This summer, I guided a 29 day backpacking expedition in the European Alps. My co-leader and I were in charge of a group of 14 high school students, who came from all over the United States. We flew into Paris and then took numerous forms of transportation to get to Chamonix, a town in southeastern France. From Chamonix, we embarked on an 8 day backpacking trek along the Tour du Mt. Blanc, a well-travelled route that circles the Mt. Blanc massif. Unlike backpacking in America, we spent all of our nights in hostels or mountain huts, and we had all of our breakfasts and dinners served to us. Some nights we were even provided with Birkenstock clogs to wear around the mountain hut. This form of living wasn’t always a blessing, however. On the third day of hiking, 10 members of the crew suffered a diarrhea pandemic arising from food poisoning. On the fourth day of hiking, which happened to be the 4th of July, we crossed from France into Italy, where we were greeted by a giant snow storm. Aside from the snow storm, Italy treated us very well. On the seventh day of hiking, we crossed from Italy into Switzerland. On the eighth day of hiking, we arrived in Champex, Switzerland. We took a rest day in Switzerland and then we abandoned the Tour du Mt. Blanc in favor of the Haute Route. We then spent 10 days hiking on the Haute Route, making our way from Champex to Zermatt. The Haute Route proved to be more isolated, more strenuous, and more scenic than the Tour du Mt. Blanc. On the Haute Route, we walked along sheer cliff faces, we traversed snowfields, we glissaded down snow-covered slopes, and we saw phenomenal scenery, such as glacier-clad peaks rising up thousands of feet from the valley floor below. The participants even built a snowman one afternoon. And we were attacked by cows. To make a long story short, while we were taking a break one morning, one of the participants decided that it would be a great idea to feed some pretzels to a large bull. The bull, and some of his friends, then became very territorial and aggressive and ate a significant amount of our food. Thankfully, we were able to resupply in a town that evening. Our trek along the Haute Route ended when a herd of goats escorted us into Zermatt. While in Zermatt, we climbed the Breithorn, a glacier-clad peak next to the more famous Matterhorn. We also spent a night in the Hornli Hut at the base of the Matterhorn. To conclude our expedition, we spent three days sightseeing, relaxing, and consuming large quantities of food in Paris. We also saw Harry Potter (in English with French subtitles). In total, we hiked over 175 miles in 20 days, much of which was up and down hills/mountains. We did the equivalent of climbing from sea level to the top of Mt. Everest and then back down into the ocean again, plus some. The participants got to know one another exceptionally well. Many of our participants had studied French and they were able to practice their language skills. We also had a German speaking participant who got to practice his German. My summer abroad was unrelated to my legal studies, but it was a phenomenal experience nonetheless.

I set this blog up in May, right before I left for Israel with every intention of posting regular updates on my adventures. Now I have a week left before returning to the United States, and this is my first post. I know, it’s awful but, between my internship and traveling, I’ve been so busy this summer. Here are some highlights for whomever is interested:

My internship:

I have been working for the past three months at the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem as a foreign law clerk to President Dorit Beinisch. Israel, as a much newer and smaller country than the United States, has a more limited breadth of precedential caselaw to draw upon. Therefore, the Court often looks to foreign law when novel issues arise. Basically, I am responsible for researching the American approach to pending opinions. In addition to me, President Beinisch’s chambers consist of a British barrister who researches Commonwealth law, a German attorney who researches European law, two Israeli interns completing their year of mandatory post-law school apprenticeship, and three Israeli legal assistants who are permanent employees of the Court. My work has been extremely interesting and has spanned a variety of topics including administrative law, criminal law, constitutional law, family law, civil procedure, and anti-trust law. Working in a country’s highest court of law, especially in such a politically volatile area, has given me the opportunity to observe hearings of many controversial cases. Even though I can’t understand what’s going on (the hearings are in Hebrew), it’s really interesting to observe how the Israeli justice system works.

My travels:

During the little time I have off, I’ve tried to squeeze in as much traveling as possible. I’ve spent several days in Tel Aviv (a van from Jerusalem costs only five dollars!) enjoying the beach, restaurants, and amazing crafts market. I spent one weekend camping with a group of Israelis on the shore of Lake Kinneret (aka the Sea of Gailee), swimming during the day and cooking kebabs over an open fire at night. Early in the summer, I traveled to Caesarea to see Yehuda Poliker, a famous Israeli singer, perform in a Roman amphitheater under the stars. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend, Paul came to visit, and we spent ten days exploring the country. We started in Tel Aviv, then stayed in a moshav up north near the Lebanese border, went on a wine tour in the Golan Heights, drove through the Negev desert to Eilat, and spent a day in Jordan hiking through the ancient city of Petra.

As soon as I can figure out how to do it, I will post pictures of my Middle Eastern adventures.  I hope everyone else is enjoying what’s left of their summer.

I am Debora, a rising 2L, spending the summer working in Nairobi, Kenya. Together with 3 other Wash U law students, we have been working with Miss Koch Initiative, a community based organization based in Korogocho (the third largest slum in Nairobi). We deal with issues concerning sexual violence and girls; governance and human rights; sex education; and talent development among youth in Korogocho (also known as “Koch”).

I was able to witness the historic launching of Koch FM, the first community radio based solely in a slum. It is modeled after community radios that have sprung up in the “favelas” in Brazil. Koch FM serves as voice for the community and designs it programs to address human rights and other issues in Korogocho.

 Click here for pictures of the launch and other pictures of Nairobi.

Koch FM Launch

Koch FM Launch 2

Koch FM Launch 3: Caroline, one of the Koch FM presenters, speaks to the crowd.

Koch FM Launch 4: Part of the crowd

Downtown Nairobi: Along Kenyatta Avenue in the City Centre

Downtown Nairobi

Downtown Nairobi

Hello All,

 I arrived yesterday to the Hague, Netherlands and today started my first day of classes at the Hague Academy of International Law located in the Peace Palace.  The Hague is an enchanting city–and when I get rid of the jet lag I’m hoping to be able to explore beyond the traditional legal institutions where I will be spending most of my days.  The first day of classes were fascinating–but even more exciting is the mix of 340 students.  We represent 84 countries (including Iran & Iraq) and come from a diverse range of backgrounds (law student pales in comparision to the WTO, UN, State Dept. backgrounds my colleagues have).  My roommates are from China and Italy–but thankfully, they and my host mother both speak a substantial amount of English.  Since an extensive education in international law is prerequisite, the classes assume a lot of knowledge, and it is exciting to know how quickly my learning curve will grow. 

Hope you are all enjoying your summers!

Hello everyone!

I work in tax law research institute in Korea. My work here is pretty interesting, but usually done at night! At least people at J&P tell their intern to go home, but not here! My very first day, when I got home, it was after 11:00 and second day, it was after midnight. You get the point. Maybe it is due to my 2 hour commute, but I am getting used to it. But nice thing is I get my own office (they didn’t want to, but there was no other space to put me into ^^), but bad thing is they block all messenger IP address so I am stuck in my office to work, other than facebook!

Right now, I am working on some legislative research work, supposedly highly confidential! One more thing, I didn’t meet that many Ph.Ds in one place, but everyone is Ph.Ds here. Even though it is tax law center, lawyer’s presence is not strong here so they expect me to find very bizarre material in a second in Westlaw like finding a foreign tax code. (There is no way I can find it in one research when you stand behind me!) But it is great feeling to be able to help co-worker.

Anyhow, I will be moving mid-June, but this time I have to take that “hell line” 20 somewhat stations, not 3 stations so I am not so thrilled.

No, not home back to the US, but home as in “leave for the night”. It’s 9:22 pm right now and I’m taking a coffee break. They aren’t asking or expecting me to work this late but my project is really facinating. I’ll write what I can here, given confidentiality and all.

 We’ve got a big Foriegn Direct Investment project going on here. There are some really big names on our side, a country with newly developed laws on that side, and a contract that has to be drafted in English. Catch is, I’m the only native English speaker on either side!

 What does this mean? I’m drafting a contract that no law student has any business drafting! Still, I’ve got tons of support here and the people at this small firm are really wonderful. What I have for recources on this project right now is: one draft document of our clients desired contract (talking about the original transaction which has had its format revised), three model contracts, and a contract that has been dealing with the other country. Oh, and unlimited access to the laws and treaties of the other country.

No stress, you know. Really interesting stuff though. When I’m done with this I’m going to go out and see some more sites. At least they keep buying me lunch.

Jal ga!

Hey everyone!  My name is Stephen Wiese and I’m a rising 2L at WashU.  I’m spending this summer doing public interest work at an NGO in Kathmandu, Nepal.  It focuses generally on combatting corruption and protecting natural and cultural heritage in Nepal. 

I arrived about a week ago.  After trying to fit as much touristy stuff in before work started, today was supposed to be my first day.  However, a cabbie strike (called a bandh) made it nearly impossible to get to work.  Of course there were the options of walking or taking a rickshaw four miles, but my employer said that I ought to just take the day off.  So I’ll be starting tomorrow if all goes well.  That’s about all for now, but there will be more after work starts…

Hi everybody! I’m Gabriel Bell, and this is my return to Korea. Yes, return. Before I came to law school I spent three years living here and teaching English, and I’ve missed it so that I decided to to come back for a summer, maybe more.

My summer will be spent working a 10 week summer associate position at J&P Law in Seoul, Korea (South Korea if you aren’t in the country.. they don’t really care for the ‘South’ distinction here). I won’t be starting until Monday, so I’ve got a few days to settle in. Today I tried my commute on for size. Oddly enough, a 1 hours commute by subway wasn’t that bad, especially since I have only 3 stops to go on the “Hell Line” as they call it here. Well, that’s enough for now! I’ll post again on Monday.

Hello everyone back in St. Louie!

My name is Aaron Rifkind, I am a rising 3L at WashU Law, and have been in Singapore since December and because it is already mid-May, I really have a lot of catching up to do.  Let’s start with how I even got here in Singapore.  I had been frustrated with my experiences thus far at WashU.  The funny thing is, I love WashU, and I truly don’t believe I could have been happier anywhere else.  WashU was by far my number one choice of law schools when I was an undergrad and still is!  WashU is known for giving each student a unique law school experience through so many of its programs.  So what’s the deal you might ask?  Well, I came to WashU perhaps a little behind, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and came straight from undergrad. Although I am extremely goal oriented, sometimes to much, I also have the ability to think of the big picture very easily.  The 1L year, although it was never out-right stated, my peers and professors all made it seem as if grades were all that mattered.  Being new in law school, I followed the trend and worked my butt off to “follow the trend” and act as if that was all that mattered.  Yes, I was involved in many extra-curricular activities, in fact, I received honors in public service in that first year.  But, I also felt empty. Something wasn’t right and I could feel it all year.  I was taking the 1L curriculum, I really enjoyed Contracts, but nothing else suited me.  I had a propensity for corporate law and lets face it, criminal law, property law, they are quite far from that.  When you don’t take an interest in something and it happens to be extremely difficult, and competitive, your obviously going to have a tough time doing well.

At the very end of my first year I had heard about a study abroad meeting going on.  I was busy studying for a Property exam and had to miss it, but the idea did seem intriguing. Because I graduated early from college I never had the chance to go abroad.  So, I went online and saw that Singapore was an option.  My parents had been there two years prior which also furthered my initial intrigue.  When I looked at it closer, it seemed to be the chance of a life time.  I needed a change from my current situation at school, I grew up in an environment that greatly admires Asian culture, I had never traveled to Asia before, and above all, the school specialized in international business law.  I couldn’t believe this opportunity that I hadn’t heard one student talk about!  The NUS school literally offered more corporate law classes by itself then WashU or any other US school that I know of’s combined semester courses.  I applied, got accepted, and looked forward to heading out to Singapore. Of course, I did have to wait another semester since I wasn’t leaving until the following Spring, but it was well worth the wait.

I started off my experience in Singapore fairly shakey.  I hadn’t really gotten any information about what I’d do about housing, my student visa, when to be there, when school started, and I didn’t know anyone in the new and foreign country.  It turned out to be a major problem when I arrived with no where to stay. When I finally got a place to stay, it was nothing more then a bathroom sized room with an iguana in my closet and the heat of a smoldering furnace.  I didn’t have internet for a week or a cell phone.  Things were tough, I got there a little too early and NUS doesn’t really have the best management system in place.  I still believe that the only possible negative of the entire experience here has been the school management.

My first semester turned out great.  I took all international law and corporate law courses, all of which were new and exciting to me.  I took international law, international labour law, regulating the corporation, and legal thory and emergencies.  Everyone from WashU and NUS constantly asks me, what’s harder WashU courses or NUS courses? I always give them the same answer, they are completely different.  Some may completely dissagree with me, but my feeling is that WashU has done a really good job of using the Socratic method, especially the first year, to help you learn the black letter law.  You study nose deep in cases and learn how to develop your critical reading skills.  I think the problem with the method is that sometimes it fails to give a good macro perspective of the law and how it ties into other segments of society.  At NUS it was the complete opposite.  The school did a remarkable job tying corporate regulations and statutes into the bigger context.  The students are very bright, as a country that plays the international economic hub of all of Asia, the people are forced to pay attention to business much more then the average person in the US.  I think the weaker point in the NUS teaching system was the deeper analysis and critical reasoning that I had developed at WashU my first three semesters.  So, both schools teaching systems are completely different, but both great methods in their unique ways.  Either way, I learned soooo much in one semester, I was astonished to comprehend just how much I know about corporate law now only a semester later.

My experiences were priceless, once in the lifetime opportunities that I wish everyone at WashU could experience.  I really made the most of my experience here and can honestly say I’ve utilized every opportunity given to me. First of all I must say that the hawker food in Singapore that costs around $3 US is absolutely incredible! I also traveled a lot. I spent time on the beautiful beaches in Thailand, the craziness of Hong Kong, the amazing food, hostiry and culture of Taiwan, and the uniqueness of Malaysia.  I made friendships that I believe will last a lifetime.  Those friendships are not just with my peers, but with professors as well!  I also became both a research assistant during the semester and editor for two law reviews.  Looking back at the semester, it’s hard to believe that all of this was done in just one semester of school. One semester spent at NUS has opened my eyes completely.  I will be able to illustrate the extent of it later in this blog.  If you like amazing food from all over the world, to travel, experience new cultures, corporate law, and to expand your own views on the world, Singapore is by far the best experience you can get.  Actually, I’ve recently taken up learning Mandarin since I have been here and I must say, you can learn the extremely difficult language fairly quickly in this environment.  And you know what, if you are unable to study abroad here, I implore you to at least travel here sometime in your lifetime.  Actually, the most expensive casino in the world is being built currently and will be completed in 2 years, so if you do go in the future, I’m sure the feel will be different then my experiences as well.

After such an amazing semester in Singapore, I realized two things I never could have imagined when I first applied to come study at NUS; 1) I love Corporate law, not just any corporate law but specifically securities, finance law, and mergers & acquisitions, that is my path and, 2) I’m truly touched by Asian culture and may practice out here in the near future.  Those are two major comments considering where I was before I left, lost, confused, and frustrated.

To pursue those two realizations I applied to firms in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore the economic central markets of Southeast Asia.  While the lingering voice of not having the grades to pursue some of my dreams was still prevelent, I decided, I’ll just go ahead and do it and see what happens.  Although I knew what I wanted to practice and where, I still had no idea whether it’d be for a mediam sized firm, large international firm, or in house council. So, I just applied to all of them.  Sometimes at Washu, the most reminiscent being during On Campus Interviewing, I feel everything and everything becomes really narrowed.  Your given a list of law firms in St.Louis to apply to, which are all in one small part of the country, and the jobs are typically given to the the people with the highest grades, and thats that, forcing everyone to constantly compete for one thing, the grade.  A softer version of Paper Chase?  But, there really is a world out there outside of St. Louis, and even the U.S.  And, there is a world of firms that look well beyond grades to character, work ethic, writing ability, and people skills.  It did take courage to look outside of the box, but to anyone who feels how I feel, frustrated by the narrowed focus sometimes at school, and more specifically the atmosphere surrounding the field in general, I’m here to tell you that for me that outside the box moment came when I decided to go to NUS for a semester. And, it was because of WashU, which offers soo many unique opportunies for its students that I found it!  Other great opportunities at WashU also include besides other study abroad programs, the acclaimed clinical programs, you just have to see what fits you and go for it I guess.

Tomorrow is my last day working at a mediam-sized specialty firm.  The Singaporian law firm only does IPO’s and mergers & acquisitions.  I took the job because quite frankly, I thought it would be the best opportunity to further my knowledge in those areas.  And it has!  I’ve helped produce three due diligence reports, two corporate circulars, edited two corporate perspectus’ for major companies, went to integrated person transactions and corporate annual general meetings, and even created a securities contract (some of that stuff like circulars I had no clue what it even was when I first arrived).  The atmosphere here is incredible, everyone works extremely hard, but is also very friendly and they will always stop to give you a hand. The hours have been 9AM-6PM, and while you have to stay longer to finish project deadlines, its definitely very manageable.  I have nothing but the best compliments for this first internship experience that has lasted April and half of May.

Monday will be a completely different experience for me. I’m working at an international British law firm in the “Magic Circle” that is not only huge in size, but I’m expecting a very different type of atmosphere. Bigger, different atmosphere and different types of clients.  I’ll make sure to update you as I go! Wish me luck! This first blog is definitely very log, and if you were able to sit through the whole thing, maybe you can even read my next one, haha.  I also think part of you will hopefully feel the excitement I felt during my stay here and just maybe, will get you out here as well!

Aaron Rifkind

Professor Tokarz received word this morning that the group of students working in South Africa this summer have safely arrived.  I don’t know if any of them are reading this blog yet, but we’d love to hear how things are going.