UC Law students set course for Colombia

The tour was originally planned for March 2020 but cancelled just three days prior to travel. Offered again this spring, the course still represents a major stride for the college, as short-term study abroad options are rare in law schools.

International collaborations are nothing new for UC Law, which is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Master of Laws (LLM) program, a postgraduate degree program designed for internationally trained lawyers to gain experience with the U.S. legal system.

“The LLM program has brought the world to UC Law,” explained Nora Burke Wagner, assistant dean for international and graduate programs and director of the LLM program. “Our LLM students are folded into nearly every aspect of the college. By being involved in all those activities, they are creating an international experience for our mostly American JD students.” 

The study abroad opportunity was open to both JD and LLM students, integrating the programs still further and offering an immersive, global experience for all participants. And for Wagner and program lead Sean Mangan, professor of practice, co-director of the Corporate Law Center and director of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, going to Colombia was an opportunity to continue strengthening connections for the College of Law on a global scale. 

The students hit the ground running in Colombia. Upon arrival, the group had two days to explore city sights and meet their counterparts from Javeriana over dinner.

Over the next week, they heard from a variety of lecturers enlisted by Szegedy-Maszák for their expertise in topics such as green energy, the Colombian economy and human rights.

Together, the students from both countries also put their knowledge to the test in a negotiations exercise designed by Mangan. The UC students were posed as an American startup company, with the Javeriana students acting as potential foreign investors. With a short fact sheet between them, the two groups negotiated a contract to get the best deal for each side.

“The students had to comprehend the scenario, develop a rapport, advance their client’s objectives, and reduce their conversations to an enforceable agreement, all across language and cultural differences and in a very limited amount of time,” explained Mangan. “You can always tell a good exercise by the volume in the room, and the enthusiasm and effort from the students far exceeded my expectations.”

The study abroad course ultimately set a precedent for future faculty-led study abroad in the College of Law. The only decision now is how often travel goes on the docket.

“So far, the response to offering this opportunity has been so positive that I can't imagine we wouldn't do it again,” said Wagner. “We absolutely think it's essential to connect students to opportunities that will help them develop the competencies needed to excel in the global legal marketplace.”

Although not all of the students may ever work in fields they studied in Colombia, they agreed that the experience provided real-world value for their future careers.

“The world is increasingly globalizing, and so, if you understand law from a different perspective and a different point of view, you're going to be a much better lawyer,” said Szilagyi. “Being more familiar with the world itself will help you gain better perspective, rather than only being exposed to the American mindset, the American rule of thumb and the American way of doing it.”

Sriskandarajah added, “There's more value in study abroad besides adding value to your law degree. It makes people better people, because you can't be ethnocentric. It makes you a more personable person and builds cultural competency. We can always use a lot of that.”

Featured image: College of Law students stand outside the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia. Photo/provided by Sean Mangan.