Law '12 intern shares in grassroots legal education for Vietnamese

Abbey Sinclair (middle row, second from right), Law '12, with other interns and staff of the Institute for Research on Policy Law and Development at an Asian Foundation Workshop for Migrant Workers in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Abbey Sinclair, Law '12, spent the summer of 2010 in Hanoi, Vietnam, helping to promote legal awareness and access to justice for the country’s citizens. She interned with the Institute on Policy, Law and Development (PLD), a partner organization of Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia’s Community Legal Education Initiative (BABSEA CLE).  

At PLD, a legal think tank that conducts research and publishes reports on issues of good governance, rule of law and legal reform in Vietnam, she was part of a team of American, Australian and Vietnamese law students, practitioners and professors. 

“The internship was an extraordinary learning experience, not only because of the opportunity to work on UN legal initiatives, but also because of the chance to learn about law in the context of development,” she says. “Vietnam has been undergoing a major process of legal and economic reform so it was a fascinating time to be a law student interning in Hanoi.” 

Abbey was tasked with three major projects during her time in Vietnam. One of these was editing an English-language manual on HIV/AIDs law for the Joint United Nations Programme UNAIDS. The manual, to be published later this year, will be used as a reference and teaching guide to facilitate greater public awareness. 

She also helped to set up Clinical Legal Education programs at Vietnamese university law faculties, a project funded by the United Nations Development Program. “It was exciting to play a role in setting up the country’s first programs, which will give law students practical skills and experience as well as provide much-needed legal services for disadvantaged individuals,” she says.  

In Abbey’s third major task, she assisted in organizing and facilitating a workshop for migrant workers on their legal rights, specifically focused on those situations when community workers should refer a client to legal aid. Though holding the attention of an all-Vietnamese audience was challenging when speaking English with an interpreter, she says she now has “a much greater appreciation for interactive teaching methodologies and the value of clear communication.” Clear and concise communication – along with flexibility -- was also vital for working in an international team, where not all the members spoke English. 

When asked how the experience would be helpful in her future legal career, she replied: “The international network, the team-work skills, and the diversity of perspectives that you gain from exposure to a different legal system. Vietnamese law is a mix of Confucianism, communist legal theory and French civil law, so it is something entirely different from anything we learn in North American law schools.” 

Outside of the practical legal aspects of her internship, Abbey was also able to immerse herself in an entirely different lifestyle during her time in Vietnam. “The cultural experience of living in Hanoi was amazing,” she says. “It is very traditional in a lot of respects, and while it is changing there isn’t as large of an international influence as I expected. Although daily life in Hanoi was sometimes difficult, complicated by power outages, and the stifling heat and torrential rains of the season, I fell in love with the country and made several really close friends.”

With an undergraduate and a master’s degree in international politics and two years of work experience in international development, Abbey found the work of BABSEA CLE an area of great interest. The opportunity to choose which areas she was most interested in pursuing was what first drew her to intern with the organization.

Though setting up an internship in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language was daunting, she was backed up by what she calls “a wonderful team” at Queen’s. “The school was a tremendous help, and Gillian Ready (Assistant Dean of International Programs) was an amazing resource. Interns from previous years were also excellent sources of information and advice.” 

To travel such a distance and live in Hanoi for 10 weeks, Abbey was helped financially by a Torys Public Summer Internship Award. “I received generous support from Torys, which was a huge help in making the internship possible.”

For others considering an international internship, Abbey offers some words of advice. “I would highly recommend living and working abroad, but be flexible and open-minded. While it’s important to have goals about what you hope to achieve from the experience, it’s also important not to have set expectations.”

For more information on the law school’s funded public interest internships and the Torys Public Summer Internship Award, see http://law.queensu.ca/international.html