Abroad View of the Law

Gwen May, Law '07, outside Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego where she studied as an exchange student in the fall 2006 term.

As students get lost in the hoopla of studying for exams and trying to secure summer jobs, it can become easy to ignore the rest of the world. They may come across references to other legal systems in Supreme Court decisions or various articles, but there is no better way to learn the law in another country than to go there.

The international exchange program at Queen's Law is designed with this purpose in mind. As part of the program, students can attend school for a semester in such far-flung regions of the globe as Hong Kong, Australia and the Netherlands. Upon their return, these fledgling legal professionals have great things to say about their experiences abroad, both socially and academically.

"The benefits [of an exchange program] are pretty self-evident," said Scott Palmer (Law ‘07), who spent the fall 2006 semester at Sydney University in Australia. "You get to live in a cool part of the world of your choice, and get further opportunities to travel and explore." In his free time this semester, Scott took trips to the Blue Mountains, Adelaide and Perth, among other destinations Down Under.

Gwen May (Law ‘07) attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. She was astounded by the red-carpet treatment she and other international students received upon arriving at the Southern California institution. "I did not expect this much individual attention," she said. "The Dean of Student Services even took [us] out for lunch and gave us free zoo passes!" In addition, Gwen got to teach law to high schools students around the area as part of the University's "Street Law" program.

Many students come back with a renewed sense of pride in the Canadian legal system. Scott believes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in particular, sets the Canadian legal system apart from its Australian counterpart, where jurisdiction over fundamental human rights is in the hands of legislators.

Despite their great memories, those who attend exchange programs often return home with a greater appreciation for their time spent at Queen's. "Going to a different school really shows what a strong community Queen's students have built," said Gwen. She is not alone in this sentiment. "If you go on exchange - and I think you should - be sure to soak up life at Queen's while you can," added Scott.

As for the academic side of the exchange program, there are only minor differences between the other schools and Queen's. Gwen mentioned that class discussions are much more prevalent at Thomas Jefferson, and they tend to become somewhat heated at times. Scott pointed out that, aside from the lack of an entrenched bill of rights, Australian law has moved in a more conservative direction under the current administration. "There is only one woman sitting [on the Supreme Court], and Justice Kirby often finds no support from the other judges in his liberal opinions," he said.

 

Many students may believe that going on an international exchange will prevent them from fully taking advantage of the opportunities offered at Queen's. But the testimony of Queen's students on exchange shows, more than anything, that looking to the law of other countries may be the best way to round out our legal education.

For more information about international exchanges, see http://law.queensu.ca/international/internationalExchanges.html.