Participants in the 2013 Chile Summer Program sponsored by California Western

The chance to study abroad during the summer-with its promise of summer school and an international adventure rolled into one-is hard for many law students to pass up.

California Western provides its students with a number of opportunities to study overseas as part of the school’s membership in CILE, the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education. CILE hosts study abroad programs in Malta, Prague, Ireland, and London, as well as the Chile program, led by California Western Professor James M. Cooper.

“Students come back transformed into socially sensitive legal professionals with all the tools a cross-cultural mediator needs,” says Cooper.

William J. Aceves, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, sees the study abroad programs as an immersion in both law and culture.

“You don’t just go to Prague to study torts or international business law. You also go to experience law in another context-to integrate the law system of the other country in the culture in which it is taught,” Aceves says. “A lawyer should be able to speak and understand the language of diversity.”

Studying abroad can create unforgettable experiences, such as the one 3L Sean Elo had this past summer in Prague.

“I was exposed to new cultures, saw incredible sights, met and built relationships with great people, and learned a ton,” says Elo. “The most memorable part of the program for me was our class with Chief Justice John Roberts, particularly on the Fourth of July. He began class by reading the opening of the Declaration of Independence. I will never forget that.” 

The Chile program was a homecoming for 2L Carolina Gomez.

“My hopes from the program were to get a greater understanding of how the systems of both countries work together and see how I could potentially find a career avenue,” Gomez says. “I also wanted to reconnect with my country and family members that I had not seen in more than 15 years.”  

“It’s a first-hand look at how globalization works,” says Cooper of the Chile program. “It’s your hemisphere-use it wisely.”

CHRIS SAUNDERS // RES IPSA ONLINE