All posts tagged: International Law

Spring Semester in Japan – Experience It for Yourself

Hi, my name is Christina Snyder. I graduated from the Fox School of Business at Temple University in 2013, the Beasley School of Law at Temple in 2018 and I am currently pursuing my Tax LLM at Temple Law. Safe to say I love Temple and Philadelphia. However, during my spring 2018 semester I found a new love, Japan. I had the opportunity to participate in the Temple Law School Study Abroad program at their Temple University Japan campus for my last semester of law school. Although nervous about living in a foreign country with a very different language and culture the staff at Temple Law School (both campuses) assured me everything would go great and boy, were they right. Although I was there to study I had the time of my life. Education didn’t happen just in the classroom. Most of the classes are held one day a week in the evenings. This left plenty of time for traveling, exploring and eating. The law program arranged a number of group trips including a sumo …

Japan Study Abroad – A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

My semester at Temple University Law School’s Japan campus was by far the best experience I had during my time in law school. TUJ’s study abroad program provided me with unique access to an extraordinary city, internship opportunities and courses taught by locally-practicing attorneys, and lifelong friendships. Tokyo is an incredibly beautiful and accessible city (walkable with an extremely efficient metro system). On weekends I explored different areas of the city which had a seemingly unending assortment of entertainment, cuisine, views, and cultural landmarks. During spring break, I flew with a classmate to Niseko, Hokkaido, where we spent the week skiing before exploring the famous seafood scene in Sapporo. I cannot overemphasize how friendly and helpful the locals were during my stay. The owner of my hostel in Niseko even gave me a hand-written thank you letter the day I moved out! The staff at TUJ clearly cared about each student participating in the spring program. From the day I began my initial application last July through the end of my semester in Japan and …

My Spring Semester at Temple Law’s Japan Campus

My time studying at Temple University Japan campus (TUJ) was, without a doubt, one of the most fruitful and rewarding experiences of my law school career. As a Program, TUJ is incredibly well integrated as an American university in a sprawling foreign metropolis. As a country, Japan is amazingly sophisticated and well worth understanding for those curious to understand the future. If you are someone who enjoys adventure, has international aspirations, or is innately curious, I cannot recommend this program enough. Educationally, classes are well-integrated for those considering careers in international law or seeking an added dimension to their personal brand. The added benefit of small classes allowed me to personally connect with professors on an intimate level not possible elsewhere and obtain quality mentorship from international field leaders. Professionally, TUJ helped arrange fantastic internship opportunities at top-notch organizations, assisting students to gain valuable experience and build upon their CV’s. With opportunities at global firms like Morgan Lewis and BMW, students have the chance to network, experience life as an international practitioner, and strengthen their …

A Day at the High Court of Uganda

For most of this program, I am the sole lecturer, and our days are taken up with typical Trial Advocacy coursework – directs and crosses; openings and closings; basic trial skills; depositions and mediation.  This past Thursday morning, however, the program brought in a guest speaker to speak about technological developments related to African courts.  While I’m sure I could have learned a great deal from the speaker, I used this as an opportunity to sneak off to the Ugandan High Court. The High Court building is surrounded by a high, guarded gate and barbed wire, but is open to the public nonetheless.  The High Court serves as the trial court level for significant criminal cases in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.  Lesser criminal offences start off in magistrate courts elsewhere.  I am told the High Court hears appeals as well. Still, given that the population of Kampala is a little larger than Philadelphia, the building struck me as small.  As near as I could find, there were only 6 courtrooms, and only one of them …

The Temple Law Rome Program – An Unconventional Law School Experience

“So, what are you doing this summer?” Every law school student hears this question regularly. Traditional answers include working as a research assistant, a judicial clerk, or a summer associate, and each of these experiences is unique and valuable. However, during my first year of law school, my answer to that question was an unconventional one. I studied abroad in Rome through the Temple Law Rome program. A number of factors contributed to my decision to go to Rome; I had always been interested in studying abroad and my closest friends were enrolled in the program. But in hindsight, this program delivered more benefits than I anticipated at the time of enrollment. For me, Temple Law Rome provided valuable insights that I used in job interviews and enabled me to really get to know my Temple Law professors. I spent my afternoons and evenings strolling through the city streets, periodically taking breaks to grab a cappuccino or a slice of pizza. The number of attractions to see in Rome is astonishing—the Forum, the Coliseum, the …

Temple Rome – An Internship Abroad

I came to law school as what you may call a non-traditional student.  Sixteen years after graduating with my bachelor of science and working in the financial sector and then employee global mobility, I decided to return to school.  I first entered law school as a part-time student in the evening division at Widener Delaware Law, and then I transferred to Temple Law after my first year.  After my first semester at Temple, I transferred to the day division as a full-time student. When I transferred to Temple, I was most interested in international studies and, in particular, the study abroad program in Rome.  My main fields of interest in law are global business and U.S. business immigration.  Not only was I interested in the breadth of courses offered to prepare me for the workforce, but I felt the Rome program would give me an opportunity to understand another culture, another law structure (Italy practices civil law, whereas the United States practices common law), and another way of life.  Getting outside of my comfort zone …

Thoughts on Temple Rome

I became interested in the Temple Law Rome Summer Program because I studied abroad in Rome as undergrad and fell in love with the city. Additionally, I had an interest in international law and was hoping to learn more through the program. One of my favorite parts about the program was how close we were able to get to our professors. It was a great opportunity to develop stronger, more personal relationships with them because we were able to spend time with them in both academic and social settings. We had an aperitivo at Professor McCarthy’s apartment one afternoon, which was exceptionally fun and led to many engaging conversations. For anyone who does not know what aperitivo is, it is the Italian equivalent of happy hour, but much better and with a variety of appetizers. Professor McCarthy and Professor Murray were very open to discuss all sorts of topics over wine and plates of cheese. It was definitely a night to remember! Participating in this program helped me to realize that language and cultural barriers …

Temple Rome – A Cultural and Educational Experience

After the stress of my first year of law school finally settled, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Rome, Italy this summer to study in the Summer in Rome program. I studied at Temple for my undergraduate degree and had always been interested in the summer program, but always had conflicting internships or summer plans that prevented attending. I knew this was probably one of my last chances to study abroad and spend over a month in Europe. One of my biggest concerns was whether I would be able to find a summer internship that would accommodate this program, and obviously the cost of attending. I was lucky enough to find both a judicial internship with a judge who was supportive of my plan and accommodating of my later start date, as well as a scholarship to study in the Rome Program. Temple was extremely accommodating and helpful to students in making the accommodations they needed to get as much out of their summer as they could. In Rome, I studied International Dispute …

My Story: The Temple-Tsinghua LL.M. Program

This summer was special for me in many ways. For one, I came back to Philadelphia, a city where I spent half a year as a visiting scholar with Temple Law in 2013. It meant enjoying the beauty and historical sightseeing of this city one more time, meeting old friends at Temple Law, and making new ones. Coming back to Philly to do part of my LL.M. program as a full-time student with my Chinese classmates also meant an unexpected opportunity to experience campus life once more. What’s more, I was extremely looking forward to meeting Temple Law professors to learn from them, and to get a better idea of how American law schools prepare law students for their legal careers. With all those thoughts in my mind, I arrived in Philly. It turned out to be something more amazing and wonderful than what I had expected. During the two-month program, we took 3 courses focusing on the practical aspects of American legal education. We got the big picture of American trial advocacy; we learned …