12 Visiting Jurists From Mexico’s Top Public Law Schools Come to USD

Part of a Program Funded by the U.S. State Department to Foster Close Ties Between U.S. and Mexican Faculty and Legal Experts

SAN DIEGO, CA – Coordinated by the Justice in Mexico program at the University of San Diego, the two-week long, Oral Adversarial Skill-Building Immersion Seminar (OASIS) program is an oral advocacy training program that provides skill building and exchange opportunities. This program is currently funded by the U.S. State Department as part of the Mérida Initiative.

The 12 visiting jurists will be attending lectures today on the U.S. criminal justice system at USD’s School of Law. They will travel to Los Angeles tonight and will return later in the week to continue their studies.

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USD School of Law

5998 Alcala Park

San Diego, CA 92110

Warren Hall, Classroom 2A

June 13, 2018:

• 9:30-12:30 – Lecture from USD Law School Professor Allen Snyder

• 2:00-5:00pm – Lecture on Alternative Sentencing

On Background:

OASIS has three specific objectives that will continue to guide Justice in Mexico’s efforts under the $5.5 million-dollar program ($2.2 million of which contributed to the recent USD campaign)

• Provide three 40-hour litigation workshops to 240+ law professors and students from Mexico’s largest public law schools (UNAM, Universidad de Guadalajara, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, and Universidad Benemérita de Puebla)
• Provide three study tours for Mexican jurists to learn about the U.S. criminal justice system
• Conduct annual international symposia for 500+ Mexican attorneys to learn about oral, adversarial, accusatory criminal justice systems, Mexico’s criminal justice reforms, and the role law schools will play in the transition to this new criminal justice system. It is the largest externally funded program for the social sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The University of San Diego’s Justice in Mexico program works to improve citizen security, strengthen the rule of law, and protect human rights in Mexico. It generates cutting edge research, promotes informed dialogue, and works to find solutions to address these enormously complex issues. Justice in Mexico is entirely funded by external grants and individual gifts and has been based at the University of San Diego since 2003. USD Masters in International Relations graduate director Dr. David Shirk is the principal investigator for the Justice in Mexico program, Mexican attorney Octavio Rodriguez is the program coordinator, federal public defender Janice Deaton is the OASIS lead instructor, and USD law professor Allen Snyder is the OASIS summer study trip coordinator. 

USD is a logical place for this kind of program because of our close proximity to Mexico, the high quality of our law school, and our long running Justice in Mexico program.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.