Alla fine!!
At long last, I am finally on a flight to Rome and am delighted to know I will be calling Europe my home for the next six months. Unlike the majority of students fortunate enough to land an international internship with the help of Professor Christie Warren, I will also be spending the upcoming Fall semester studying at the Instituto de Empresa (IE), Madrid, thanks to Professor Ron Rosenberg, and the William & Mary Law Study Abroad Faculty. Because classes at IE Law do not start until October, I was afforded the opportunity to conduct research in Williamsburg over the past couple of months, prior to spending the remainder of my elongated summer working in Rome.
Starting tomorrow, I will begin work with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), minutes from my apartment in the Prati. IDLO specializes in providing expert legal advice to emergent countries in an effort to promote justice, human rights, economic growth, and effective governance strategies. Specifically, I will be working with the director partnered with South Sudan. As of January, IDLO has assisted the Judiciary of South Sudan (JoSS) in training its members in “substantive law and legal English” in an effort to augment the capacity of South Sudanese Country Court and High Court judges. More information on this program and its results thus far can be retrieved here.
Speaking generally, the primary issue concerning South Sudan seems to revolve around the ongoing attempt to effectuate a stable and transparent rule of law—which is no small feat in a country that celebrated the second anniversary of its independence two days ago. Although I researched and wrote a paper on the current state of post constant-conflict South Sudan (in anticipation of working for IDLO), I know I have only scraped the surface of the legal obstacles this country has—and will—encounter.
I am very eager to start and am thrilled to assist IDLO’s global endeavors in any way possible.
Stayed tuned!
Ciao.
P.s. This cat routinely serenades my courtyard throughout the afternoon and evening with a variety of anguished meows, any reasons for which must be tenuous as it appears to reside in an exquisite, third-story apartment, just outside Vatican City.
