Work with World Trade Center Indianapolis Offers IU McKinney LL.M. Students Pro Bono, Experiential Learning Opportunity
05/04/2017
Students in the Master of Laws program at IU McKinney have taken advantage of pro bono service and experiential learning opportunities offered by the newly-formed World Trade Center Indianapolis (WTC-Indy).
The World Trade Centers Association https://www.wtca.org/ is a network of over 300 organizations in 88 countries that stimulate trade and investment opportunities for commercial property developers, economic development agencies, and international businesses. The organization was founded in 1969, and is based in New York City.
Former Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, who has taught constitutional law for LL.M. students as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney, reestablished his connection with the organization after leaving office at the end of 2016. He saw a possible link between the needs of the organization and the need for foreign students to have experiential learning and pro bono opportunities.
In the photo at left, from left, are Stephanie Semaan, Cheryl Tawil, Sara Ismail, Greg Zoeller, Lin Zhu, Oluwadamilola Ayoola and Oluwatobiloba Kappo.
“The LL.M. program and the courses in law and business are directly applicable to international trade,” Zoeller said. “I knew the foreign students, who are lawyers in their own countries, would be interested and capable of working with the WTC-Indy program. The school, students, and WTC-Indy all have much to gain from this collaboration. The early research and projects being done by the students show these benefits.”
Zoeller launched WTC-Indy in February 2017, and IU McKinney LL.M. students, including some who had only arrived on campus one month earlier, dove head first into the opportunity. The WTC-Indy-IU McKinney partnership is supported by the work of Professor Frank Emmert, an expert in World Trade Organization law, and Professor Tom Wilson, director of the Joint Center for Asian Law Studies and the Chinese Law Summer Program. Students undertake research on matters connected to their home countries.
Students, including one recent alum, taking part in the opportunity are Siraj Bargawi, LL.M. ’16, (in the photo at right) who is from Saudi Arabia; Oluwadamilola Ayoola and Oluwatobiloba Kappo, both of whom are from Nigeria; Sara Ismail, Stephanie Semaan, and Cheryl Tawil, all of whom are from Lebanon; and Lin Zhu of China.
Students receive research assignments that examine trade markets in their home countries, said Jennifer Thuma, Associate Director of Professional Development and Pro Bono at IU McKinney. She oversees the law school’s involvement in the effort. Students make valuable contacts, and learn important details about the trade issues facing their countries.
The project also allows foreign students to shine in areas of particular expertise, like foreign language knowledge and intimate knowledge of a foreign country, Thuma said.
Zhu, who will receive her LL.M. from IU McKinney in May 2017, is originally from Shanghai. She received her law degree from Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, where her primary interest was international law. The WTC-Indy project was exactly what she was looking for, Zhu said.
“I was looking for an opportunity to get some practical experience,” Zhu said. “I wanted to expand my knowledge and utilize the interest I have in international trade. I think it is a really good opportunity for us to conduct this research project.” She plans to apply for Optional Practical Training, which allows foreign students who want to have a one-year internship experience in the United States to do so. Also as part of her work with WTC-Indy, Zhu will take part in an all-expenses paid international trade conference in Chengdu in Western China in May 2017, sponsored by G.W. Innovative Technology Development, a Chinese firm working to bring international trade opportunities to China from Indiana.
The project also dovetailed into Bargawi’s academic interests and career aspirations. He received an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law, and focused on international business law while studying at IU McKinney. Taking part in the WTC-Indy project has been a welcome opportunity to learn from experts, Bargawi said. “Indeed, it is a source of pride for me to be associated with the project’s initial steps which is an important initiative for Indiana’s Hoosiers,” he said.
Bargawi’s experience with WTC-Indy will serve him well as he seeks career opportunities at home in Saudi Arabia. “I am determined to use my experience with WTC-Indy to find an opportunity in to contribute to my own country,” Bargawi said.
