Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, January 2002 (Vol. 30, No. 5). All rights reserved.

Going Global

Students are embracing the growth of international law practice and learning about the world around them by participating in summer study abroad programs.

by Barry E. Katz

It didn't take long for Elizabeth Trottier to fit in on the crowded streets of Cairo. In Egypt last summer for a five-week study abroad program sponsored by her law school, the 23-year-old Seton Hall student kept a low profile. She watched what she wore, watched where she went, watched her wallet. Before she left the United States, she had researched Egyptian culture and knew what would be expected of her as a visitor. She avoided tight T-shirts and other clothes that would draw attention. When visiting mosques, she donned a veil. In time, she picked up enough Arabic to reply in conversations and extend basic courtesies.

"Traveling abroad changes you in so many different ways," says Trottier, who participated in one of the for-credit summer overseas programs sponsored last year in about 45 countries by more than 80 ABA-approved law schools.

Although the war on terrorism has created some uncertainty among the offerings of this summer's programs, the benefits of studying abroad haven't diminished for law students. The experience is said to be a cultural eye-opener and essential for anyone who intends to practice international law someday. And in the years to come, just about all lawyers are likely to see at least some international work cross their desks.

That's because law, like everything else, is becoming more global. The Internet has transformed businesses and the legal structures in which they operate. Many of the world's national economies have become intertwined and, to some degree, dependent on one another. Treaties like the North American Free Trade Agreement have eliminated trade barriers. Some law firms have begun to specialize in "regulatory arbitrage"- helping businesses exploit rules in different countries to their advantage.

M. Christie Helmer, a partner and chairwoman of the international practice area at Miller Nash, a 150-lawyer firm based in Portland, Ore., regularly interviews candidates who want to do international work.

"I look for somebody who speaks a foreign language fluently," says Helmer, whose firm employs eight to 12 lawyers who spend half or more of their time on international transactions, litigation, or arbitration. "Someone who has lived overseas would be ideal. So a study abroad program would be excellent to meet that. Some people have actually worked overseas, which is even better, because you're there longer, plus you get some business experience as well as experience as a student."

Although they may not specialize in international work, most lawyers, even those in solo practices or small firms, will end up doing some of it.

"I know a mid-sized firm here that inadvertently ended up doing work for a British client, for a Hong Kong client," says Philadelphia lawyer J. Christopher Erb, who, with his wife Kelly, runs a small firm specializing in international law. "They don't push it. They only get it by chance, and they still get the work. So if you focused on it, it makes it all the easier."

The Erb Law Firm serves foreign clients seeking to do business in this country.
"I do a lot of inbound investment in the United States," says Erb, a 1997 graduate of Temple University School of Law. "Foreign companies who want to set up a subsidiary or get involved in operations in the United States-I do a lot of that kind of work. And I do the business immigration associated with that." Kelly, also a Temple law grad, deals with the international tax aspects of setting up a business here.

The Erbs' clients include an Australian company that imports earth-moving equipment into the United States, a German company that manufactures paper and tissue products for the hospitality industry, a German software company, and an Italian furniture maker. Fluent in German, Christopher Erb travels overseas two to three times a year to meet with clients, scout prospects, and give presentations to foreign lawyers.

Erb, who participated in the University of San Francisco School of Law's Prague summer study abroad program while a student at Temple, says there are many opportunities to practice international law without relocating to a foreign country. He advises young lawyers to get involved in the communities that foreign businesses go to for advice when making a decision on investing in the United States, like the local German-American Chamber of Commerce.

Even though a lawyer might not relocate abroad, some amount of overseas living or working experience is a necessity in international legal work, Erb says.

"I spoke to a lawyer once who said she was incredibly interested in international, and that's where she wanted to be," he says. "But there wasn't a thing on her résumé that said she had ever left the country or was ever planning to. An overseas program … can be used to establish credibility. And if you go over and really get involved in the culture, you can actually communicate a lot better with clients from that country or that area of the world."

As a student, Erb came back from the Prague program with an in-depth perspective on the transition of Eastern Europe to a market economy. He admits he hasn't taken advantage of that experience as much as he'd like, but he hopes to become more involved in that market. He also learned much about various European legal systems, which helps him immensely with his European clients today.

"The most important thing, I think, is that it made me realize just how different international legal systems can be, and you really need to take these things into account," Erb says. Despite the trend toward globalization, he adds, there are still many differences among countries.

"As a student, if you're going over, you should make some effort to learn something about the local country and its laws, rather than spending your time learning about American law, which I think a lot of students do," he says. "If you want to use [a study abroad program] as a stepping stone to an international career, you need to pay attention to the culture you're in, the country you're in, and learn something from it." Erb cautions students against studying abroad just "to drink a lot of exotic beer and have a good summer."

That doesn't mean students shouldn't have a good time while abroad. Class lessons are just one part of what students should come away with from a study abroad program. Most programs encourage students to get out into the community and experience the culture.

"Living in another country is a totally different thing from traveling to another country," Trottier says. "In the summer program, you really live there… .You experience day-to-day activities. By living there day to day, you see more of the little idiosyncrasies of the culture."

Twenty-four-year-old April Orlowski, a law student at the State University of New York at Buffalo, went to London in the University of Miami's summer program right after wrapping up her first year at law school last May. She was surprised at the amount of freedom students there were given.

"I was expecting something more structured as far as what you did with your time outside of classes," she says. "Once you're done with the classes, the time was yours."

Orlowski spent time researching study abroad programs before finally settling on Miami's London program. She went to the international education office on campus and pored through its books to learn about other countries. She came across the University of Miami program in the annual summer abroad directory in Student Lawyer.

"I compared, honestly, price," she says. "I compared the length of the programs. I looked at the class offerings and the teachers."

Orlowski's program included five weeks of classes, plus a two-week break, which students used to travel throughout Europe. She had class five days a week, three to four hours a day. Students could enroll in two courses; she took international human rights law and international criminal law. It was her first time overseas.

"Getting there by myself was hard," says Orlowski, who spent about $1,000 on her direct flight to London. "But once I got to London, everyone was very helpful…. I learned that the world is a lot bigger than what you think if you've lived in Buffalo all your life. There is more out there, there are so many different people, and you've got to keep an open mind to the world in different experiences."

Her class traveled to Paris for a legal lecture. "Getting a feel of what French lawyers actually do was amazing," Orlowski says.

Seton Hall's Cairo program sponsored weekend trips. Trottier went to Alexandria, watched the sun rise from the top of Mount Sinai, and cruised down the Nile River.

"I remember sitting at the top deck of the cruise boat thinking to myself, 'I'm on the Nile, just sailing through Egypt!' I mean, how many people get to have this opportunity?" she says.

Orlowski and her classmates stayed in a dorm at the University of London. Trottier lived in a University of Cairo dorm on the Nile River island of Zamalek.

"It was gorgeous facilities, luxurious living," Trottier says. "It was more than I expected going to Cairo."

Not all students return stateside with such rosy views. Philip Musico, a Touro Law Center 2L, says he stayed last summer in a Moscow State University dorm with a run-down bathroom and a cot that was about 6 inches shorter than his 6-foot frame. The dorm food was awful, he adds. He and friends wound up spending money at McDonald's, TGI Friday's, and a pizzeria.

The airport he flew into was drab, Musico reports. It took him three hours to get through customs as women in military uniforms screamed at people to get in line. On the streets in Moscow, police randomly stopped people to inspect their visas. One officer tried to sell Musico's friend his police hat for $10.

Despite any inconveniences or the cost, most students consider their summer abroad programs a bargain.

"Financially, it worked out well for me," says Detroit lawyer Kenneth Willis, who spent part of his summer of '97 in Romania in a Michigan State University program.

"Believe it or not, I spent less on tuition to take classes there than I would have if I had stayed and taken summer classes in Lansing," Willis says. Room and board for his program were included in the price, he notes.

Willis, who graduated in 1998 and now specializes in medical malpractice defense, says he and nine other students stayed in a hotel in Cluj-Napoca after the dorm rooms they were supposed to move into turned out to be occupied. Access to computers during his stay was limited, so he ended up writing papers by hand.

Trottier spent about $5,000 for airfare, housing, and tuition for the three international law courses she took in Cairo. She says the experience was well worth it.

"You grow, you learn about other cultures," she says. "What I liked most about the program was that it was a completely different culture. I'd never been to the Middle East or any Arab countries. I'd never known what it meant to live in an Islamic nation. Especially as a Western woman, this was a very interesting experience for me.

"Every time you travel you develop strength for having experienced a new country and a new culture. You become a stronger person. You're more adaptable; you can more easily fit into new situations….

"The trip, like anything else, came with a price tag. But the experiences you have are immeasurable. You can't put a price on them."

So Many Countries, So Many Programs

How do you go about choosing the summer study abroad program that's right for you? Here are some tips:

Location. Decide whether you want to immerse yourself in a culture completely different from your own, or whether you'd feel more comfortable in a country whose language and customs you're familiar with. Keep in mind that most courses in ABA-approved study abroad programs are taught in English.

Program. Browse through the directory of summer study abroad programs in this issue (pages 27-75). For further detail, you can request brochures from the schools themselves or view program descriptions on the web. The ABA offers links to most programs at www.abanet.org/legaled (click on "Foreign Study," then "Summer Programs").

Cost. Compare cost per credit and what the overall price includes. Some programs include room and board in the tuition bill, some don't. Is financial aid available? Determine where you'll stay. In a dorm? A hotel? Will you be on your own for housing?

Curriculum. Check the courses offered. Are they what you're looking for? Will they benefit you in the long run? If not, there might be another program in the same country that has the courses you want.

Be sure to confirm that the ABA has approved the course you select. If you're going to another law school's program, determine whether the credits you earn will transfer to your own school.

Who will teach the courses? Most programs bring over American professors to teach but invite foreign lawyers or professors to participate. What new perspectives would the teachers bring to the subjects?

Perhaps the best judges of the quality of a program are former students. Ask schools for names and give them a call.

-Barry Katz

What About Terrorism?

Many law schools are reviewing security provisions for students in their summer abroad programs this year, and some are prepared to cancel altogether should any danger be imminent.

Drake University Law School sponsors a summer abroad program at the University of Nantes in France. "Once our students are in Nantes, we believe it is far enough off the beaten path that it would be an unlikely scene for terrorist activity," associate dean David McCord says. "We work closely with the University of Nantes and will certainly take their advice about any additional security precautions our students need to take while in Nantes or when traveling on their own elsewhere in Europe.

"Of course, if the international scene becomes too problematic, we always have the option of simply canceling the program. We would hate to have to do that, because it is a great educational experience. But the safety of our students would take precedence."

South Texas College of Law, which sponsors programs in Turkey, Malta, and other countries, will monitor U.S. State Department travel advisories and warnings for the host countries.

"Should a travel advisory be issued for an area where one of our programs is located, participants are given the choice to withdraw and receive a full tuition refund," says Wanda Morrow, assistant dean. "If we determine that our students or faculty are at greater risk in an area of instability, we would cancel the program and refund monies paid to the school, which we have done in the past."

Morrow says any decision on whether to cancel probably won't be made until mid-spring.
The University of Tulsa College of Law's fall semester London program holds classes in a building owned by Florida State University. Other schools' study abroad programs also are in the building, says Tulsa professor Linda Lacey.

"As a security precaution, the manager of the building removed all identification indicating that it was affiliated with American schools," says Lacey, whose school also sponsors summer programs in Buenos Aires and Dublin. "We also issued our students information provided by the American embassy and will continue to advise them of travel warnings about other countries. Of course, we always have emergency contact information for all of our study abroad students so they can be reached in the event of an emergency."

-Barry Katz