Clinic/Internship dates - June 28 - July 30 and
Int'l Negotiations class dates - June 28 - July 30
The Kremlin, 15th Century
In Russia one learns a new truth a minute----------------------------------------Hubert Griffith
Classes
Transactions in Emerging Markets---------------------Mr Bruce Bean
The mantra of 21st century businesses is "going global." This is easy to say, but what does it actually mean for businesses and, in particular, for the lawyers who assist them? This course is designed to introduce many of the issues which arise in typical international business transactions. We will cover cross-border investment and will focus on emerging markets, primarily Russia. Greenfield investments, mergers and acquisitions and other transactions will be discussed. Among the topics to be covered are: What are the significant cultural considerations? Which types of business entities should be selected? What should be in a merger or acquisition agreement? What representations, warranties and covenants should be considered? What law should control the transaction? What regulatory issues will apply to the transaction? What limitations may be imposed by applicable national legislation? What happens if something goes wrong (dispute resolution)? How do we handle issues generally referred to as corruption? Currency, financing, repatriation of earnings and intellectual property will also be touched upon. While the course treats the crucial question of dispute resolution, the focus is not litigation, but preparing lawyers to complete successful cross-border transactions.
Exam: 6/24(3 cr.) MTWThF 9:00 am - 10:10am
Russian Law --------------------------------------------------Ms Marian Dent
Survey of Russian law's transition from Socialism to democratic structures. Students will analyze the Russian political and legal process, including federalism and conflicts among Russia's regions; balance of power in building a law-based state; the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure regime and the fight to control crime and capital flight without suppressing freedoms; the court system and the possibility of fair trials; the state of private property and business rights under the Russian Civil Code; and the civil procedure and arbitration processes for resolving business disputes.
Exam: 6/25 (3 cr) MTWThF 10:30 am - 12:10pm
The following one class will be held in Moscow only from June 28 to July 30
International Negotiations---------------------------------Mr Vladimir Lissniak
There is an extra surcharge involved for all students taking this class. No discount applies. Please see the Russia Budget for more information.
The theory of negotiation and the skills necessary to become effective negotiators, learned in part through active exercises and simulations. Special emphasis on international and cross-cultural negotiation.[Offered in conjunction with the top-ranked Russian business school; students should expect numerous Russian business and law students in the class.]
Tues and Thurs from 7pm - 10pm with 2 additional classes on Friday, July 16 and Friday, July 23. The class is organized together with business people from AIBEC (American Institute of Business and Economics).
Actual class days are: June 29, July 1, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27. All classes are mandatory.
Exam: (evening of 7/30) (2 cr.)
Exams are never given in advance.
Clinic/Internship ------ June 28 - July 30, 2010
Prerequisite: If you choose this Clinic, you must also take the two law classes offered in the first session above.
International Internship------------------------------------Ms Marian Dent
Students participate in practicing law in Moscow with a Western or Russian law firm, a government entity, or a non-governmental organization. Past placements have included Baker and McKenzie (intellectual property), Milbank Tweed Hadley and McCloy (business advisory work), Clifford Chance (corporate governance and foreign corrupt practices), the Free Trade Union Institute (assessing labor cases in Russian courts), Human Rights Watch (reporting on legal violations connected to Chechnya events) and the Center for Defense of International Rights (arguing human rights cases to the European Court of Human Rights). The nature of the work will vary with the placement and the matters at hand at the firm. Placements may include contract, financial, commercial, tax, antitrust, banking, labor, securities, real estate, and human rights law. Interns may participate in client interviews, negotiating sessions, meetings with government representatives, strategy sessions, due diligence sessions, and arbitration or litigation. The student may gather facts, and may draft, review, or translate contracts, opinion letters, trial or arbitration documents, and the like. Weekly seminars integrate the work experience. Students must keep a daily journal, present their work product for review, and prepare a short paper relating the work experience to their academic program. Pre-requisite: completion of Transactions in Emerging Markets and Russian Law courses, or equivalent experience or courses are required. (Graded HP, P, LP, F).
No Exam (4 cr) MTWThF 9-6+pm
Clinic/Internship Application Process
There is a prerequisite that you must take the two earlier law classes before you can do the Clinic. Unless you have already attended our program in the past and have already taken these two law classes. (just taking the Int'l Negotiations class does not qualify)
Early Clinic application is strongly suggested (January & February)! Preference is given to students who have completed at least two years of law school, who speak Russian or who are alumni of our summer program, who speak Russian. In recent years, there have been enough places to accommodate everyone who applied who do not speak Russian, even first year students, in one internship or the other.
If you indicate that you would like to work for a Russian speaking firm and to give the Moscow firms an accurate evaluation of your Russian-language ability, we will arrange a telephone conversation in Russian with a Russian speaking national. This individual does not work for any Russian firm. Based on that test and your application documents, payments, USD will estimate whether you are able to do the work required in Russian. If not, USD will do its best to place you with a firm where the Russian language is not required to do your work for the Clinic.
1) A complete resume (c.v.) to our office.
2) An informal letter to our office with any job or clinical experience, linguistic abilities or foreign travel, also telling us if we are unable to find a firm for you, which classes would you like to take instead.
3) A formal letter (with your signature) (think of this letter as a job interview letter, addressed to - To Whom it may Concern) and send to our office, explaining why you would like to work with a firm and stating what type of work you would be interested in doing for a firm. Please give at least 2 examples of the type of work you would like to do in this formal letter (Int'l Business Contracts, Int'l Human Rights, Constitutional Law, etc.).
4) Two law faculty Letters of Recommendation that are on letterhead and signed. If you work for a law firm and would like to submit a letter from them as well, that is fine. Also professor's know what to say, they have done this before. This letter should at least address your classroom interaction, any activities the professor knows of that involve you, type of student you are in class, etc..
5) Student should also include an unofficial transcript containing this fall's grades.
6) Provide a sample of your legal writing.
7) Bring/mail/fax or send as an e-mail attachment all this information to cking@sandiego.edu Ms Cindy King, USD, 5998 Alcala Pk LS 310, San Diego CA 92110-2492; 619-260-2230-fax
8) Once you have provided USD-San Diego with all the required paperwork for the Clinic, proper payment and if necessary, the results from your language test, then all your information will be forwarded to the Clinic Director. From that point on, you will deal directly with the Clinic Director and not with our office. Knowing where you will work can take a while. Sometimes you may not even know until you arrive in Russia. Russian firms take their time in getting back to the Clinic Director with answers. Please be patient!
As decisions must be made in both San Diego and Russia to obtain an internship, your prompt action in submitting all required documents and appropriate payment (within 2 weeks of applying) is to your benefit, as available internships are very limited and no movement can be put forward until we have all the required documents, results of any language test and the appropriate payment.
USD will make every effort to place each internship applicant in an appropriate office. Sometimes these placements are not finalized until the students arrive in Moscow. Occasionally, it is not possible to place an intern because the final decisions rest with the law offices. If that eventuates, the student should be prepared to take courses as alternates to the Internship. Appropriate refunds of the extra tuition paid will be made to either you, back to your lender or back to your school.
If you decide to withdraw from just the Clinic and take classes instead, because USD could not find you a placement, a total refund of all extra monies paid for this Clinic will be refunded either back to you, your lender, or school with no deductions.
If you decide to totally withdraw from the Clinic and decide not to take any classes, because USD could not find you a placement, a total refund of all monies paid will be refunded either back to you, your lender, or your school with no deductions.
If you decide to totally withdraw from the Russia Clinic program on your own before April 1st, then the regular Russia refund policy applies. If you totally withdraw from the Russia Clinic program on or after April 1st, there is no refund of any monies already paid.
If you decide to take classes in another USD program, please discuss this change with Ms Cindy King at cking@sandiego.edu as soon as possible.
Applications for Internships will be accepted as long as places remain.
Applications should be accompanied by either proof of a Wire Transfer or a US dollar check payable to USD and sent to Ms King at the address below to enroll you. If applying before March 13th, a non-refundable payment of $200 is due; if applying between March 13th and March 31st, the payment amount should be $400 (which includes the non-refundable fee). Full tuition payment is due with your application if applying on or after April 1st, and you should e-mail Ms King at cking@sandiego.edu to ascertain that a post-April 1 application will be entertained.
Russian Language Classes
There will be a beginning-level conversation course entitled "Survival Russian" offered for 50 minutes a day for 3 weeks of the program on MTWThF, about 1:30pm -2:20pm. The course is available to participants and accompanying persons. It is not for college credit. Cost: $85 per person.
If there is sufficient demand, there will also be a course meeting for 90 minutes per day for the first 3 weeks of the program in "Legal Russian" designed to introduce persons with intermediate Russian language to Russian legal vocabulary and to typically-used Russian legal constructions. Legal Russian is highly recommended, but not required, for students taking the International Internship.Cost: $150 per person. Course times will be agreed upon by both students and professors.
Faculty
Bruce Bean, Professor of Law, Michigan State U. Formerly: partner (then managing partner), Coudert Brothers Moscow; partner, Clifford Chance Moscow; chair, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia; chair, ABA Committee on Russia-Eurasia; law clerk to 2d Circuit Judge Leonard Moore. Author of numerous articles on Russian Law and investment in Russia. AB Brown, JD Columbia.
Marian Dent, Dean and Professor of legal writing and int'l business transactions; Dean, Pericles American Business and Legal Education Project Moscow; 2009 Moscow Institute Director. Former Director, ABA CEELI program in Moscow and associate, Lockhart and Kirkpatrick. Author of numerous articles on Russian law. BA SDSU, Dipl International USD Russia Institute, JD UC Berkeley.
Vladimir Lissniak, Russian lawyer practicing in Moscow and faculty, Int'l Law Institute of the Russian Ministry of Justice and American Institute of Business and Economics. JD Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
As one former student stated, "This was the best experience I've had in any academic program. (UCSD, USD, etc). I very highly recommend it!"
Add/Drop / Wait list Information
Application Form & Personal Data Sheet