The International Law Practice Lab provided a unique opportunity to develop my technical understanding of international legal frameworks concerning counterterrorism policy while obtaining practical experience researching, analyzing and writing in a professional environment.
I worked on one of the two State Department grants that the International Legal Studies Program is currently supporting. Our group project involved preparing a report, which is produced quarterly and provided to the Counterterrorism Bureau. We analyzed the development and utilization of various states’ domestic counterterrorism laws throughout four global regions.
Having been assigned Central Asia and conducted in-depth research on legislative and judicial histories in the region, I was uniquely prepared in in my 2L summer associateship when my firm in D.C. hosted the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan for an American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative event. My work in the Practice Lab allowed me to speak with the delegation from Kazakhstan about judicial reforms from a deeply informed understanding of their domestic legal system, government and current events.
More broadly, the Practice Lab offered me the opportunity to hone professional writing skills that I use daily. Professor [Michael] Newton’s insights into the international legal frameworks, entities and processes imparted invaluable understanding of legal theory and its practical applications in the real world of competing legal regimes.
– Leah Kehoe, Class of 2023, Summer Associate, Dentons, Washington, D.C.