After a two-year pandemic caused delay, the Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law held its 57th Academy of American and International Law running from May 29 - July 1. Twenty-nine attorneys and legal professionals from seventeen countries attending this year’s Academy.
The first week of the course featured Dr. Susan Karamanian, Dean of the College of Law at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, introducing participants to the U.S. legal system and Constitution. The week also featured an outstanding judicial panel consisting of federal judges from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Western District of Louisiana, and a local Texas district judge, who discussed the process that led to them being judges and practicing before both federal and state U.S. courts. The first week of the course concluded with three days of lectures on international business transactions by Professor Timothy Meyer of the Vanderbilt University Law School and the first exam of the Academy.
Continuing a long-standing Academy tradition, the participants were treated to a day in Fort Worth, Texas, on the first Saturday of the program. They visited the National Cowgirl Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Kimball Art Museum, and the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. The day closed with an evening in the Fort Worth Stockyards where they tried on cowboy hats, purchased cowboy boots, ate local foods, were mesmerized by Texas longhorn cattle, and enjoyed live music. Pictures of the trip to Fort Worth can be found on SWIICL’s LinkedIn page.
The second week began with an interactive course on international negotiations with Professor Elizabeth McClintock of the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the Fletcher School, Tufts University. This was followed by an introduction to the first group project of the Academy, a project where students are put into groups and tasked with analyzing an international compliance problem and preparing a memo an oral response to be presented later in the course. This introduction was preceded by an intensive course on the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other current compliance topics by Daniel Pickelner of Wood Mackenzie. The week ended with two days of lectures and an exam on international litigation in US Courts with Professor Donald Earl Childress III of the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law.
A new social event during this second week was an evening visit to TopGolf where participants enjoyed a restful evening playing golf —many for the first time. Participants also had a joint lunch with over 50 U.S. police officers in the School of Police Supervision class of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration, our sister institute.
The third week began with an insightful and engaging day on legal writing in plain English with Professor Bryan Garner. This was followed by a three-day course on business organizations taught by Professor Jens Christian Dammann of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. This week the class also presented their solutions to the law firm problem to Mark Michels of the Santa Clara University Law School and Daniel Pickelner of Wood Mackenzie who acted as law firm partners evaluating their solutions. Finally, the week ended with an interactive cyber breach workshop where participants ran through simulation exercises assuming corporate leadership roles designed to put them in their client’s shoes during the simulation. This workshop was led by Mark Michels and facilitated by Shawn Tuma of Spencer Fane LLP and Micah Skidmore of Haynes Boone.
This week the participants also spent a leisurely evening experiencing “America’s Favorite Pastime” at Riders Field watching a Frisco RoughRiders baseball game.
The penultimate week of the Academy began with an energetic day of Arbitration taught by Professor Frédéric G. Sourgens of the Washburn University School of Law. Participants were then able to spend several days this week examining specialized topics including regulating environmental impacts with Professor Vanessa Casado Pérez of the Texas A&M University School of Law, Business and Human Rights with Professor Evelyn Aswad of the University of Oklahoma School of Law, and international bankruptcy with Judge Michael M. Parker of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas and Amber M. Carson of Gray Reed. Academy participants were also able to visit the Collin County Courthouse where they saw a mock voir dire by Mitch Little of Scheef & Stone. Judge Jennifer Edgeworth also showed the class the video all potential Collin County jurors see, explained the jury process, and then gave them a tour of her chambers and the courthouse.
After their visit to the courthouse, participants then traveled to the McKinney Historic Square and had lunch, did some shopping, sampled some wine at the winery, picked up candy and popcorn, and enjoyed a couple of hours exploring Downtown McKinney.
The final week of the Academy began with the timely Symposium on Global Business: The Challenges of Doing Business in an Imperfect World. This program was attended by the Academy and was presented online for other participants around the world to watch live. Academy participants then spent a day learning about international tax with Professor Lori McMillan of the Washburn University School of Law.
Participants also enjoyed both participating and watching a mock trial this week. Jordan Kazlow of Baker Botts and Taylor Robinson of Haynes Boone served as trial counsel and mentors for their co-counsel and Academy class members Lucy Stratton of Baker McKenzie in South Africa and Belen Godinez of Procter & Gamble in Mexico. Academy participants also took the role of witnesses and members of the jury. Academy courses finished with a full double class day on legal ethics and professional responsibility with Barbara B. DePeña and Geoff Gannaway of Beck Redden LLP and Contracts and Contract Drafting with Professor Harry W. Sullivan, Jr. of the Texas A&M University School of Law.
The 57th Academy concluded with their farewell luncheon and graduation ceremony. Class Speaker Meriem Boujida gave a rousing and heartfelt speech at the ceremony before it was time to adjourn the class this year. After five long weeks together, the 29 participants of the 57th Academy were ready to return home. They take with them the knowledge they have gained during the course and the life-long relationships they have forged with their classmates and others.
A flagship program of The Center for American and International Law since 1964, the Academy is a five-week course taught by an outstanding faculty of law school professors and practitioners. In addition to the intensive educational focus on the U.S. legal system and international business transactions, the Academy provides participants with an opportunity to develop professional and personal relationships with a diverse group of legal professionals from around the world.
