were provided a firsthand lesson about the opportunities and challenges that large, multi-national technology companies face when doing business in China. In addition, we continued our culinary adventures, sampling soup dumpling hotspots and fried chicken joints.

Our third week was spent learning directly from attorneys who practice business law in China. We visited the offices of Finnegan LLP, AllBright Law firm, and MWE China, where students heard from lawyers engaged in IP protection, employment law, and business transactions. Indeed, several students later interned under attorneys at both AllBright and MWE China.

After classes ended, some students headed to Beijing and Hong Kong for their internships while a few stayed in Shanghai. It was another successful year that helped expose participants to the growing legal and business environment of China.

Singapore 2016 – Yvonne Ekern

The 2016 Singapore Study Abroad Program opened with a welcome lunch for students and lecturers in the open-air restaurant located in the Asian Civilization Museum on the banks of the Singapore River. Lunch was followed by a walking tour of “legal Singapore.” The tour focused on the Colonial history of the Singapore legal system. Our first lecture took place in Singapore’s oldest courtroom. The 2016 three week program focused on the intersection of human rights and business practices South East Asia. This included an introduction to Islamic law and finance. The nine lecturers hailed from five countries. The group included Muslims, Christians, and a Buddhist. This year we were honored to have the CEO of ASEAN lecture in the program. The site visits included the Singapore International Commercial Court, the Singapore International Arbitration Court, the Singapore Supreme Court, and the Singapore International Mediation Court. Students enjoyed weekend trips to Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and ferry rides to nearby islands. Our final group gathering was High Tea at Raffles Hotel.

Sydney 2016 – Evangeline Abriel

In the Sydney, Australia 2016 program, students examined a topic of critical importance around the world – the ways in which the United Nations and individual countries address the situation of people seeking refuge. The program also offered students an extraordinary opportunity to speak with Australian judges and lawyers and to observe Australian legal proceedings and in this way to compare the ways in which the two countries address issues of social justice. Highlights included observing a hearing in Federal Circuit Court and then discussing it over lunch in chambers with the presiding judge, the Honorable Nicholas Manousaridis. We also met with solicitors at the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Environmental Defenders Organization, and Criminal Defense Solicitor Justin Hutchinson led us on a fabulous legal history tour of Sydney and facilitated our observation of proceedings in the Criminal District Court of New South Wales. We were also fortunate to be able to meet with Barrister Jennifer Burn of Anti-Slavery Australia, who spoke to us about the global tragedy of human trafficking. We made time for lighter activities, as well – a Saturday trip to the Blue Mountains, an Aussie rules football game, petting wombats, quokkas, and koalas at the Featherdale Wildlife Park, and a gala farewell dinner at the home of Barrister Nicholas Poynder.

Tokyo 2016 – Philip Jimenez

The Summer Program in Tokyo, 2016 proved to be very exciting and informative for all. In addition to the excellent classes offered by our outstanding faculty, we were invited back to the Supreme Court where we received an excellent, comprehensive presentation on how the court functions, and a tour of this stunning example of Japanese architecture. We also received invitation to tour the Diet (Parliament), a gorgeous building, where we also were treated to an informative lecture. We also were invited to the new building complex of the Ministry of Justice, where we found the staff to be most hospitable. We were also treated to interesting observations on practicing law in Japan by SCU Alumni currently working in Tokyo.

On several occasions students and faculty sampled an array of Tokyo restaurants and local sights. Day trips to Kamakura, Nikko and other interesting places provided students with broader understanding of Japanese culture.

2016 Vienna – David Sloss

In summer 2016, twelve students attended Santa Clara’s summer program in Vienna. Students took three weeks of classes, including two weeks at the University of Vienna and one week at the Austrian National Defense Academy. The classes focused primarily on European Union Law. The students also learned about international business law and the differences between civil law and common law systems. We made site visits to the Austrian Parliament, the Austrian Supreme Court, and the United Nations. We also had a full-day field trip in which we toured a refugee camp and visited the Military Academy at Wiener Neustadt, which is roughly the Austrian equivalent of West Point. Students also had lots of time to explore Vienna – a city filled with wonderful art, music and history. After classes ended, most of the students did internships. The internships included placements with law firms in Budapest, a law firm in Kuwait, and a government agency in Vienna.