Editor’s note: Global Atlanta conducted the below Q&A with Sarah Quinn, the newly appointed director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center at the University of Georgia School of Law, about opportunities for law grads and Georgia’s international law community. This article is published as part of the center’s longstanding sponsorship of Global Atlanta’s Diplomacy Channel.

Global Atlanta: The Dean Rusk International Law Center often highlights international internship and job opportunities for University of Georgia School of Law students and grads. What does this say about the center’s desire to ensure career their readiness? 

Sarah Quinn

Sarah Quinn: It is important to stay informed about the myriad career opportunities available in international law so that we can best advise students in their coursework and extracurriculars during their time at UGA Law.

We underscore for our students just how globalized the practice of law is —even those aspiring to work domestically can benefit from taking an international law course or gaining work experience abroad.  

One of my favorite anecdotes that illustrates this reality involves a student a few years back who had a summer internship in Dalton, Ga., with a rug company. Her internship consisted almost entirely of working with the company’s suppliers in China. As a result of that experience, she came to me seeking to build additional skills abroad and expand her network so that she could be better positioned for a career in business law here in Georgia.

We hope to demonstrate through these job posts how valuable students’ international experiences and skillsets can be, whether they ultimately decide to work internationally or stateside. 

Global Atlanta: What types of opportunities exist for UGA graduates or other professionals to stay/get involved with the International Law Center?  

SQ: UGA Law alumni/ae and professionals have many opportunities to get involved with the Dean Rusk International Law Center’s work and mission. From informal, one-off opportunities, like informational interviews for our students, to more formal and regular opportunities, like speaking at events, participating in panel discussions, hosting our students for site visits and interviews or attending Center events, there is truly something for everyone.

Many of our larger events, including our annual Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law conference, offer CLE credit for attorneys. Everyone is welcome to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter and follow us on social media to stay in touch. LinkedIn | X | Facebook

Global Atlanta: The Center offers Global Externships for UGA Law students. Can you please explain the purpose of this program and some of the specific opportunities available?   

SQ: We are able to offer UGA Law students numerous opportunities for international involvement during their time in law school, including: 

Global Governance Summer School: This two-week study abroad program in Belgium and the Netherlands at the beginning of each summer allows students to explore global governance through lectures at partner university KU Leuven, site visits to a range of international institutions and group projects, focusing on a new theme each summer. In 2023, students were able to watch a vote cast in the European Parliament, speak with UGA Law alumni/ae at a law firm in Brussels about their careers, attend opening oral arguments of the Russia v. Ukraine case at the International Court of Justice and meet with several clerks and judges at the International Criminal Court, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the International Court of Justice.   

Global Externships Overseas: These are four- to 12-week summer and semester-long placements in diverse areas of legal practice around the world. Center staff works with students individually to identify their professional goals and then match the student with a placement tailored to their interests. Over the last 15 years, more than 200 UGA Law students have completed a GEO in law firms, government agencies, corporate legal departments, intergovernmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations across the world, including some here in the United States.  

Semester-long Exchanges: Through a partnership established in 2022, UGA Law and O.P. Jindal Global University’s top-ranked Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, offer a semester-long bilateral exchange for law students. UGA Law students take courses at JGLS during their semester abroad and transfer those credits back to their UGA Law degree. This substantive academic and professional experience in India, an emerging global economic superpower, offers students unique preparation for the globalized practice of law. 

NATO Externship: Through UGA Law’s D.C. Semester in Practice, students participate in a semester-long externship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (NATO SACT). Selected students serve at the Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) Legal Office in Norfolk, Va. Students gain practical experience in public international law and national security law. 

Each year, we continue to cultivate new placements in response to our students’ interests. We are always open to discussing the initiative with potential placements.   

Global Atlanta: Please explain the Center’s programs for foreign-trained attorneys.   

SQ: The Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree at UGA Law offers foreign law graduates opportunities to learn about the U.S. legal system, deepen knowledge of an area of specialization and explore new legal interests at one of the nation’s top law schools. The 10-month program provides individualized support through the Center and prepares international students for a globalized legal market. 

This year, we enrolled 18 lawyers from 14 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. They have experience in family law, commercial law, international business law, tech law, immigration law, international trade law, cybersecurity and criminal law.  

Global Atlanta: How do professionals from abroad apply to become visiting scholars at the Center? 

SQ: Each year, our Center hosts visiting researchers from across the globe. These visitors stay at UGA Law for brief or extended periods to work with faculty, engage with students through mini-courses and less formal presentations and take advantage of our Alexander Campbell King Law Library as well as other University of Georgia libraries, including the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Any interested individuals can refer to our website for more information about the application process and to see what types of projects past visiting researchers have completed.  

Global Atlanta: How does the Center plan to deepen ties with the diplomatic corps in Atlanta and throughout Georgia?   

SQ: We look forward to reinvigorating our existing Consular Series, which presents students, staff and faculty at UGA Law with global perspectives on international trade, cooperation, development and policy. We have been fortunate to host many consuls general in Atlanta through this initiative and hope to bring more of Atlanta’s diplomatic corps to our campus in Athens moving forward.  

Global Atlanta: British Consul General Rachel Galloway was a guest lecturer at the Center on March 20. What was this discussion about?   

SQ: We were fortunate to be able to host Rachel Galloway, the British Consul General in Atlanta, here at UGA Law on March 20. Ms. Galloway spoke about her diplomatic career, including her post as the UK’s ambassador to North Macedonia.

She was joined in conversation by Diane Marie Amann, Regents’ Professor of International Law, Emily & Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law, Faculty Co-Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center. 

Global Atlanta: What other events or activities does the Center have planned for 2024?  

SQ: The Center is putting together an event calendar for the upcoming academic year. Check our events page here to stay up to date.  

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