When Ken Taylor first found out he could go on an international exchange as part of his law TRU Law degree, he jumped at the chance.
“I decided that it would be great to spend my final year learning about other legal cultures, and the prospect of travelling Europe was tremendously exciting,” said Taylor, who is graduating this spring.
Taylor was one of the first students to participate in an exchange program between TRU Law and the European Business School (EBS), in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he spent the fall of 2016.
“The best part of the experience by far was meeting people in the program—there were students from over a dozen nations, many of whom came from countries with civil law traditions” said Taylor.
“It was really neat to compare our perspectives (to the common law tradition).”
“There are also a variety of field trips, like to Luxembourg to see the European Court of Justice,” said Taylor, adding that he also enjoyed many extracurricular experiences like concerts, backpacking through Scotland for a week, and hiking the UK’s highest mountain (Ben Nevis), in a kilt.
During the three-month EBS exchange, students take a mandatory introduction to international law followed by a selection of electives on topics including commercial litigation, commercial governance and securities.
“Students are empowered to attend the electives they desire, and choose which exams to take at the end of the program,” explained Taylor.
Heather Wisla, TRU Law’s International, Graduate and Disability Student Coordinator says that so far, six law students have gone on exchange—four went to EBS last year and two are currently at Université Catholiqué de Lyon (UCLy) in Lyon, France.
She says the UCLy exchange offers an additional benefit.
“At UCLy, students take mostly LLM courses. With careful course planning, our JD students have the opportunity to return to UCLy and complete their LLM in International Business Law in just one more semester,” she explained, adding that the program is growing.
“We are in the process of negotiating agreements with Murdoch University in Perth Australia, the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, and Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.
As for Taylor, following graduation he has accepted an articling position at Pritchard & Co in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
“It’s a small-ish firm that focuses on family law, estates and civil litigation. They also have a number of clients who run agri-businesses; as such there can be disputes about water licenses, reclamations, and other regulatory issues, so my plan is to begin familiarizing myself with these issues and perhaps one day, find my way into environmental/energy law.
How to apply for an international exchange:
The deadline to apply for 2017 EBS and UCLy exchanges is March 24 at noon, and selected students will be notified that night as they will be expected to attend a full-day pre-departure session on Sunday, March 26. The session will cover intercultural communication training and information on obtaining visas, health insurance and safety abroad.
Students should have a good GPA and the ability to thrive in a cross-cultural setting. To apply, submit a letter of intent (detailing previous travel experience, ability to speak other languages, if you have close family or friends in Europe and how the experience will work with your career plans), a CV and an unofficial transcript to Heather Wisla at law-support@tru.ca.
